The project fertiledatepalm – bio-inoculation and organic matter management for sustainable date palm propagation and cultivation

Sarah Symanczika, Rachid Bouamrib, Ali Abidarb, El Hassan Achbanic, Lotfi Fkid, Aziz Larbib, Ahmed Mlikie, Abdelillah Meddichf, Gian Nicolaya, Mohamed Hafidif, Paul Mädera

a Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Switzerland, b National School of Agriculture of Meknes, Morocco, c National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) of Meknes, Morocco, d Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, Tunisia, e Center of Biotechnology of Borj Cédria, Tunisia, f Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, University Cadi Ayyad, Morocco.

Workpackage 2 Elaboration and efficiency testing of adopted OBF approaches

Workpackage 1 Isolation of date palm adapted bio-fertilizers and establishment of customized propagation technologies

Introduction and project aim Date palm is an important crop in Morocco, Tunisia and many other drylands with a high agricultural, economic and cultural value (FAO, 2014). Harsh environmental conditions of those areas, further accelerated by climate change and the spread of root diseases, threaten date palm cultivation. To overcome growth limitations, high inputs of mineral fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation are applied. However, these high external inputs strongly impact the environment and livelihoods. The project aims at establishing a novel organic bio-fertilization (OBF) strategy, combining the inoculation of native beneficial soil microorganisms, namely arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) during tissue culture and field propagation of date palms, together with organic matter management. The approach includes participatory research with organized farmers, socio-economic surveys and a dissemination strategy for Morocco and Tunisia.

Culture collection of bio-fertilizers AMF in-vitro propagation AMF on-farm propagation Characterisation of PGPRs

OBF against environmental stresses

• Drought stress alleviation

• Enhancement of disease tolerance against Bayoud (date palm wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum sp. albedenis)

OBF for farmers OBF for tissue culture laboratories

Workpackage 3 Assessing the effects of OBF on soil fertility Analysis of soils’ physical, chemical and biological properties as a response to OBF and standard culture procedures

Acknowledgements

The project is funded by the r4d program, the Swiss Programme for Research on global Issues for Development, a partnership of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Swiss National Science Foundation. References www.fertiledatepalm.net; FAO (2014) FAOSTAT. FAO, Rome, Italy. © 2017 www.fibl.org

Workpackage 5 Dissemination and stakeholders' participation activities

Workpackage 4 Socio-economic assessment of OBF strategy

• Social acceptance to introduce novel fertilization practices

• Economic impact for farmers and tissue culture laboratories

“Compost workshop” organized in IP Erfoud, Morocco about the beneficial impact of organic amendments on soil fertility.

Establishment of 3 innovation platforms (IPs) in Tinjdad, Erfoud and Jorf (Date palm grove of Tafilalet, Morocco)

• Social space of exchange between researchers and involved stakeholders like farmers, farmers organisations and regional and national agricultural institutions is created with the IPs and links with extension bodies

• The IP is a communication network with the aim to target and solve problems of its members (mainly farmers) by systematic communication and trainings in order to achieve innovation in a given geographic area

• Two training workshops have been organized so far on demand by farmers within the IPs: “Fertilization with organic amendments in date palm groves” and “Pest control in date palm groves”

Dissemination activities with open field and laboratory days, trainings courses and public and scientific presentations

Recommendations for stakeholders at regional, national and international scale will be made

Trap culture establishment

AMF single-spore cultures

PGPR cultures

Results • 11 AMF strains were

successfully cultivated, Funneliformis spp, Rhizoglomus spp, etc.

• 33 PGPR isolates were cultivated, Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., etc.

Results • 19 isolates showing phosphate

solubilization potential • 16 isolates possess indo 3-

acetic acid production potential

Screening essay to test the potential of PGPR isolates to produce indo 3-acetic acid production.

Aim • Adaptation of culture

conditions for the propagation of local AMF strains

• Methodology transfer to date palm tissue culture laboratories

Medicago truncatula used as host plant to propagate AMF strains under axenic conditions using a split-dish design comprising a root and hyphal compartment.

Micropropagated plants (left) and offshoots (right) during greenhouse hardening in farmers’ nursery prior to field transplantation.

Results The host plant mixture Hordeum vulgare - Sorghum bicolor (light grey bars) significantly enhanced sporulation in two on-farm (Errachidia and Tinjdad) and one greenhouse trial. When using only H. vulgare (dark grey bars) sporulation was reduced for up to 80%.

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Errachidia Tinjdad GreenhouseMeknes

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Aim • To assess the potential of introducing in-vitro cultured

AMF for inoculation of date palms at in-vitro stage and before acclimation

• To increase plant fitness, the survival rate after pot transplantation and to reduce cultivation time and input of mineral fertilizers and pesticides

Micropropagated date palms at in-vitro (left) and acclimation (right) stage at the national date palm tissue culture laboratory of the National Institute for Agricultural Research in Errachidia, Morocco.

Aim • To investigate the growth promotion potential of

applying on-farm propagated AMF and compost to micropropagated plantlets and offshoots during greenhouse hardening

• To enhance date palm rooting, in order to shorten the time before field transplantation and to minimize the input of fertilizers