The Occurrence of Major Viruses Infecting Zucchini Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) in Morocco

Zucchini squash, Cucurbita pepo L., is one of the most economically important vegetable crops in Morocco. Virus diseases are a major factor in limiting production of zucchini squash in the country. During the growing seasons 2015, 2016 and 2017, the main areas of field-grown cucurbit production in Morocco (Loukkos, Gharb, Bouznika, Doukkala and Souss) were surveyed for the occurrence and distribution of viruses of zucchini squash. A total of 38 commercial fields were visited and inspected for symptoms of virus diseases and 415 leaf samples were collected from plants showing virus-like symptoms for laboratory analyses. ELISA technique was used to detect the following viruses: Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), Squash mosaic virus (SqMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Papaya ringspot virus-watermelon strain (PRSV-W) and Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV). The obtained results showed that virus diseases were widely distributed in the country with an infection rate of 77.6%, especially in the region of Loukkos where 85% of the tested plants were infected by at least one virus. To the best of our knowledge, this isthe first study on the occurrence and geographical distribution of viruses infecting zucchini squash in Morocco. This study provides valuable information, which could be beneficial and of great interest for the researchers, growers and the plant protection services for planning future strategies to control virus diseases of zucchini squash in Morocco

First report of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophiladae) in North Africa

Spotted wing Drosophila Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophiladae) is an important invasive pest reported in the last few years in Europe. The female lays eggs preferably on soft fruits like cherries and others causing thereafter injury by development of rotting point. Red traps baited with apple cider vinegar, red wine and sugar were used to collect the D. suzukii adults. After preparation of slide mounting, the key identification was used to confirm presence of this pest in the north of Morocco. The dark spotted wings of male and sclerotized black and strong teeth on valve margin of female ovipositor were observed. Until early 2014, damages were not detected but the reviewing and updating of pest risk assessment should be implemented to prevent heavy economic losses. Keywords: Drosophila suzukii, soft fruits, pest risk assessmen

Antifungal activity of medicinal plants extracts against Botrytis cinerea the causal agent of gray mold on tomato

Four aromatic and medicinal plants of the Souss-Massa region were tested for their efficiency in reducing postharvest gray mold of tomato fruits caused by Botrytis cinerea in vitro and in vivo experiment. This antifungal activity was tested using two types of extracts: organic plant extract and aqueous extracts. When they are used at 1000 ppm, the four organic plant extracts of Asteriscus imbricatus inhibit completely the growth of B. cinerea. However complete inhibition of the mycelia growth of the pathogen was observed at 2000ppm concentration by ether and chloroform extracts of Pulicaria mauritanica. Moreover, the organic extracts of Lavandula dentata showed a moderate antifungal effect; while the four organic extracts of Globularia alpym have no effect on the studied fungus. The aqueous extract of Asteriscus imbricatus has inhibited completely the growth of B. cinerea at 20000 ppm. The aqueous extract of P. mauritanica showed a moderate antifungal effect, while the aqueous extracts L. dentata and the aqueous extracts of G. alpym were ineffective against B. cinerea. The in vivo test shows that disease incidence decrease as the concentration of A. imbricatus and P. mauritanica extracts increase. This study has demonstrated that organics and aqueous extracts of these two plants are promising antifungal agents which could be used as bio-fungicide in tomato crops protection against B. cinerea. Keywords: Antifungal activity, extracts, Medicinal plants, Botrytis cinerea, postharvest

Phytochemical screening and antioxidant activity of four Moroccan aromatic plant methanolic extracts and essential oils

This work aimed to evaluate and to compare the antioxidant potential between essential oils (EOs) and methanolic extracts (MEs) of Anthemis tenuisecta, Cladanthus arabicus Cass., Ismelia carinata Schousb., and Thymus broussonetii Boiss subsp. broussonetii collected from Morocco. The EOs used in this study were isolated by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The MEs were obtained by methanol maceration. The main compounds of EOs were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The MEs of the four plant species were tested for total phenolics and total flavonoids. The in vitro antioxidant activity of EOs and MEs was carried out using diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The antioxidant activity of MEs showed high correlations with phenolic compounds. For both fractions, the best IC50 values were given by T. broussonetii. The MEs revealed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) better antioxidant activity than EOs. The results suggest that A. tenuisecta, C. arabicus, I. carinata, and T. broussonetii may be potential sources of natural antioxidants

