HONRUBIA, MARIO & MORTE, ASUNCION.
Dpto de Biología Vegetal, Fac. Biología, Univ. Murcia 30100, SPAIN.
Erosion and desertification are two of the most important
environmental problems in the Mediterranean Region. One of the ways to reduce
such processes is the restoration of the forest cover. The use of symbiosis
between plants and mycorrhizal fungi make more feasible the forest
restorations.
MYCOLUDESME was born as a network for using mycorrhizae for desertification
control in the Mediterranean Region. This network was organized by the CIHEAM
(Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Mediterraneennes - IAMZ:
Institut Mediterraneen de Saragosse) through several meetings carried out since
November 1995. The network was structured around two main subjects: a) the
Desert Truffles and b) the Selection of Mycorrhizal fungi for reforestation
projects.
Concerning to the Desert Truffles research, several groups from Algeria (Oran),
France (Nancy), Italy (Torino), Israel (Ben-Gurion), Morocco (Rabat,
Marrackech) and Spain (Alcala de Henares, Murcia) showed their interest in
participating on different aspects, such as biodiversity and ecology (including
molecular studies), ecophysiology (drought stress resistance), bank inoculum
production, mycorrhizal synthesis (in vivo and in vitro),
experimental plots for productivity improving, etc.
The objectives of this opened network are the exchange among researches, the
coordinated work with common objectives and harmonized methodology and the
possibility to apply for financial supports of the different arised
projects.