Étude de la variabilité phénotypique du fruit de figuier de Barbarie d’une collection ex-situ d’accessions locales dans le contexte oasien du Tafilalet - Maroc

Prickly pear especially Opuntia ficus-indica species could be an economically important alternative crop in irrigated oasis zones, as it tolerates very well extreme droughts. In order to select the most promising fruits for the Tafilalet oasis context, 36 accessions of the prickly pear (28 accessions of Opuntia ficus-indica f. ficus-indica and 8 accessions of Opuntia ficus-indica f. amyclaea) from different regions of Morocco and cultivated in Tafilalet region were evaluated. Seventeen fruit morphological traits and four physical and physicochemical criteria of pulp including firmness, colour, pH, and degree Brix were analysed. All the observed criteria recorded a significant variation within and between the forms of cacti. As an example, the weight of the fruit varies significantly between 73.9 g and 132.8 g. Likewise, the degree Brix varies from 9.3 ° to 13.6 ° Bx. The form of the prickly pear (ficus-indica and amyclaea) and the geographical origin affected the characteristics of the fruit. Compared to other study on the same accessions in Agadir region revealed significant differences regarding fruit weight, pH and degree Brix in favour of Agadir environment. Five groups were proposed using agglomerative hierarchical clustering. Seven accessions were thus selected for the production of the fruit for Tafilalet oasis context.Vu sa grande tolérance aux sécheresses extrêmes, le figuier de Barbarie (FB) notamment l’espèce Opuntia ficus-indica pourrait être une culture alternative économiquement importante dans les zones oasiennes irriguées. Dans l’objectif de sélectionner les fruits les plus prometteurs pour le contexte oasien du Tafilalet, 36 accessions du FB (28 accessions d’Opuntia ficus-indica f. ficus-indica et 8 accessions d’Opuntia ficus-indica f. amyclaea) issues de différentes régions du Maroc et cultivées au niveau de la région de Tafilalet ont été évaluées. Dix-sept critères morphologiques du fruit et quatre critères physiques et physico-chimiques incluant la fermeté, la couleur, le pH et le degré Brix de la pulpe ont été analysés. Tous les critères étudiés ont enregistré une variation significative intra et inter-formes du cactus. Ainsi par exemple, le poids du fruit varie significativement entre 73,9 g et 132,8 g. De même le degré Brix varie de 9,3 ° à 13,6 °Bx. La forme du FB (f. ficus-indica et f. amyclaea) et l'origine géographique ont affecté ces caractéristiques. La comparaison des résultats de cette étude avec ceux obtenus pour les mêmes accessions d’Opuntia cultivées dans la région d’Agadir ont révélé des différences significatives en termes de poids des fruits, de pH et de degré Brix en faveur de l’environnement d’Agadir. La classification ascendante hiérarchique permet de séparer cinq groupes. Sept accessions ont ainsi été sélectionnées pour le contexte oasien de la région du Tafilalet

Évaluation de l’application de la technique "Scozzolatura" sur la qualité des fruits des accessions de figuier de Barbarie dans le contexte oasien du Tafilalet