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis by HPLC of Major Peganum harmala Alkaloids at Different Stages of Development

The analysis of major Peganum harmala alkaloids (harmaline, harmine, harmol and harmalol) has shown that the content of these secondary metabolites depends on the plant development stage. The qualitative and quantitative profile of major alkaloids change significantly between stems, leaves and roots. The roots and seeds are the richest and most diversified organs in these metabolites. The concentration of the major alkaloids in all organs increases during the first three weeks and stabilizes at a constant level during vegetative growth phase and then decline at the beginning of flowering. On the scale of the whole plant, major alkaloids concentration of P. harmala varies with the developmental stage of the plant between 21.16 and 26.96 mg/g and harmine remains the most abundant molecule. Optimum exploitation of these natural products from the P. harmala plant is possible if the harvest of plant material occurs during the vegetative growth phase and at the appropriate stage for the richest organ. Keywords: Peganum harmala, Plant growth, Alkaloids, Harmine, Harmaline, Harmol, Harmalo

Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Brocchia Cinerea from South-East of Morocco

The essential oil of wild-growing medicinal specie Brocchia cinerea from oasis of Tata (Southeast of Morocco) was studied for chemical composition, antioxydant and antibacterial activities. The essential oil is extracted using a clevenger distillation apparatus. The antioxidant activity was determined by measuring the free radical scavenging power of DPPH and the antibacterial activity by broth dilution method Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) results revealed that the major compounds of Brocchia cinerea are Thujone, Camphor and Eucalyptol. The antibacterial test of Brochia cinerea essential oil revealed a strong antibacterial activity against Listeria innocua, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC<1 µL) and also a high scavenging effect of DPPH (IC50=0.080± 0.014)

Caractérisation moléculaire du virus des nervures jaunes nécrotiques de la betterave (BNYVV) infectant la betterave à sucre au Tadla

La betterave sucrière est la principale source de sucre au Maroc. Les principales zones de production de la betterave à&nbsp; sucre sont Doukkala, Tadla, Gharb, et Moulouya. La rhizomanie, causée par le virus des nervures jaunes nécrotiques de la betterave (BNYVV, genre Benyvirus), a été décrite pour la première fois en Italie et s'est propagée dans la plupart des régions productrices de la betterave sucrière. Dans la région de Tadla, la rhizomanie est l'un des principaux problèmes phytosanitaires majeurs pour la culture de la betterave sucrière. En 2010, cinq isolats de différentes localités de la région de Tadla ont été collectés pour des études de caractérisation moléculaire par le séquençage du gène de protéine de la capside (CP). Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les isolats marocains étaient dans le groupe B de BNYVV; ces isolats ont montré une grande similarité nucléotidique avec l'isolat Belge B2 (AY696077), avec une homologie de séquence de 100 %. Au mieux de nos connaissances, il s'agit de la première caractérisation moléculaire des isolats de BNYVV au Maroc. Mots-clés: Rhizomanie, betterave sucrière, caractérisation moléculaire, gène de la protéine de la capside, Maroc.Sugar beet is the most important sugar crop in Morocco. The main production areas of sugar beet are Doukkala, Tadla, Gharb, and Moulouya. Rhizomania, caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV, genus Benyvirus), was first described in Italy and has spread in most sugar beet-growing areas of the world within a few decades. In the Tadla region, Rhizomania is one of the major phytosanitary problems for the sugar-beet industry. In 2010, five isolates from different locations in the Tadla region were collected for molecular characterization studies by sequencing the coat protein gene (CPg). The obtained results showed that all the sequenced isolates were in the B type of BNYVV and revealed the highest nucleotide similarity with the Belgian isolate B2 (AY696077), with a sequence homology of 100 %. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first molecular characterization of BNYVV isolates in Morocco. Keywords: Rhizomania, sugar beet, molecular characterization, coat protein gene, Morocco

Molecular characterization of Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) infecting sugar beet in Tadla

