First meeting of the NEPAD/NABNet Date Palm initiative
Project title:
“ Integrated biotechnological approaches for conservation and improvement of date palm in North Africa ”
14-17 July 2008, Cairo, Egypt

Background

Following the call for proposals disseminated at December 2007 by NEPAD/NABNet secretariat, many team leaders from North african countries have presented joint regional contributions in various areas of priority for research and development announced in the call. The Date Palm was not initially included in the call however based of a request from Prof Dr Nadia BOUGUEDOURA, USTHB Algiers to include this important culture the NEPAD/NABNet Director after agreement from NEPAD/OST asked them to apply. Fellowships applications have been submitted by Prof Dr Mokhtar TRIFI, FST Tunis. Later on and after consultation with NEPAD based on request of other north africain teams it was agreed to allow preparation of a Regional proposal of a consolidated project. After further consultations and contacts Five PIs have been considered for following up with this initiave.

It can be mentioned in particular that the institutions to which belong the involved teams are pioneers in the region in terms of encouraging research and strenghtening use of biotechnology for development purpose in the area of consrvation and improvement of Date Palm. These institutions are holding programs dealing with the theme developed in the project, and the teams have an adequate skill and international notability and are developping research programs involving young researchers. Moreover the teams have when considered together, the adequate background relating to the subject and the complementary skill and facilities to deal with Date Palm research and related applied aspects.

Based on that a meeting gathering the team leaders in this initiative, was agreed by NEPAD and has been scheduled to follow up with the submitted proposal and to initiate a regional research process.

Venue and participants

The meeting was held in NRC, Cairo, Egypt during three days: 14 th–17 th July 2008.

Dr Osama El-Shabrawy NRC representative as contact with NEPAD welcomed the participants and encouraged their initiative and promised support to the project and urged the participants to come up as soon as possible with a sound proposal. He explained the special backstopping measures to the NRC teams involved in the NEPAD/NABNet projects through various channels

The team leaders who attended this meeting are as follows:

Dr Mokhtar TRIFI: Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisie.

Dr Nadia BOUGUEDOURA: Université Science et Technologie Houari Boumedière, Alger, Algérie

Dr Mahmoud SAKER : National Research Center, Giza, Egypt

Dr Ibrahim Abdelmaksoud IBRAHIM: GEBRI/Menoufia University, Sadate City , Egypt

Dr Ali Ould Salem OULd BOUKHARY: Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de Nouakchott, Mauritanie

 To further contact between NEPAD/NABNet initiatives, the meeting was attended partially by other PIs namely Dr Magda SABBOUR from Bioinsecticides initiative, Dr Nadia YKHLEF from Wheat initiative.

LOGISTICS:

P articipants from outside Egypte received their tickets and 80 US$/day from NEPAD/NABNet. Other complementary expenses to the meeting came also from NABNet.

Agenda of the meeting

Monday July 14th 12h-16h:  

Scientific presentations of the Date Palm programs developed by the participants in their institutions and suggestions for their involvement into the NEPAD/NABNet Date Palm initiative
Tuesday July 15 th 09h-16h: 

Discussion about the scientific project and the workplan and the long term strategy
Wednesday July 16th 09h-16h:

Workplan (suite), contracting, legal arrangements and institutional involvement, links between teams and follow up to accomplish the various pending duties

Background of the NEPAD/NABNet Date palm teams and their expectation/contribution from/to the project

Mokhtar TRIFI: He presented an overview about palm groves in Tunisia and highlighted the activities his Lab is developing in FST and dealing with date palm as a valuable component of the semi arid and saharan systems in Tunisia. He summarised the major results and capacity of his Lab and emphasized on his input to this project in fighting against brittle leaves disease (BLD), as well as genetic diversity analysis. He presented the facilities available to him and the various routined methodologies he will be using to cope with his activities. These includes, a plethora of DNA-based markers, Proteomic approach and supportive various invitro techniques.

Nadia BOUGUEDOURA : She presented the activities her Lab is developing in USTHB, dealing with tissue culture approach and germplasm characterisation. The latter would allow fishing criteria useful for precoce identification rather than waiting for the plant at 6-7 years old. She finds that the skill of her group can be useful to generate cultivars resistants to Bayoudh or other diseases using somatic embryogenesis and organogenis as well proptoplast fusion. The latter approach can allow producing cultivars gathering yield and resistance characteristics.