Prickly pear cladodes could bloom several times during the same season, either naturally or after applying inductive practices such as Scozzolatura technique; this allows extending fruiting season of cactus pear. The study of the effect of the Scozzolatura technique on the quality of the fruits was determined on 10 accessions (Opuntia ficus-indica form ficus-indica) from different regions of the south of Morocco and cultivated in Errachidia Experimental Station (31.91"N 4.44"W). The evaluation of the quality of the fruits was carried out on the morphological characteristics (length, equatorial width, thickness of the bark, depth of the scar of the receptacle, length of the fruit peduncle, diameter of the fruit crown, volume, weight of the fruit, rind and seeds and the number of seeds), physical (firmness) and physicochemical (color, pH and Brix). Certainly, the yield and the unit weight of the fruits following the application the Scozzolatura were lower comparatively to seasonal fruit production. However, several quality traits were found to be significantly different between the seasonal fruits and the fruits of Scozzolatura. The most important traits are the number and weight of seeds, which have decreased on average by 35.7 and 32.8%, respectively. The thickness of the skin and the length of the fruit peduncle significantly increased on average by 10.4% and 57.0%, respectively after the application of the Scozzolatura. The color of the pulp changed completely after the application of the Scozzolatura. As for the physicochemical character, the pH was reduced, the Brix degree increased by three to five units compared to the seasonal fruit. As a result, the fruits of Scozzolatura were superiorly of better quality.Les cladodes du figuier de Barbarie peuvent refleurir plusieurs fois au cours d'une même saison, soit d’une façon naturelle, soit après application des pratiques inductives comme la technique de Scozzolatura ; ceci permet d’étendre la production des fruits au-delà de la saison de production habituelle du cactus. L’étude de l’effet de la technique de Scozzolatura sur la qualité des fruits a été réalisée sur 10 accessions de figuier de Barbarie (Opuntia ficus-indica forme ficus-indica) provenant de différentes régions du Sud du Maroc et cultivées au niveau du domaine expérimental de l’INRA d’Errachidia (31,91"N 4,44"O). L’évaluation de la qualité des fruits a été faite sur les caractéristiques morphologiques (longueur, largeur équatoriale, épaisseur de l’écorce, profondeur de la cicatrice du réceptacle, longueur du pédoncule du fruit, diamètre de la couronne du fruit, volume, le nombre de graines et poids du fruit, d’écorce et de graines), physiques (fermeté) et physicochimiques (couleur, pH et Brix). Cette étude montre que le rendement et le poids moyen du fruit obtenus suite à l’application de cette technique ont enregistré des valeurs plus faibles comparativement aux fruits de saison. Néanmoins, plusieurs attributs de qualité se sont révélés significativement différents entre les fruits de saison et les fruits de la Scozzolatura. Les plus remarquables sont le nombre et le poids des graines qui ont en moyenne diminué de 35,7 et 32,8 % respectivement. L’épaisseur de la peau et la longueur du pédoncule du fruit ont par contre augmenté en moyenne de 10,4 et 57,0 % respectivement. La couleur de la pulpe a complètement changé après l’application de la Scozzolatura. Quant aux critères physicochimiques de la pulpe, le pH a légèrement diminué de 0,1 à 0,4 et le degré Brix a augmenté de trois à cinq unités par rapport au fruit de saison. De ce fait, les fruits issus de la Scozzolatura ont été montrés une qualité supérieure comparativement aux fruits de saison

MALADIE DE CASTLEMAN THORACIQUE A LOCALISATION SCISSURALE. A PROPOS D’UN CAS EXCEPTIONNEL

Introduction: Castleman’s disease is a benign lymphoid proliferation of unknown etiology. It has two different clinical classifications: localized and multicentric type. Trough a case report of thoracic Castleman’s disease, we will try to define the clinical, radiological and pathological features of this rare disease. Case report: We report a case of 33 years-old woman, presenting a left hilar opacity fortuitously discovered on the chest x-ray. We evoked the diagnosis of hydatid cyst because of our endemic context. During the surgical operation, an inter-lobar mass in intimate contact with the branches of the pulmonary artery was discovered. The tumor was removed completely, and was diagnosed to be the hyalin vascular type of Castleman’s disease histopathologically. Discussion: Thoracic Castleman’s disease is located most commonly in the mediastinum. Interlobar location, such our patient is unusual. Its management is surgical. Three pathologic classifications have been developed: hyalin vascular variant, plasma cell variant and mixed variant. Conclusion: Castleman’s disease is a benign and uncommon etiology of thoracic tumors. The diagnosis is histological after a surgical resection.Introduction : La maladie de Castleman est une prolifération lymphoïde bénigne d’étiologie inconnue. Elle se présente sous forme localisée ou multiviscérale. A travers une observation d’une maladie de Castleman à localisation thoracique, nous rappelons les aspects cliniques, radiologiques et anatomo-pathologiques de cette pathologie rare. Observation : Patiente de 33 ans, ayant été admise au service de chirurgie thoracique pour une opacité hilaire gauche, de découverte fortuite, évoquant un kyste hydatique du poumon gauche, vu notre contexte endémique. La patiente a bénéficié d’une exploration chirurgicale qui a découvert une masse scissurale au contact intime avec les branches de l’artère pulmonaire gauche. Le geste chirurgical a consisté en une résection complète de la tumeur. L’étude anatomopathologique de la pièce opératoire a montré une forme vasculo-hyaline de la maladie de Castleman. Discussion : La localisation médiastinale est la plus fréquente des formes thoraciques de la maladie de Castleman. La localisation scissurale, cas de notre patiente est exceptionnelle. Son traitement est chirurgical. On distingue 3 formes histologiques, la forme vasculo-hyaline, la forme plasmocytaire et la forme mixte. Conclusion : La maladie de Castleman est l’une des étiologies rares et bénignes des tumeurs intrathoraciques. Son diagnostic est anatomo-pathologique après une exérèse chirurgicale

