Between June 21 and July 2, 2026, IICG-URJC researchers Zeinab Matinzadeh and Jesús López Angulo participated in a scientific expedition to Tajikistan alongside teams from CSIC and institutions in Armenia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. This activity was part of the project Enhancing knowledge on plant–soil interactions in saline soils from Western-Central Asia, funded by the CSIC‘s i-COOP program.
During the expedition, soils and plant communities in saline-gypsum environments were characterized, the elemental composition of plants adapted to these ecosystems was evaluated, and training activities were conducted with Central Asian researchers. Fieldwork was carried out in four plots located in Khodjent, Dushanbe, and Kulob.
The participation of the IICG-URJC has been especially relevant thanks to the contribution of Zeinab Matinzadeh, a postdoctoral researcher funded by the Institute’s own call for postdoctoral contracts, thus reinforcing the commitment of the IICG-URJC to international research and scientific cooperation.