Evaluation location: , United States
Participants in the 2012 collecting trip in Morocco:
Barbara Hellier, Beta curator, Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, Pullman, WA
Dr. Chris Richards, Geneticist, National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, Colorado
Dr. Yasmina EL BAHLOUL, Breeder and geneticist, INRA, Rabat, Morocco.
Mrs Naima QARIOUH, curator, Genebank, INRA, Settat, Morocco.
Wild Beta species are widespread in Morocco occurring along the coasts and in the low mountains. Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima, Beta macrocarpa, and Patellifolia patellaris (formerly Beta patellaris) are endemic to Morocco but very little is known about the extent of their distribution. The Moroccan coast represents an area isolated from the rest of the wild Beta range except for the islands of the Macaronesia ecoregion (which includes the Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, and the Savage Isle). This island ecoregion contains a diversity of Beta species and there are many questions about gene flow among and between Macaronesia and the coast of Northwestern Africa. In Morocco, Beta species are threatened by genetic erosion and habitat degradation due to heavy grazing pressure and urbanization.