BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENCY
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENCY
2022
Field trip to Morocco (March 08-15, 2022)
by M. Cristofaro and F. Di Cristina
The goal of this trip was to search for and collect fresh samples and seeds of Mesembryanthemum spp. We were travelling from Casablanca to Marrakech, and then to Agadir, Tiznit, Aglou, Sidi Ifni, Essaouira. The trip was very successful, because we found 12 sites with the target ice-plants. Despite to the fact that we performed the trip at the same time of last year trip at the Canary Islands and that the latitude was similar, we recorded different situations: M. crystallinum was extremely common (the populations were very big) but in 50% of the cases we found only dry plants from last year and we collected seeds to grow the plants at the BBCA quarantine facilities, to get the leaf samples for DNA. M. nodiflorum was not very common (found only in 2 sites), but we recorded a new ice-plant species (probably Aizoanthemum hispanicum). As final consideration, it would be better to perform the travel one month later (mid-April): the reason is that last winter was very dry and we found green plants only at the sites that received some water. Probably for the same reason, we did not find anything associated with Tamarix spp., very common target weed all over in the Country.
Field trip to Slovakia (April 11-15, 2022)
by M. Cristofaro and F. Di Cristina
First stop-over of this trip was a full working day at the IAEA in Vienna (Austria). The second day in Slovakia, we had a working day at the site near Abov. Found one hole (GYMNA) on Russian thistle (Salsola tragus) plant, but recorded anthropic issue at the site (people are using the site for motorcycling rides). Recorded a good population of Bromus tectorum (in blooming stage): collected sample to detect the presence of erios and seed midge. In Nitra we had a meeting with P. Toth at the University. Drove again at the same site of the previous day, near the village of Abov and collected some seeds of Salsola as DNA sample. Next sites were near the village of Nesvady and near Chotin village: found only small populations of Salsola, but collected a second sample of B. tectorum. The last day, near the town of Kamenicna we found a good population of Salsola, without any damage (probably because the site was in the middle of a cultivated area). Then stop very close to the village Svaty Peter: found a very promising site for Salsola (collected seed samples) but we did not record GYMNA damage. At the same site, found B. tectorum (collected samples), Chondrilla, Euphorbia cyparissias and Onopordium acanthium. In a site near the cimitery of Marcelova we found a large population of Salsola (one weevil adult feeding on dry seeds), but this was a very disturbed area (use to be a garbage place). Recorded germinated Salsola seeds both (still) in the stem as well in the ground. Also collected Bromus sample. Last stop of the trip was on a sandy hill near the village of Virt: found Salsola plants with GYMNA symptoms (but we did not find the pupae in the soil).