In vitro effects of culture media on potential regeneration of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Boussaâda oasis, Algeria

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) of Boussaâda has varietal diversity and a very important nutritional value in Algeria. Nevertheless, today the palm groves are threatened, not only climatically but also in terms of varietal diversity such as disappearance of varieties, the low production and even discharges serving mainly to vegetative propagation which can be used as a source of explants on in vitro somatic embryogenesis technique. The aim of this study is to use in vitro culture techniques to regenerate the phoenicicultural orchards at Boussaâda oasis. Two types of experimental protocol are used; firstly, to make an inventory in field in order to contain palm groves and then date palms existing; and the secondly is to applicant the somatic embryogenesis technique in the laboratory and then regenerate the good cultivar. Results indicate that plant growing is an important axis that needs to be developed in the oasis by introducing varieties to select the most suitable and profitable for a good diversification of cultivars and consequently the improvement of production

Ion transporters and their molecular regulation mechanism in plants

With the global population predicted to grow by at least 25% by 2050, the need for sustainable production of nutritious foods is important for human and environmental health. Recent progress demonstrate that membrane transporters can be used to improve yields of staple crops, increase nutrient content and resistance to key stresses, including salinity, which in turn could expand available arable land. Exposure to salt stress affects plant water relations and creates ionic stress in the form of the cellular accumulation of Na+ and Cl− ions. However, salt stress also impacts heavily on the homeostasis of other ions such as Ca2+, K+, and NO3- and therefore requires insights into how transport and compartmentation of these nutrients are altered during salinity stress. Since Na+ interferes with K+ homeostasis, maintaining a balanced cytosolic Na+/K+ ratio has become a key salinity tolerance mechanism. Achieving this homeostatic balance requires the activity of Na+ and K+ transporters and/or channels. The aim of this review is to seek answers to this question by examining the role of major ions transporters and channels in ions uptake, translocation and intracellular homeostasis in plants

Chelate-assisted phytoextraction using Brassicaceae plants

In these last decades, excessive metal concentration pose serious contamination in soils. Therefore, it is urgent to develop and adopt a new strategy and technology to remove soil contaminants. Here, the phytoextraction was considered as a recently developed approach to clean up metal-polluted soils in that the plants are used to translocate the toxic metals from the contaminated soils. Therefore, this mini-review provides a perfection of recent knowledge related to the heavy metal phytoextraction from soils and their accumulation in plants. It has been reported that EDTA enhances the availability of heavy metal to plants and thus increases the accumulation in their shoots. In addition, fundamental and basic advancement has been made on the molecular aspects and the physiological regarding tolerance and metals phytoaccumulation in plants. A multidisciplinary strategy is warranted to make phytoextraction a plausible trade technology to remediate metal-polluted soils. Hence, the purpose is to integrate soil-related and biological progress to suggest research needs and future direction.</p

Crustal configuration of the Naama and El Bayadh region of northwest Algeria: Inferences from gravity and magnetic analysis

International audienceNorthwestern Algeria is located where the Saharan Atlas borders the Saharan Platform along the South Atlas Front. The origin of the South Atlas Front is controversial, thus a detailed gravity and magnetic analysis constrained by seismic reflection profiles and well data were conducted to determine the structural configuration of this region. A residual gravity anomaly map created using upward continuation and a reduced to the pole magnetic anomaly map indicated a series of northwest-trending maxima anomalies parallel to the Atlassic orogeny folds and faults and east-trending maxima within the Benoud foreland basin. These maxima mostly coincide with Paleozoic basement uplifts based on seismic reflection profiles. Depth analyses based on upward continuation, and two-dimensional forward modeling of the gravity and magnetic data indicated that the source of the maxima are mainly 5 km in depth with the magnetic sources being approximately 0.5 km deeper than the gravity sources. The gravity and magnetic models indicate that the source bodies are steep-sided and coincide with interpreted faults from the seismic reflection profiles. The maxima anomalies are mainly caused by basement uplifts instead of variations in density and/or magnetic susceptibility in the Paleozoic or older basement lithologies. The South Atlas Front and the Saharan Atlas on the central and eastern portions of Algeria is governed by a thin-skinned tectonics style involving the Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary cover. While the western part was probably controlled by a mixed thin- and thick-skinned tectonic style with the reactivation of deeply rooted Triassic and Jurassic faults during Tertiary compressive events in the interpreted Paleozoic basement. Our gravity and magnetic models illustrate a crustal architecture model of the Paleozoic basement which is consistent with a north-dipping basement normal fault between less deformed Saharan Platform than the more deformed Atlassic domain. Such a crustal model aids in determining the nature of the Atlassic orogeny as geological and geophysical studies have been determining the variations of structural styles along its entire length

In vitro effects of culture media on potential regeneration of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Boussaâda oasis, Algeria

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) of Boussaâda has varietal diversity and a very important nutritional value in Algeria. Nevertheless, today the palm groves are threatened, not only climatically but also in terms of varietal diversity such as disappearance of varieties, the low production and even discharges serving mainly to vegetative propagation which can be used as a source of explants on in vitro somatic embryogenesis technique. The aim of this study is to use in vitro culture techniques to regenerate the phoenicicultural orchards at Boussaâda oasis. Two types of experimental protocol are used; firstly, to make an inventory in field in order to contain palm groves and then date palms existing; and the secondly is to applicant the somatic embryogenesis technique in the laboratory and then regenerate the good cultivar. Results indicate that plant growing is an important axis that needs to be developed in the oasis by introducing varieties to select the most suitable and profitable for a good diversification of cultivars and consequently the improvement of production

Effect of <i>Agave americana</i> L. on the human, and <i>Aspergillus oryzae</i> S2 α-amylase inhibitions

<p>Among phenolic compounds, <i>Agave americana</i> L. extract contained puerarin (38.4%) and <i>p</i>-coumaric acid (12.29%) (pCa). From the Lineweaver–Burk plots, pCa and puerarin demonstrated a competitive and a non competitive inhibitions towards human α-amylase activity, respectively. PCa exhibited a higher human inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ of 98.8 μM which was about 2.3 times than acarbose. Puerarin (IC₅₀ = 3.87 μM) and pCa (IC₅₀ = 10.16 μM) also showed an excellent inhibition for <i>Aspergillus oryzae</i> S2 α-amylase activity. The inhibitions of the described biocatalysts compounds towards both amylases were significantly decreased when they were pre-incubated with starch. The binding modes of these compounds were evaluated <i>in silico</i>. The binding efficiency order of these molecules in terms of polar contact numbers for both enzymes was in agreement with the <i>in vitro</i> studies<i>.</i> These findings provided a rational reason to establish the isolated compounds capability as therapeutic target for hyperglycaemia modulation and antifungal therapy.</p