1997
February
February, 1997
Desert solution sought in Iowa
Iowa State researchers are working to stop a disease that is
devastating date palm trees in Morocco. The Bayoud fungus,
discovered in the 1890s, has wiped out an estimated 70 percent of
the Moroccan palm trees.
About 50 percent of Morocco is desert, where date palms play a vital role in the lives of the people.
Two Moroccan scientists, including Mustapha Zemzami ('83), arrived at ISU in October.
Zemzami said no other crop has as big an impact on people in the sub-Saharan areas of Morocco. It's not just the dates that are important. "The trees provide shade, making gardening and livestock production possible. The leaves also are used for handmade crafts," Zemzami said. Without the date palms, people living in the deserts will be forced to move to urban areas.
The $317,000 research project, funded by the Kingdom of Morocco, is led by Robert Thornburg, ISU associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics. Thornburg said researchers will attempt to change the date palm tree by inserting genes that will make it resistant to the Bayoud fungus.
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Revised: February 1997