Sugar beet is the most important sugar crop in Morocco. The main production areas of sugar beet are Doukkala, Tadla, Gharb, and Moulouya. Rhizomania, caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV, genus Benyvirus), was first described in Italy and has spread in most sugar beet-growing areas of the world within a few decades. In the Tadla region, Rhizomania is one of the major phytosanitary problems for the sugar-beet industry. In 2010, five isolates from different locations in the Tadla region were collected for molecular characterization studies by sequencing the coat protein gene (CPg). The obtained results showed that all the sequenced isolates were in the B type of BNYVV and revealed the highest nucleotide similarity with the Belgian isolate B2 (AY696077), with a sequence homology of 100%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first molecular characterization of BNYVV isolates in Morocco

Chemical Composition and Anticandidal Effect of Three Thymus Species Essential Oils from Southwest of Morocco against the Emerging Nosocomial Fluconazole-Resistant Strains

The purpose of this present work is to study the essential oils composition of three endemic Thymus species from southwest of Morocco: Thymus satureioides Coss., Thymus pallidus Batt. and Thymus leptobotrys Murb., as well as their antifungal activity towards nineteen strains of emerging nosocomial Fluconazole-resistant Candida species. The chemical composition of the essential oils was determined by capillary gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry analysis. The results reveal qualitative and quantitative variation in composition of Thymus species. Seventy-three different compounds, 56 for T. satureioides accounting for 99.97% of the total essential oil, 52 for T. pallidus, accounting for 98.94% of the total essential oil, and 40 for T. leptobotrys accounting for 99.20%, were determined. The results obtained for the anticandidal disc-diffusion assay shows that the 19 strains of Candida species tested were inhibited by the Moroccan Thymus essential oils to a varying degree, with the diameters of the inhibition zone ranging from 49±1.00 to 85±1.15 mm. There were significant differences (p ? 0.05) in the antifungal activities of the essential oils on all species tested who showed larger inhibition zones than the positive control fluconazole and amphotericine B. Candida albicans showed a high sensitivity to essential oils of Thymus pallidus and Thymus leptobotrys compared with essential oil of Thymus satureioides and controls. While non- albicans Candida species showed less sensitivity to essential oils of Thymus pallidus and Thymus leptobotrys and are more sensitive to essential oils of Thymus satureioides than Candida albicans. Interestingly C. krusei, C. dubliniensis and C. glabrata were found to be resistant to conventional antifungal (fluconazole and amphotericine B), while our essential oils tested were able to inhibit the growth of Candida strains resistant to antifungal agents. The value of Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimal Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) of the Thymus essential oils studied ranges from 0.33 mg/mL to 0.91 mg/mL. All the essential oils possessed higher antifungal potential than classical fungicide. Keywords: Thymus species, essential oils, anticandidal activity, Nosocomial fluconazole-resistant strains

Diversity and abundance of insect’s community associated to Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels foliage

Argan tree (Argania spinosa) is the unique representative of Sapotaceae family in North-Africa. This family is commonly growing in pantropical areas. The current study focused on the diversity of foliage insect associated to A. spinosa, and their seasonality in four sites in Souss region. Insects were trapped using sticky yellow traps installed on each sampled Argan tree. Consequently, 241 morphospecies were identified represented by seven orders. Hemiptera was the most abundant, followed by Diptera and Hymenoptera. However, the remains orders represented only less than 4%. A high taxonomic richness was recorded for Hymenoptera (100 morphospecies) followed by Diptera (70) and Coleoptera (39). Data analysis shows a quantitative dominance of some insects’ families. Within Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae represented up to 80% of total captures. Coccinellidea was the most abundant family of Coleoptera representing over 62%. Among Diptera and Hymenoptera, more than 60% of total abundance was represented only by five families. Argan foliage insects exhibited seasonal variations. Therefore, high significant diversity parameters were recorded during spring. However, the lowest diversity was recorded during summer in Belfaa and during autumn for the other sites. Five trophic guilds were reported. Their abundance was influenced by seasonal variation. Herbivores abundance was highly significant compared to the others trophic guilds throughout all sampling seasons. Except Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann, which infests argan fruits during the two latest stages of maturity, none of its herbivores is known as economic interest to the argan tree. On the other hand, argan trees host a complex structure of functional taxa, including pest regulating (predators and parasitoids) and pollinators