Chemical Composition and Bioactivity of Essential Oils of Seed and Leaf from Foeniculum vulgare Mill cultivated in Southeast of Morocco

Analysis of essential oils obtained from the seeds and leaves of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. cultivated in southeast of Morocco revealed that trans-anethole was the major constituent (54.67% in seed oil and 50.60% in leaf oil), followed by estragol (35.33% in seed oil and 30.15% in leaf oil). Other components present in leaf oil included fenchone, linalool and ?-pinene, while seed oil contained fenchone, limonene and ?-terpinen. Besides, minor constituents like camphene, camphor, myrcene, pahllandrene, fenchyl acetate and ?-bisabolene were obtained from seeds and leaves. The essential oils of the seeds and leaves of Foeniculum vulgare were assayed for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The seed oil show remarkable antioxidant effect, while the leaf oil exhibits a strong broad spectrum antibacterial activity against all test organisms. Keywords: F. vulgare, essential oil, antibacterial, antioxidant, chemical composition

Consumption of food supplements in the Fes-Meknes region (Morocco); profiles and typology

Background. The consumption of food supplements is increasing. This evolution is due to several factors, including nutritional deficiencies in the population, a sedentary lifestyle, and a decrease in physical activity. In addition, stress and an active lifestyle led to several dysfunctions (fatigue, deconcentration) that food supplements can help to overcome. Objective. This study aimed to determine the profiles of food supplement consumers in the Fes-Meknes region (Morocco), distribution, and production of these products. In addition, this survey aimed to evaluate consumers’ knowledge of food supplements as part of their self-medication. Material and methods. The present study was conducted in the form of a survey using a questionnaire composed of two parts. The first part provides information on the socio-demographic status of respondents, including gender, age, and level of education. The second part concerned various information on the consumption of food supplements. Results. The results obtained showed that of the 498 subjects, 68.88% declared that they had already consumed the food supplements. The study revealed the predominance of the female gender at 69.68% and the age group 21-30 years (80.32%). Among the reasons for consumption, improving general health comes first with 56.29%. Our results also showed high consumption of vitamins (44.04%) and minerals (24.79%), next come proteins and plant extracts at 16.62% and 14.54% respectively. The consumption of food supplements is most often done on the advice of a doctor or dietician with 43.60%, and the pharmacy and para-pharmacy remains the main distribution channel at 75.78%. Conclusion. The present survey allowed us to update the current situation of food supplement consumption and a way of regulatory monitoring and more control for an organization of the sector

Composition Chimique Et Activité Antimicrobienne Des Huiles Essentielles De Deux Espèces De Lavande : Lavandula Dentata Spp. Dentata Et Lavandula Peduncultata Spp. Pedunculata

The aim of the present work is to compare the chemical composition, antibacterial and antifungal activity of two spontaneous species of lavender "Lavandula stoechas L." and "Lavandula dentata L." in Morocco. A phytochemical screening was performed on the aerial part of invested plants. The qualitative variation was revealed in the secondary metabolites of the species studied. Subsequently, the dosage of the crude organic extracts showed that the polyphenol content was higher in the methanol fraction, with an important yield in L. dentata. Also, the essential oils of the aerial part, obtained by hydrodistillation gave higher yields in L. dentata than L. pedunculata. Finally, tests of the antibacterial and antifungal activity of the essential oils of the two species were performed on four strains of bacterial pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus "Gram+," and Escherichia coli; Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis which are Gram-), and three phytopathogenic fungi : Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus brasiliensis and Penicillium expansum, The results obtained showed that the essential oil of L. dentata showed a strong antibacterial activity against the studied strains, particularly against S. aureus. While the antifungal activity revealed that L. pedunculata has a remarkable antifungal power against the fungi tested in comparison with L. dentata

BIOACTIVITY OF Anvillea radiata COSS & DUR. COLLECTED FROM THE SOUTHEAST OF MOROCCO

The in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of aqueous, methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of Anvillea radiata (Asteraceae) were investigated. Antibacterial activity was tested against six pathogenic strains viz. Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), Salmonella abony (NCTC 6017), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) and by using Disc diffusion method and Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC). Total antioxidant capacities were assessed by DPPH (1.1 diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing power (FRAP) and ABTS (2.2’-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) radical cation scavenging activity. Total phenolic contents were measured by Folin- Ciocalteu assay. Among the extracts tested, methanolic extract showed promising antibacterial activity against bacteria and reasonable antioxidant properties, and they can therefore be potentially used as a natural additive in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries

Population ecology of leafhopper Jacobiasca lybica (Bergevin & Zanon, 1922) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and its control based on degree-days in Moulouya area of Morocco

peer reviewedThe cotton leafhopper (Jacobiasca lybica) is one of the polyphagous species and its control is mainly based on chemical treatments, however its bio-ecological parameters are still poorly understood especially under Moroccan conditions. In this work, the population ecology of this leafhopper and the planning of insecticide treatments based on the recorded degree-days (DD) in a citrus orchard and vineyard separated by a windbreak (WB) of Cypress and Acacia were investigated. Leafhopper adults were monitored with five yellow sticky traps for each experimental unit and removed weekly from April to August for identification and counting. The sampling indicated the presence of five peaks of adult flight during 2017 and seven during 2018. Whereas six generations were predicted each year according to DD recorded until mid-August. Leafhopper populations were present on WB plants throughout the study period, and its preference for Acacia over Cypress was observed. During 2018, insecticides used were applied one week after DD predicted new generations on WB plants, and they were also applied on grapes at second, third, fourth and fifth adult peaks. The use of DD to predict the outbreak of new generations is discussed as a promising strategy to manage leafhopper populations below economic thresholds

Ethnobotanical Survey of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Used in Traditional Medicine and Agri-Food in The Fez-Meknes Region

In order to identify the medicinal plants used in agri-food and traditional medicine by the population of Fez-Meknes region (Morocco), a floristic and ethnobotanical study was carried out in 4 provinces of this region (Fez, Meknes, Azrou, Taza). Questionnaire forms were used to survey the usual users of the plants and herbalists and to collect as much information as possible on the therapeutic and dietary use of aromatic and medicinal plants in the region. For plants used for food, our survey identified 29 species divided into 26 genera and 16 families, including herbaceous plants (70%), trees (16.60%), shrubs (10%) and bushes (3.30%). The study of the medicinal flora used in traditional medicine also allowed the inventory 81 species belonging to 47 families. Leaves are the most commonly used part and the majority of remedies were prepared in the form of infusion (47%) and decoction (26%). Among all the diseases treated, digestive diseases are the most cited (25%), followed by dermatological diseases (21%). The present study allowed us to evaluate some traditional practices used by the Fez-Meknes region population. In this context, it is essential to carry out similar investigations in other regions of the kingdom, in order to safeguard this precious natural heritage by means of a monograph that is as complete as possible and to validate the remedies and preparations identified using rigorous scientific protocols

Population peaks modeling using Degree-Day of the cotton leafhopper Jacobiasca lybica (Hemiptera : Cicadellidae)

editorial reviewedThe cotton leafhopper Jacobiasca lybica is a serious pest of grapevines in Europe and recently in citrus fruits in Morocco. For an integrated pest management, the Degree Days (DD) model can be used for forecasting the pest development and plan the treatment accordingly, however, this model depends of many factors and does not always accurately predicts the pest occurrence. Our study aimed to build and compare a two development models (based on DD and on raw time) adjusting the observed population peaks of J. lybica in real time during our past studies in Moulouya area of Morocco. Two candidate functions to fit our data (Bragg and Beta) were selected after the identification of the observed population peaks and determination of the optimal smoothing curve. The results demonstrated that the Bragg model with a variable slope peak and adjusted for individual height and width of peaks using ‘Degree Days’ predictor explained well our data compared to raw ‘ and the coefficients of determination for this optimized model with ‘ was higher than the ones of ‘Days mode

Biological control of leafhopper Jacobiasca lybica (Bergevin & Zanon, 1922) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) by lacewing Chrysoperla carnea under laboratory conditions

editorial reviewedThe cotton leafhoppers Jacobiasca lybica (Bergevin & Zanon, 1922), is a polyphagous species considered to be a major pest of grapevines in Europe, causing significant economic damage and considered in Morocco as a secondary pest of several crops including citrus fruits. Its control mainly based on chemical treatments, which remains necessary to explore more other techniques such as biological control. In this study, we evaluated the voracious appetite of different larva instars of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens, 1836) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on J. lybica under laboratory conditions. The study was conducted in laboratory of INRA-Morocco (Qualipole of Berkane). The larvae and adults of leafhopper and lacewing were collected from a vineyard located in Berkane Province (Morocco) during autumn of 2021. Each lacewing instar (L1, L2 and L3) was put in a petri dish containing a humid filter paper and a freshly detached grapevine leaf, with 15 adults and 5 larvae of leafhoppers that was replicated nine times to assess the predatory potential, by counting the number of leafhopper consumed after 24 hours. Our results indicated that the predation rate for L3 instar was 47,78 % which differs significantly from L2 instar 31,11%. No significant difference was revealed between L2 and L1 instars that had a predation rate of 21,66 %. The predation rates should be interpreted with caution as C. carnea was fed on J. lybica in our laboratory conditions and that do not reflect the real conditions in fields. Further studies should be done in fields as this predator was the most abundant natural enemies during the autumn period in Moroccan

Isolation and evaluation of the entomopathogenic fungi investigated against the leafhopper Jacobiasca lybica (Hemiptera : Cicadellidae ) under laboratory conditions

editorial reviewedThe control of leafhopper populations is often based on the extensive use chemical insecticides that are known for many side effects on non target organisms, environment, human health and food safety, therefore, the use of entomopathogenic fungi provides a promising biocontrol alternative against the leafhopper. During our study, we investigated, isolated, and evaluated the efficiency of entomopathogenic fungi against Jacobiasca lybica under laborartory conditions. The fungi were isolated from leafhopper collected from a vineyard in the Berkane Province of Morocco, and then they were identified according to micro and marcoscopic aspects before they were tested to evaluate their efficiency against this leafhopper. Our results indicated the presence of many species of fungus that were morphologically different. Four fungi were chosen by their different macroscopic aspects for further identification and pathogenicity tests. The species were identified as C2, C3, C12 and C13 (for intellectual property reason). The pathogenicity test had shown that C3 was the most developed fungus during the five days of the study. This promising result indicated that entomopathogenic fungus selected had shown some effectiveness to develop faster on leafhoppers which can be a possible biological control to use as an integrated management against J. lybica

Study on herb-drug associations, case of the Fez-Meknes region

The association of medicinal plants and drugs for therapeutic purposes is not free of adverse effects. In Morocco, this subject remains little known and untreated. A questionnaire study was conducted in the Fez-Meknes region with 250 people between May and December 2019. Structured, face-to-face and telephone interviews were used to collect data. This research focused on the chronically ill population. The Data is analyzed by appropriate statistical software. The study identified 50 species of medicinal plants used in combination with synthetic drugs belonging to 26 botanical families. The results of the survey show that 85.20% of the users prefer to combine the two types of treatment with drugs and medicinal plants. According to the age and gender of the users, the results showed that age is not a determining factor. Concerning gender, we noted that there is a predominance of women compared to men. The pathologies concerned by the study: diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, gastric diseases, colds and others. The majority of the people questioned are unaware of the undesirable effects and toxicology of the association of plants with synthetic drugs. Indeed, 76.83% do not know these side effects and 64% do not know the toxic plants