Genome-wide identification, characterization, and validation of the bHLH transcription factors in grass pea
The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor is a vital component in plant biology, with a significant impact on various aspects of plant growth, cell development, and physiological processes. Grass pea is a vital agricultural crop...
How to succeed in implementing community-based breeding programs: Lessons from the field in Eastern and Southern Africa
Breeding programs involving either centralized nucleus schemes and/or importation of exotic germplasm for crossbreeding were not successful and sustainable in most Africa countries. Community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) are now suggested as...
Going to scale—From community-based to population-wide genetic improvement and commercialized sheep meat supply in Ethiopia
Community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) have shown, at pilot scale, to be effective and beneficial in achieving genetic progress and in improving livelihoods of smallholder communities. In Ethiopia 134 sheep and goat CBBPs were operational...
New drought-tolerant crops for resilient dryland livelihoods
To help farmers cope with the country's severe droughts, ICARDA, INRA-Morocco, and Benchaib Semences recently released six new drought-tolerant varieties of durum wheat and barley through the DIIVA-PR Project, funded by the Crop Trust.
Effects of Tillage Systems on the Physical Properties of Soils in a Semi-Arid Region of Morocco
Climate change, drought, erosion, water contamination resources, desertification, and loss of soil quality represent major environmental risks worldwide. Facing these risks is the most important issue for sustainable development. Conventional...
Two major chromosome evolution events with unrivaled conserved gene content in pomegranate
Pomegranate has a unique evolutionary history given that different cultivars have eight or nine bivalent chromosomes with possible crossability between the two classes. Therefore, it is important to study chromosome evolution in pomegranate to...
Crop wild relatives in Lebanon: mapping the distribution of Poaceae and Fabaceae priority taxa for conservation planning
Lebanon is a part of the Fertile Crescent recognized for its agrobiodiversity wealth in terms of both cultivated plants and crop wild relatives (CWR) diversity. Within the context of climate change and its adverse effect on agrobiodiversity...
Global sustainability discussions have been shaped by issues primarily relevant to tropical and temperate countries. Less attention has been placed on hot and arid environments and deserts, and a perception has emerged that these environments...
Research priorities to strengthen women's roles in climate-resilient agriculture in the Middle East and North Africa
A new strategy identifies priorities to advance gender equality in agriculture in the MENA region for adapting and building resilience to climate change.