Identification of Gene Modules Associated with Drought Response in Rice by Network-Based Analysis

Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie plant responses to drought stress is challenging due to the complex interplay of numerous different genes. Here, we used network-based gene clustering to uncover the relationships between drought-responsive genes from large microarray datasets. We identified 2,607 rice genes that showed significant changes in gene expression under drought stress; 1,392 genes were highly intercorrelated to form 15 gene modules. These drought-responsive gene modules are biologically plausible, with enrichments for genes in common functional categories, stress response changes, tissue-specific expression and transcription factor binding sites. We observed that a gene module (referred to as module 4) consisting of 134 genes was significantly associated with drought response in both drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive rice varieties. This module is enriched for genes involved in controlling the response of the plant to water and embryonic development, including a heat shock transcription factor as the key regulator in the expression of ABRE-containing genes. These results suggest that module 4 is highly conserved in the ABA-mediated drought response pathway in different rice varieties. Moreover, our study showed that many hub genes clustered in rice chromosomes had significant associations with QTLs for drought stress tolerance. The relationship between hub gene clusters and drought tolerance QTLs may provide a key to understand the genetic basis of drought tolerance in rice

A Role in Immunity for Arabidopsis Cysteine Protease RD21, the Ortholog of the Tomato Immune Protease C14

Secreted papain-like Cys proteases are important players in plant immunity. We previously reported that the C14 protease of tomato is targeted by cystatin-like EPIC proteins that are secreted by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans (Pinf) during infection. C14 has been under diversifying selection in wild potato species coevolving with Pinf and reduced C14 levels result in enhanced susceptibility for Pinf. Here, we investigated the role C14-EPIC-like interactions in the natural pathosystem of Arabidopsis with the oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa). In contrast to the Pinf-solanaceae pathosystem, the C14 orthologous protease of Arabidopsis, RD21, does not evolve under diversifying selection in Arabidopsis, and rd21 null mutants do not show phenotypes upon compatible and incompatible Hpa interactions, despite the evident lack of a major leaf protease. Hpa isolates express highly conserved EPIC-like proteins during infections, but it is unknown if these HpaEPICs can inhibit RD21 and one of these HpaEPICs even lacks the canonical cystatin motifs. The rd21 mutants are unaffected in compatible and incompatible interactions with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, but are significantly more susceptible for the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, demonstrating that RD21 provides immunity to a necrotrophic pathogen

Rift Valley Fever – epidemiological update and risk of introduction into Europe

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a vector-borne disease transmitted by a broad spectrum of mosquito species, especially Aedes and Culex genus, to animals (domestic and wild ruminants and camels) and humans. Rift Valley fever is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula, with periodic epidemics characterised by 5–15 years of inter-epizootic periods. In the last two decades, RVF was notified in new African regions (e.g. Sahel), RVF epidemics occurred more frequently and low-level enzootic virus circulation has been demonstrated in livestock in various areas. Recent outbreaks in a French overseas department and some seropositive cases detected in Turkey, Tunisia and Libya raised the attention of the EU for a possible incursion into neighbouring countries. The movement of live animals is the most important pathway for RVF spread from the African endemic areas to North Africa and the Middle East. The movement of infected animals and infected vectors when shipped by flights, containers or road transport is considered as other plausible pathways of introduction into Europe. The overall risk of introduction of RVF into EU through the movement of infected animals is very low in all the EU regions and in all MSs (less than one epidemic every 500 years), given the strict EU animal import policy. The same level of risk of introduction in all the EU regions was estimated also considering the movement of infected vectors, with the highest level for Belgium, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands (one epidemic every 228–700 years), mainly linked to the number of connections by air and sea transports with African RVF infected countries. Although the EU territory does not seem to be directly exposed to an imminent risk of RVFV introduction, the risk of further spread into countries neighbouring the EU and the risks of possible introduction of infected vectors, suggest that EU authorities need to strengthen their surveillance and response capacities, as well as the collaboration with North African and Middle Eastern countries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio