The effect of Leonardite humic substances on the growth and vegetative propagation of saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

Le safran (Crocus sativus L.) est une espèce géophyte triploïde stérile (2n=3x=24) à floraison automnale et appartenant à la famille des Iridacées. Cette plante triploïde se propage par reproduction végétative par la formation de cormes filles à partir des cormes mère, car les fleurs sont stériles et ne produisent pas de graines viables. En fait, de nombreux facteurs entravent la propagation efficace du safran par cette pratique traditionnelle et les faibles taux de multiplication des cormes dans les conditions naturelles réduisent la productivité, limitant ainsi la disponibilité du matériel de plantation. Ainsi, l'objectif principal de ce travail est de tester l'effet des substances humiques (SH) sur la croissance et la multiplication végétative du safran. Les principaux résultats des essais indiquent que les SH améliorent la croissance et le développement du safran, et l'intensité de la réponse dépend de la concentration utilisée et du mode d'application. En fait, le traitement temporaire des cormes avec les SH (50 et 100 ppm) a amélioré la croissance des plantes et des cormes filles mais n'a pas d’effet significatif sur le nombre de pousses et de cormes filles.Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is an autumn-flowering and sterile triploid (2n=3x=24) geophyte species that belong to the Iridaceae family. This triploid plant is propagated by vegetative reproduction through the formation of daughter corms from the mother corm, as the flowers are sterile and fail to produce viable seeds. In fact, many factors hamper the efficient propagation of saffron through this traditional practice and the low multiplication rates of daughter corms under natural conditions reduce productivity, thereby restraining the availability of planting material. Thus, the main objective of this work is to test the effect of humic substances (HS) on saffron vegetative propagation. The main results of trials indicate that HS improves the saffron plant's growth and development, and the intensity of response depends on the concentration used and the mode of application. In fact, the temporary treatment of corms with HS (50 and 100 ppm) improved plant and daughter corms growth but did not affect the number of shoots and corms

Genetic Variability of Argan Tree and Preselection of the Candidate Plus Trees

Argan tree productivity shows a wide disparity in space and time, while the degraded forest areas show low growth and unproductive shrubs. Moreover, even if reforestation, currently led by various local actors (Waters and Forests, Agency of Social Development, Cooperatives and Associations of development) experienced a technical improvement, the plants used do not meet any selection criteria. Generally, unknown origin seedlings are used in reforestation and good seedlings are not reproduced. In this context, this study investigates through a choice of pilot sites the characterization in-situ of populations and/or argan trees with two selection criteria related to fruit: facility of crushing and oil content. For this purpose, and with the support of local population, the identification of performance trees, prospection and collection of fruits were realized in various sites representing five principal provinces of argan trees area (Essaouira; Taroudante; Agadir Ida Outanane; Chtouka-Ait Baha and Tiznit). Within each provenance, measurements related to 6750 fruits and the morphometric data were subjected to the analysis of the variance, according to the general linear model, where the genotype factor (mother tree) is hierarchical to provenance factor. This study offers preliminary information for the development of a breeding population and allows us to make a first selection of trees, having a clear superiority relating to the characters related to the production of oil and the facility of crushing seeds. At the present moment there is a genetic base large enough to initiate a breeding program

Effet de la fertilité des sols et de la fertilisation sur les jeunes plants de l’arganier après transplantation en milieu naturel

The study on the effect of soil fertility and the supply of mineral and organic fertilizers on the success of argan seedlings transplantation in the natural environment was conducted by the INRA Agadir team in the Souss-Massa region. Three sites were chosen: Taksbit (Massa), Anzad (Ait Baha) and Tinzert (Taroudant). For the evaluation of soil fertility status of the three sites, soil analyzes were carried for each site. Overall, results showed that the sampled soils have very limited mineral fertility. Indeed, they have contents of organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, exchangeable potassium and trace elements that were below normal values. Similarly, soils of the different sites have an alkaline pH and in the presence of vegetation with an undeveloped root system, nutrient assimilation would become more difficult. In this sense, two trials in Taksbit and Tinzert sites were conducted on the effect of application of organic (local manure) and mineral fertilizers on argan seedlings transplantation. These field trials have shown that application of mineral (N, P, K) and organic fertilizers improved the transplantation of young argan plants by promoting their survival and growth in height and diameter. In the medium term, manure and biocompost improved soil fertility. Keywords: Argan tree, soil fertility, transplants, organic and minerals fertilizers.L’étude de l’effet de la fertilité des sols et de l’apport de fertilisants minéraux et organiques sur la réussite de la transplantation de l’arganier en milieu naturel a été conduite au terrain par l’équipe de l’INRA d’Agadir dans la région de Souss-Massa. Trois sites ont été choisis: Taksbit (Massa), Anzad (Ait Baha) et Tinzert (Taroudant). Pour la connaissance de l’état de la fertilité des sols des trois sites, des analyses de sol ont été effectuées pour chaque site. Globalement, les résultats ont montré que les sols étudiés ont un niveau de fertilité très limité. En effet, ils ont un taux de matière organique, une teneur en azote, en phosphore, en potassium assimilable, en oligo-éléments qui sont inférieurs aux valeurs normales. De même, les sols des différents sites ont un pH alcalin et en présence d’une végétation avec un système racinaire chétif, l’assimilation des éléments fertilisants devient plus difficile. Dans ce sens, deux essais dans les sites de Taksbit et de Tinzert ont été conduits sur l’effet des apports d’engrais organiques (fumier local) et minéraux. Ces essais, menés sur le terrain, ont montré que l’apport des engrais minéraux (N, P, K) et organiques améliore la transplantation des jeunes plants d’arganier en favorisant leur survie et leur croissance en hauteur et en diamètre. Dans le moyen terme, le fumier et le bio-compost améliorent la fertilité des sols. Mots Clés: Arganier, fertilité des sols, transplantation, fertilisants organiques et minéraux

Antifungal activity of four plant extracts against Botrytis cinerea

Botrytis cinerea, responsible for the gray mold disease of tomato, is one of the main problems in fruit exporting countries. Synthetic antifungals are used for their control. However, these products lead to serious damage to environment ant human. Furthermore, it has developed a resistance towards many of them. Therefore, the use of botanical biopesticides as natural alternatives that are friendly to the environment has increased in the last decade. The objective of the present study is the evaluation of the antifungal activity of extracts of four plants, Marrubium vulgare, Moringa oleifera, Psidium guajava and Casimiroa edulis against B. cinerea and the phytochemical characterization of these extracts. The extraction was carried out by maceration, decoction, and ultrasonic-assisted extraction. The high extraction yields of 18.91%, 31.05%, 33.01% and 24.67% were obtained respectively with maceration for M. vulgare, M. oleifera, P. guajava and C. edulis. Qualitative phytochemical tests revealed the presence of terpenoids in all extracts, while saponosides were present only in a few extracts. The highest contents of polyphenols were noted for P. guajava and C. edulis. Also, the highest flavonoid content was noted for C. edulis and M. oleifera. The evaluation of the activity of the studied extracts against the mycelial growth and the germination of the spores of B. cinerea showed that the extracts obtained by maceration and by ultrasonic-assisted extraction of P. guajava and C. edulis are the most efficient against the mycelial growth with an inhibition percentage of 100% for all the tested concentrations. Similarly, the maceration extract of M. vulgare allowed the total inhibition of the germination of the pathogen spores. Finally, the extracts of M. oleifera were the least effective against B. cinerea

Patterns of Genetic Diversity and Structure at Fine Scale of an Endangered Moroccan Endemic Tree (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) Based on ISSR Polymorphism

The preservation of the diversity of endangered populations of argan trees, in their natural habitat, is a crucial step toward their conservation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of the argan trees in the wild, and to establish a phylogenetic map using DNA fingerprints. The ultimate goal was to develop a core set that would represent the existing diversity in the whole germplasm. In regard to this, 200 samples of Argania spinosa individual trees were collected from 10 different provenances in the region of Essaouira (Morocco). The genetic variation between and within these argan trees was investigated using previously described Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat markers. These markers generated a total of 149 fragments, in which 148 (99.33%) were polymorphic. The samples collected in the 'Ouled Lhaj' provenance showed the lowest diversity (% of polymorphic locus P=48.32%; genetic diversity Nei h=0.153; allelic richness A=1.483), compared to those collected in the 'Mramer' provenance (%P=68.46%; h=0.233; A=1.685). Also, the results showed a high level of genetic differentiation among provenances (AMOVA=44%, Gst=0.40), and a limited gene flow (Nm=0.73) between the provenances. In addition, these data suggested a low correlation between the genetic diversity of the tree and their respective geographical location in relation to the proximity to the littoral. Finally, a core collection of 13 genotypes that represent the essential of the detected diversity was established. The distribution pattern of this genetic diversity provides an important baseline data for the conservation strategies of argan tree species in the wild

Optimization of the explant disinfection method and in vitro multiplication of saffron (Crocus sativus L.).

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.), renowned as the world’s most expensive spice extracted from its stigmas, is an autumn-flowering, sterile triploid geophyte species (2n=3x=24) belonging to the Iridaceae family. It is propagated vegetatively through the development of daughter corms from the mother corm. Low multiplication rates of daughter corms under natural conditions and many biotic and abiotic stresses reduce productivity, thereby restraining the availability of planting material. Thus, the main objective of this work is to improve the vegetative propagation of saffron through tissue culture. The results show that soaking of explants in 0.1% (w/v) mercury chloride (HgCl2) for 10 min is more effective for explant disinfection (95%), with a survival rate of over 85%. Whereas, for the initiation phase, the in vitro culture of whole corms on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg /L of 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in combination with 3 mg/L of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) was more effective, resulting in a sprouting rate of 90% with a maximum of 5 sprouted buds per explant. As for the multiplication phase, the highest number of shoots (4 shoots/single shoot explant) was observed on MS medium supplemented with 8 mg/L of BAP in combination with 0.5 mg/L of NAA. The results of this study can serve as a starting point for establishing an efficient and reproducible in vitro regeneration system in order to increase the number of shoots per explant for proliferation and micro-corms formation phases by exploring other culture media with different PGR combinations

Harnessing the Power of Pseudomonas for Sustainable Agriculture: Biofertilization and Biocontrol

Microbes play diverse roles in food security and agriculture through nutrient cycling (nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification), organic matter decomposition and fermentation. The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), a group of beneficial soil microbes, have shown significant potential as a sustainable agricultural approach due to their ability to colonize plant roots. These bacteria provide nutrients, produce growth regulators and protect plants against infections. Among PGPR, the Pseudomonas genus is highlighted for its importance in crop growth and protection. This review is focused to describe cogent the roles and mechanics employed by PGPR, especially Pseudomonas, that assists plants to sustain healthy growth. Also, we underlined the Pseudomonas-based products that have been commercially developed by exploiting these PGPR mechanisms. Thus, it is suggested that Pseudomonas represents a group of bacteria with considerable potential in agriculture and environmental sustainability

Système de production de fruits rouges dans la région de Souss-Massa au Maroc

Le secteur des baies se présente actuellement comme l'une des industries fruitières les plus lucratives au Maroc, ciblant principalement le marché européens et américains pour ses exportations. Dans ce contexte et pour évaluer le système de production de diverses cultures de fruits rouges dans la région de Souss-Massa, une enquête a été menée auprès des producteurs locaux. Les résultats indiquent que les cultures de fruits rouges cultivées dans la région de Souss-Massa comprennent la framboise, la myrtille et la mûre, et ces cultures sont réparties dans toutes les zones de production de la région. Parmi les cultures de fruits rouges, la culture de la framboise s'est avérée être la plus dominante, représentant 45 % de la superficie totale cultivée à Ait Amira, 31 % à Biougra et 21 % à Belfaa-Massa. Les variétés de framboises les plus couramment cultivées comprennent Yazmin (25 %), Adelita (21 %), et Carmina (17 %). En ce qui concerne la culture de la myrtille, Biougra représente la plus grande superficie, représentant environ 30 % de la superficie cultivée, suivie de Belfaa-Massa avec 15 %. Les variétés de myrtilles les plus couramment cultivées comprennent Atlas, Dupree, Ventura, Jupiter, Sekoya et la prédominante Corrina (62 %). En revanche, la culture de la mûre est limitée en termes de superficie de culture dans la région en raison de la fragilité de la conservation des fruits et du marché à l'exportation limité. Les variétés de mûres actuellement cultivées comprennent Vectoria, Laurita, Soltana et Letizia. Les serres modifiées de type canarien ont été identifiées comme le type de structures de protection le plus couramment utilisé. Le système de gestion intégrée des ravageurs (IPM) a été largement adopté pour le contrôle des maladies sur l'ensemble des cultures. L'étude a révélé une diversification du système de production en fonction des types de cultures et des zones de production. Les maladies cryptogamiques couramment rencontrées comprennent la cladosporiose et la pourriture grise, tandis que les ravageurs les plus fréquemment rencontrés et qui provoquent des dégâts remarquables sont les thrips, les acariens et la drosophile. Ces problèmes phytosanitaires représentent une priorité pour les producteurs de fruits rouges dans la région. Cette étude a identifié les framboises, les myrtilles et les mûres comme les principales cultures de fruits rouges dans la région de Souss-Massa, la framboise étant la plus dominante. Les agriculteurs utilisent couramment des serres canariennes modifiées et des systèmes de gestion intégrée des ravageurs (IPM). Les principaux problèmes phytosanitaires comprennent la cladosporiose, la pourriture grise et les ravageurs tels que les thrips, les acariens et la drosophile, soulignant la nécessité de mesures ciblées pour soutenir les agriculteurs et améliorer la productivité et la commercialisation des cultures

Univariate and Multivariate Analysis of Agronomical Traits of Preselected Argan Trees

A collection of thirty argan trees (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels), representing the Aoulouz provenance in southwest of Morocco were used to study genetic variability and selection for three years. In this study, the genetic diversity of thirty genotypes (tree mothers) of argan (Argania spinosa) collected from Aoulouz was evaluated using agro-morphological characters. The main objective of the study was to assess and describe with multivariate analysis the genetic diversity in order to select good candidate trees for a future breeding program. The results obtained showed a large variation for all the traits examined. Analysis of variance using general linear model provided a significant variation between genotypes. Furthermore, genotypic and phenotypic variances for quantitative traits, particularly for seed length, seed width, almond length and oil content were higher. Phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation for all the characters. High heritability was recorded for oil content (97.90%), seed width (72.68%) and seed length (57.55%) respectively, indicating the additive gene action. In addition, a three dimensional plot based on principal coordinate analysis method was used to evaluate the performance genotypes as to the production of oil for three years. The genotypes ‘Ao-12R’, ‘Ao-7R’, ‘Ao-4R’, ‘Ao-4V’, ‘Ao-11R’, ‘Ao-8V’ and ‘Ao-7V’ were found to be the best for high oil content. Identification and selection with superior agronomic traits may be an effective method for genetic improvement of argan trees, and a first step for further breeding studies

Univariate and Multivariate Analysis of Agronomical Traits of Preselected Argan Trees

A collection of thirty argan trees (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels), representing the Aoulouz provenance in southwest of Morocco were used to study genetic variability and selection for three years. In this study, the genetic diversity of thirty genotypes (tree mothers) of argan (Argania spinosa) collected from Aoulouz was evaluated using agro-morphological characters. The main objective of the study was to assess and describe with multivariate analysis the genetic diversity in order to select good candidate trees for a future breeding program. The results obtained showed a large variation for all the traits examined. Analysis of variance using general linear model provided a significant variation between genotypes. Furthermore, genotypic and phenotypic variances for quantitative traits, particularly for seed length, seed width, almond length and oil content were higher. Phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation for all the characters. High heritability was recorded for oil content (97.90%), seed width (72.68%) and seed length (57.55%) respectively, indicating the additive gene action. In addition, a three dimensional plot based on principal coordinate analysis method was used to evaluate the performance genotypes as to the production of oil for three years. The genotypes ‘Ao-12R’, ‘Ao-7R’, ‘Ao-4R’, ‘Ao-4V’, ‘Ao-11R’, ‘Ao-8V’ and ‘Ao-7V’ were found to be the best for high oil content. Identification and selection with superior agronomic traits may be an effective method for genetic improvement of argan trees, and a first step for further breeding studies