MEDICINAL PLANTS IN floristic regions of EL HARROUCH AND AZZABA (SKIKDA-ALGERIA): PRODUCTION AND THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS

Our study on the production and the therapeutic effects of medicinal plants used by the local population of the two study areas of El Harrouch and Azzaba in the region of Skikda (Algeria), shows that the species are divided into 22 species and 14 families. The most used is the Lamiaceae family with the species Th. vulgaris with hight consumption. The study of botanical characters of International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), agronomic (installation condition of culture) and biochemical (essential oil, total phenols and flavonoids) of this plant demonstrates their economic and therapeutic interest. According to the results, it was found that the installation of thyme culture is very important, and knowledge of installation conditions and botanical characteristics (as UPOV   recommendations), are very important for better adapt this beneficial culture through their therapeutic and commercial value at the Skikda region

Climate Change Impacts Can Be Differentially Perceived Across Time Scales: A Study Among the Tuareg of the Algerian Sahara

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MAs an Indigenous community of Algeria and the broader Sahel, the Tuareg hold unique ecological knowledge, which might contribute to broader models of place-based climate change impacts. Between January and April 2019, we carried out semi-structured interviews (N = 23) and focus group discussions (N = 3) in five villages of the province of Illizi, Algeria, to document the local Tuareg community's timeline and ecological calendar, both of which are instruments used to understand place-based reports of climate change impacts. The livelihoods of the Tuareg of Illizi are finely tuned to climate variability as reflected in changes reported in the cadence of events in their ecological calendar (marked by cyclical climatic and religious events). Participants reported rain and temperature irregularities and severe drought events, which have impacted their pastoral and semi-pastoral livelihoods. These reports are aligned with scientifically measured climate observations and predictions. Paradoxically, although participants recall with detail the climatic disasters that happened in the region over the last century, the Tuareg do not explicitly report decadal trends in the frequency of extreme events. The differential perception of climate change impacts across scales can have important implications for undertaking climate change adaptation measures

Contribution to the study of some aspects of pollination in six varieties of apricot in the region of M'sila (Algeria)

The present work consists in contributing to the study of pollination. Field observations and tests were carried out on six varieties of apricot in the region of M'sila, "Pavit", "Boulida" "Alarbi","Tounsi","Ben sarmouk" and "Louzi rouge". For natural self-pollination, the branches were covered to avoid cross-pollination, and the fruit set was determined. Controlled pollination was carried out using pollen and pollen from the other trees that bloom at about the same time. The fruit set rate was determined after counting the fruits in relation to the number of blooming flowers. The rate of fruit set varies from one variety to another. Alarbi with 62.5%, Louzi with 69.7%, Tounssi with 56.5%, Bulida with 50.7%, Ben Sermouk with 23.2% and Pavit with 45.8%. The bagging rate of the bagged branch obtained at the end of the physiological fall did not show any significant differences between the varieties and ranged between 77.50% for Alarbi and 41.22% for Pavit. The results show that the number of fruits after manual crossing is zero for all crops. All varieties tested are self-compatible and no cross-compatibility group has been guessed on the tested growths, from self-pollination and inter-pollination

The uronic acid content of coccolith-associated polysaccharides provides insight into coccolithogenesis and past climate

Unicellular phytoplanktonic algae (coccolithophores) are among the most prolific producers of calcium carbonate on the planet, with a production of ∼1026 coccoliths per year. During their lith formation, coccolithophores mainly employ coccolith-associated polysaccharides (CAPs) for the regulation of crystal nucleation and growth. These macromolecules interact with the intracellular calcifying compartment (coccolith vesicle) through the charged carboxyl groups of their uronic acid residues. Here we report the isolation of CAPs from modern day coccolithophores and their prehistoric predecessors and we demonstrate that their uronic acid content (UAC) offers a species-specific signature. We also show that there is a correlation between the UAC of CAPs and the internal saturation state of the coccolith vesicle that, for most geologically abundant species, is inextricably linked to carbon availability. These findings suggest that the UAC of CAPs reports on the adaptation of coccolithogenesis to environmental changes and can be used for the estimation of past CO2 concentrations

Phytochemical Elucidation and Antioxidant Activity of Seeds from Three Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) Cultivars from Algeria

In this study, the characterization of fatty acids and secondary metabolites in seeds of three cultivars of Opuntia ficus-indica L. (O. ficus-indica, yellow, orange, and green) harvested from the Souk Ahras area in Northeast Algeria was performed. The antioxidant activity of seed extracts was also assessed by using two methods, namely FRAP and DPPH tests. Results show that total phenolic content (TPC) ranged from 63.02 to 81.80 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g of seeds. The yellow cultivar had the highest TPC, followed by the orange and green cultivars. Concerning flavonoids and tannins, the orange cultivar showed higher concentrations, corresponding to 2.97 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/100 g and 5.60 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/100 g, respectively. Analysis of the seed extracts by HPLC revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, including gallic acid and chlorogenic acid, while the GC analysis of oil showed that prickly pear oil is a major source of essential fatty acids (C18:2). The antioxidant activities of extracts from the three cultivars were comparable. The EC50 for the reduction of ferric iron was almost 0.05 g/mL for all extracts. Regarding the scavenging of DPPH, green and yellow cultivars showed the highest capacity (EC50 = 0.26 g/mL). Linear correlations between the content of some antioxidants (flavonoids, tannins) and different activities were observed, indicating their participation in the latter. Above all, a significant inverse correlation between the total flavonoid content and the EC50 calculated for the reducing activity of seed extracts was observed (r = -0.657; p <= 0.05). Overall, the results indicate that the seeds of O. ficus-indica growing in Algeria can be exploited as valuable sources of table oil, cooking oil, and antioxidants

A new chemotype with high tricyclene content from the essential oil of Salvia aegyptiaca L. growing in Algerian Pre-Sahara

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Salvia aegyptiaca L. (Lamiaceae) growing wild in pre-Saharan region of Algeria, was analysed by GC-MS. Forty-one compounds were detected, representing 87.9% of the whole oil. The essential oil of S. aegyptiaca is characterized by the predominance of mono- terpene derivatives (70.6%). The major constituents were tricyclene (22.9%), followed by limonene (17.5%), b-pinene (7.4%), caryophyl- lene oxide (3.2%) and b-caryophyllene (3.1%). Tricyclene, the main component in our analysis is generally absent in the volatile oils from other Salvia species, therefore, the Algerian accession of S. aegyptiaca may be categorized as a new chemo-type

A new chemotype with high tricyclene content from the essential oil of Salvia aegyptiaca L. growing in Algerian Pre-Sahara

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Salvia aegyptiaca L. (Lamiaceae) growing wild in pre-Saharan region of Algeria, was analysed by GC-MS. Forty-one compounds were detected, representing 87.9% of the whole oil. The essential oil of S. aegyptiaca is characterized by the predominance of monoterpene derivatives (70.6%). The major constituents were tricyclene (22.9%), followed by limonene (17.5%), β-pinene (7.4%), caryophyllene oxide (3.2%) and β-caryophyllene (3.1%). Tricyclene, the main component in our analysis is generally absent in the volatile oils from other Salvia species, therefore, the Algerian accession of S. aegyptiaca may be categorized as a new chemo-type