Mahmoud SAKER: He presented the activities his Lab is developing in the area of fighting against Red Palm Weasel using (RPW) a genetic characteristion approach of the pest as well as genetic transformation to generate transgenic cultivars. The latter approach is associated with various techniques including initiation of tissue culture, embryogenesis, cryopreservation and regeneration. He is willing to contribute with the north african group based on his skill to fight and circomvent expansion of RPW and to exchange expertise for formation of young fellows

Ali Ould BOUKHARY : He presented an overview about palm groves in the various ecogeograhical areas of Mauritania and highlighted the activities his Lab is developing in FSTN and dealing with date palm conservation. He summarised the major results and capacity of his Lab and emphasized on his input to this project in the analysis of genetic diversity at phenotypic level. He is willing to use his expertise for the benefit of the north african group and to get benefit from developed tissue culture and molecular profiling appraoches developed by the collaborative teams.

Ibrahim Abdelmaksoud IBRAHIM: He explained the important original date palm diversity in Egypt and the major constraints threatening this patrimony. He presented the activity his lab and the progress so far achieved for using in vitro approach for plant production of certain important landraces. He is willing to participate in the group based on his skill through technology transfer to other groups and get benefit from the expertise of others by contributing to a quick dissemination of the elite material.

Along the discussions during the meeting, the five team leaders with their own skill seemed to lead coherent groups and have access to the universities through their young students and direct collaborators. They also have a good notability which promises for expanding the project in its development phase. The plethora of technologies available to the teams and their skill make it conceivable that they will follow up throughout the region with the project.

The Date Palm north african group can play at the regional level an important role for showing to the policy makers and to the north african society the ability to take place for a north african Date Palm group. The next months will be crucials to demonstrate if the group can really assume a leadership in this field. The team leaders seemed to have a long experience of working in wide consortia, and are all involved in international collaboration programs. They expressed their adhesion to NEPAD principles including building on prior knowledge rather than creating from scratch, adding value to their Ongoing national programs rather than launching a new project. They agree on sharing costs and benefits among them and with NEPAD based on the fact that they own their initiative. They agree on sharing their program with stakeholders of the region and develop efforts for expanding it to Africa and use their progress for higher level involvment in International initiatives.

Design of the project

The participants discussed based on the proposed notes at conceptual and implementing levels. The project is conceived as a two phases project. The phase 1 is supported from CIDA/NEPAD Fund to acquire consumables and/or spearparts and/or allocating fellowships for students. This fund will support also meetings of the team leaders to follow up with the project's progress and developing link in NABNet. This phase 1 corresponds to an initiating phase whereas the phase 2 will be a development phase and depend on the support from structures and institutions in north africa and internationally.

Below is presented a general outline of the design of the Phase 1. A comprehensive document of the proposal will be presented by the group based on the discussions of the meeting at 30th July the latest together with a progress report covering the Ongoing activities. The five team leaders as the scientific committee of the project will interact to achieve these tasks.

The goal, objectives and expected outcomes agreed are as follows

Major Goal :

Development of an Integrated biotechnological approach for conservation and improvement of date palm. To the long term this will sustain and expand palm groves in north African and develop strategies against major plagues in North Africa

Specific Objectives :

*Conservation and rapid propagation of interesting and menaced cultivars

*Production through complementary biotechnological approaches of cultivars resistant to bayoudh

*Evaluation of the date palm genetic diversity in North Africa

*Create transgenic cultivars against RPW

*Characterization of the determinism of BLD

Expected outcomes:

To the Short term (initiating phase)

*Following up with Ongoing national research programs and establishing complementary links in the region,

*Contribution for better knowledge of genetic diversity in date palm germplasm,

*Establishment of in vitro propagation methodologies and transformation systems for endangered *Cultivars and landraces,

*Technology transfer and contribution to competency development

To the long term (development phase)

*Protection of oasian agroecosystems and enhancement of its productivity

*Improve the revenue of the Farmers

*Extension of palm grove areas

*Favorising the Development of accompanying agro indusrial activities related to Date production…

Extending and expanding the Date Palm initiative

The group agreed to do its best to produce results and to generate impact during 2008 and 2009. During this period other teams in the region will be harnessed for input and will be involved in the project to be prepared during this time frame to be implemented later during the phase 2 that will be initiated at 2010. To this end the group will pursue its international effort for valorising this NEPAD initiative and will develop various complementary links. On the other side an effort will be made to meet the need of the development sector by inter alea following up and initiating some filed trials in the region. These efforts are destined also to strenghten the project so it can be marketed by NEPAD with potential sponsors nationally and internationally, and used as a plateform for involving the team in skilled consortia seeking high level international collaborative projects

Follow-up

Based on the discussions of the various items of the meeting agenda and taking into account the comprehensive discussion, contracts will be finalised and signed. Later on Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) documents regarding exchange of DNA, other extracts will be exchanged? the first fund transfer to the participants will be done when the Annex A is finalised, agreements signed, progress report relative to the last Months done, and invoice sent .

Mohamed Elarbi Aouani, NEPAD/NABNet Director. 18 July 08