ALBERT

Description: Important data from the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) collection have been recently rescued from unstable fiche media and scanned to digital images by the EU funded Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) of Belgium. The team at the C3S2-311 Lot 1 Collection and Processing of In Situ Observations service led by the Irish Climate Analysis and Research UnitS (ICARUS) at Maynooth University, Ireland enrolled the help of 2nd year university undergraduate students to transcribe quickly and effectively some of these important ACMAD meteorological surface observations. New and unique datasets for Macenta, Guinea (1947-1953) and Andapa, Madagascar (1949-1957) were digitised with each station consisting of sub-daily observations for: cloud, temperature, humidity, evaporation, pressure and wind as well as daily observations for: evaporation, precipitation and temperature. The newly digitised Sub-Saharan African data will increase the temporal and spatial coverage of data in this important data-sparse region where climate change impact studies are crucial., Students gained new skills and a deep appreciation of historical climatology while helping the global scientific community unearth new insights into past sub-Saharan African climate. The Climate Data Rescue Africa project (CliDaR-Africa project) model has the potential for a broader roll-out to other educational contexts and there is certainly no shortage of data to be rescued with millions of images remaining untouched. Therefore, this paper provides details of the project, and all supporting information such as project guidelines and templates to enable other organisations to instigate similar programs in future.

Description: The phloem limited bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso) is associated with disease in Solanaceous and Apiaceous crops. This bacterium has previously been found in the UK in Trioza anthrisci, but its impact on UK crops is unknown. Psyllid and Lso diversity and distribution among fields across the major carrot growing areas of Scotland were assessed using real-time PCR and DNA barcoding techniques. Four Lso haplotypes were found: C, U, and two novel haplotypes. Lso haplotype C was also found in a small percentage of asymptomatic carrot plants (9.34%, n = 139) from a field in Milnathort where known vectors of this haplotype were not found. This is the first report of Lso in cultivated carrot growing in the UK and raises concern for the carrot and potato growing industry regarding the potential spread of new and existing Lso haplotypes into crops. Trioza anthrisci was found present only in sites in Elgin, Moray with 100% of individuals harbouring Lso haplotype C. Lso haplotype U was found at all sites infecting Trioza urticae and at some sites infecting Urtica dioica with 77.55% and 24.37% average infection, respectively. The two novel haplotypes were found in Craspedolepta nebulosa and Craspedolepta subpunctata and named Cras1 and Cras2. This is the first report of Lso in psyllids from the Aphalaridae. These new haplotypes were most closely related to Lso haplotype H recently found in carrot and parsnip. Lso was also detected in several weed plants surrounding carrot and parsnip fields. These included two Apiaceous species Aegropodium podagraria (hap undetermined) and Anthriscus sylvestris (hap C); one Gallium sp. (Rubiaceae) (hap undetermined); and Chenopodium album (Amaranthaceae) (hap undetermined).