Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp ciceris is one of the major diseases impacting chickpea productivity. Significant losses are reported by farmers due to the absence of effective wilt management options. Biological control using beneficial microorganisms in agriculture, is one of the promising alternatives and eco-friendly strategies utilised to overcome this disease. The present study investigated the biocontrol effect of 40 bacterial strains isolated from the rhizosphere of healthy chickpea plants collected from major chickpea growing regions in Morocco. Twelve out of 40 strains showed more than 25% in vitro inhibition of the pathogen growth. These strains, using the 16S rDNA gene sequencing, were classified into three genera, namely Bacillus, Paenibacillus, and Pseudomonas, represented by different species. Our finding showed that the mode of antagonism was mainly due to the production of diffusible and volatile compounds as well as lytic enzymes. Moreover, a greenhouse experiment of the three selected antagonistic strains showed a significant reduction in the mean of wilt incidence in different chickpea genotypes,StrainB18 reduced the wilt incidence in the susceptible variety from 90% to 18% Consequently, our antagonistic bacterial strains could be a potential component of integrated management of Fusarium wilt, therefore, increase the yield of chickpea.

Olive leaf spot (OLS), also called olive scab and peacock eye, caused by Fusicladium oleagineum, is a major disease that causes significant damage to olive trees. However, we still lack information about how cultivar and environmental factors influence disease development. In this study, evaluation of the incidence and severity on twenty olive cultivars (Olea europaea L.), maintained in an ex situ collection in Morocco, was carried out monthly during the period from March to July 2021. Biochemical parameters were also evaluated for each cultivar including leaf chlorophyll, polyphenols and flavonoid contents. Results revealed that the OLS incidence was highly correlated with severity (r = 0.94) and found to be related to climatic conditions and cultivars. The studied cultivars were classified into four major groups, i.e., susceptible, moderately susceptible, moderately resistant and resistant. Finally, our investigations revealed a partial relationship between resistance to the OLS disease and phenolic and flavonoid leaf contents, supporting the assumption of the potential involvement of such components in cultivar resistance to the disease. Overall, our work highlights the importance of characterizing olive cultivar resistance to OLS in driving the choice of the best varieties for an effective control of the disease in specific warming regions such as Morocco.

Fusarium culmorum is one of the most important causal agents of root rot of wheat. In this study, 10 F. culmorum isolates were collected from farms located in five agro-ecological regions of Morocco. These were used to challenge 20 durum wheat genotypes via artificial inoculation of plant roots under controlled conditions. The isolate virulence was determined by three traits (roots browning index, stem browning index, and severity of root rot). An alpha-lattice design with three replicates was used, and the resulting ANOVA revealed a significant (P < 0.01) effect of isolate (I), genotype (G), and G × I interaction. A total of four response types were observed (R, MR, MS, and S) revealing that different genes in both the pathogen and the host were activated in 53% of interactions. Most genotypes were susceptible to eight or more isolates, while the Moroccan cultivar Marouan was reported resistant to three isolates and moderately resistant to three others. Similarly, the Australian breeding line SSD1479-117 was reported resistant to two isolates and moderately resistant to four others. The ICARDA elites Icaverve, Berghisyr, Berghisyr2, Amina, and Icaverve2 were identified as moderately resistant. Principal component analysis based on the genotypes responses defined two major clusters and two sub-clusters for the 10 F. culmorum isolates. Isolate Fc9 collected in Khemis Zemamra was the most virulent while isolate Fc3 collected in Haj-Kaddour was the least virulent. This work provides initial results for the discovery of differential reactions between the durum lines and isolates and the identification of novel sources of resistance.

Olive leaf spot (OLS), caused by Fusicladium oleagineum, is a significant disease affecting olive orchards, leading to reduced yields and compromising olive tree health. Early and accurate detection of this disease is critical for effective management. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of OLS disease progression in olive orchards by integrating agronomic measurements and multispectral imaging techniques. Key disease parameters—incidence, severity, diseased leaf area, and disease index—were systematically monitored from March to October, revealing peak values of 45% incidence in April and 35% severity in May. Multispectral drone imagery, using sensors for NIR, Red, Green, and Red Edge spectral bands, enabled the calculation of vegetation indices. Indices incorporating Red Edge and near-infrared bands, such as Red Edge and SR705-750, exhibited the strongest correlations with disease severity (correlation coefficients of 0.72 and 0.68, respectively). This combined approach highlights the potential of remote sensing for early disease detection and supports precision agriculture practices by facilitating targeted interventions and optimized orchard management. The findings underscore the effectiveness of integrating a traditional agronomic assessment with advanced spectral analysis to improve OLS disease surveillance and promote sustainable olive cultivation.

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.p ciceris (Foc) is a devastating soil-borne disease of the chickpea. The disease causes crop losses in late-planted chickpeas and no available management option currently exists to recommend to farmers. In order to determine the effect of integrating sowing dates with chickpea genotypes on disease parameters and yield, a field experiment was undertaken in naturally infested soil at Merchouch station during 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. The results showed that significant differences were observed among chickpea genotypes for the three disease parameters, and among sowing dates for final disease incidence. For seed yield, only the sowing dates showed significant differences and all interactions between factors were non-significant for all measured parameters. Late sowing showed high values for the three disease parameters. A high seed yield was obtained from early-planted compared to late-planted chickpeas. In conclusion, the integration of early sowing and chickpea genotypes with good levels of resistance can be recommended for farmers to increase chickpea productivity in Morocco.

The destructive pest of chickpeas, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), is difficult to control using synthetic insecticides. The current research examined the entomopathogenic and endophytic colonisation effects of three fungal strains of Beauveria bassiana (HASS; RFSL10; SP-IR-566) against H. armigera larvae under laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions. Four inoculation methods were used in the greenhouse: Root Dipping (RD), Leaf Spraying (LS), Stem Injection (SI), and Seed Coating (SC), while spray application was used for laboratory and field treatments. Under laboratory conditions, the highest entomopathogenic effect was recorded by HASS and RFSL10 strains applied as a direct spray at 10⁸ conidia mL^-1 with 100% mortality, followed by SP-IR-566 with 96%, 12 days after treatment. Furthermore, foliar application in the field reduced larval population by an average ranging from 82 to 100%, confirming the significant effects of the three tested strains. In terms of endophytic colonisation under greenhouse setting, both stem injection and root dipping methods expressed low to moderate mortality rates ranging from 32 to 40%, 15 days after application. These findings suggested that B. bassiana strains, investigated as foliar application, had a potential as an effective strategy to control H. armigera. This study also offers new insights into the potential of the endophytic entomopathogens approach as a viable and safe alternative to chemical pesticides.