Atlantic forest natural soil flora was tested on two leguminous pioneer species
Acacia gummifera
and
Retama monosperma
to be used in rehabilitation programs of the coastal sand dunes forest of the ...Essaouira region. The rhizospheric soil of two endemic plant species:
R. monosperma
and
Juniperus phoenicea
was sampled and split into two categories, one from native rhizospheric soil, the other of the sterilized rhizospheric soil. Investigation was focused on mycorrhizal formations, but other forms of beneficial symbiosis such as rhizobia and viable soil microflora were also studied. Growth and nutrition variables assessed included lengths of roots and shoots, number of branches, ratio of root to shoot dry mass and water, nitrogen and phosphorus levels. Results showed important mycorrhizal associations in roots of both plants, presence of nodules and abundance of viable soil microflora.
J. phoenicea
had a 100% frequency of mycorrhizal formation and an intensity of 80% compared to a frequency of 80% and intensity of 54% for
R. monosperma.
Nodules had the same density of CFU regardless of the origin. Abundance of viable microflora in rhisospheric soil of
R. monosperma, J. phoenicea
and the control differed significantly. Among the studied variables for
A. gummifera
and
R. monosperma
, nitrogen and phosphorus uptakes significantly wit the use of the nonsterilized rhizospheric soil. Both species doubled their phosphorus uptake when colonized by mycorrhizal species,
R. monosperma
doubled its nitrogen uptake and
A. gummifera
increased it by seven times compared with the control. No significant difference was noted for the other variables.
In Morocco, there are many different types of desert truffles, including Terfezia, Tirmania, Delastria, Picoa, and Tuber. The Maamora Forest, Doukkala-Abda Sahel, northeast of Morocco, and the ...Moroccan Sahara are the four truffle regions where the geographical distribution of these ascomycetes has been noted most frequently. In addition to being a great source of protein, amino acids, carbon hydrates, and fiber, desert truffles are also regarded as a valuable source of antibiotic alternatives for pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Due to the widespread appreciation of truffles, we could use these resources to develop local populations, especially in truffle-producing regions. The biodiversity of desert truffles in Morocco and other Maghreb countries is one of the characteristics of truffles that are briefly discussed in this paper review. Ecology, biology, geographical spread, and final considerations include the mycorrhizal association of truffles, biochemistry, and physiology.
Essential oils (EO) of
Benth. (
) are well known for their biological and pharmacological activities. This study aimed to assess the chemical composition, antifungal, insecticidal and repellent ...activities of EO of
used in the Mediterranean diet. Phytochemical screening was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Antifungal activity was tested by the disc diffusion method followed by a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay against
, and
. Repellent potential and toxicity of EO by contact and inhalation were tested against
(
). The yield of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of
was 4.41 ± 0.35%, mainly composed of Carvacrol (38%) and Thymol (31.46%). Regarding antifungal activity, the results revealed a wide antifungal spectrum of the studied EO against the tested strains, which reached 100% growth inhibition, especially against
and
even at the lowest MIC values (3.125 μg/mL). Concerning insecticidal activity, the EO caused total mortality of
adults at a dose of 20 μL/L air with LC
value of 5.3 μL/L air. A significant reduction in the number of eggs and emergence was proportionally recorded with increasing doses up to 100% at 20 μL/L air. For repellent activity, the studied EO showed a moderate repellent activity with an average percentage of 39.16%. The outcome of this work revealed that
EO could be a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative bioinsecticide and bio-fungicide to replace the chemically synthesized forms.
The disease-free existence of humans is constantly under attack by a variety of infections caused by a variety of organisms including bacteria. Notable among the bacteria is
Staphylococcus aureus
...which is an etiological organism for infections including impetigo, folliculitis, and furuncles. The response of the human immune system against this disease is often neutralized by the production of a pigment called Staphyloxanthin (STX) via a series of reactions mediated by several enzymes. Among these enzymes, dehydrosqualene synthase, also known as CrtM, has emerged as a viable drug target due to its role in mediating the first step of the pathway. Consequently, this study employs molecular modeling approaches including molecular docking, quantum mechanical calculations, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations among others to investigate the potential of napthyridine derivatives to serve as inhibitors of the CrtM. The results of the study revealed the high binding affinities of the compounds for the target as demonstrated by their docking scores, while further subjection to screening pipeline aimed at determining their fitness for development into drugs revealed just one compound namely 6-1-(2-fluorophenyl) methyltriazol-4-ylmethoxy-4-oxo-1H-1,5-naphthyridine-3-carboxylic acid as the compound with good drug-like, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity properties profiles. A 100 ns-long MD simulation of the complexes formed after molecular docking revealed the stable interaction of the compound with the target. Ultimately, this study can be a promising outlet to discover a weapon to fight against clinically resistant bacteria, however, further experimental studies are suggested to carry out in the wet lab, pre-clinical, and clinical levels.
The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) obtained from three medicinal plants of the Moroccan flora were evaluated. The chemical composition of EOs of Thymus ...leptobotrys, Laurus nobilis and Syzygium aromaticum was determined using a gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometry. Carvacrol (75.05%) was the main constituent of T. leptobotrys EOs, while 1,8-cineole (31.48%) and eugenol (82.16%) were the predominant components of L. nobilis and S. aromaticum EOs, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the EOs was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively against 18 microbial strains pathogenic to humans by using the disc diffusion method, and by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC). The EOs of T. leptobotrys were the most active against the strains tested, with inhibitory zone values ranging from 7.00 to 45.00 mm, and MIC and MMC values ranging from 0.312 to 80.00 mg/mL. In many cases, these EOs exhibited higher antibacterial and antifungal activities than the chemical compounds ciprofloxacin and fluconazole, respectively. This high antimicrobial activity can be ascribed to their richness in carvacrol. The EOs of T. leptobotrys, L. nobilis, and S. aromaticum could be considered a promising alternative to replace chemical antimicrobials, and a readily available natural source of bioactive compounds.
The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is an important component in semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystems, particularly in Morocco where it plays a considerable socio-economic role. This species is ...widely used in the reforestation programmes and in the rehabilitation of degraded soils serving both environmental and socio-economic objectives. In spite of these assets, this species is suffering the particular climatic conditions, rare and irregular rains, long hot and dry summers, generally, leading to desertification processes. To withstand these contrasting conditions, selected arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were tested for their contribution to the growth, nutrient uptake and photosynthesis improvement of the carob tree C. siliqua under nursery conditions.
The objective of this study was, to evaluate the effects of some arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi complexes isolated in different Mediterranean ecosystems compared to single-species isolates selected using morphological tools on the growth, mineral nutrition, and chlorophyll content of C. siliqua seedlings.
The results indicate that all the used AMF inocula stimulated significantly the height of C. siliqua seedlings after eight months under nursery conditions. An increase in plant height between 33% and 70% compared to a control without inoculation was recorded. Similarly, the aerial dry weight recorded an increase of 62% to 124% comparing inoculated and non-inoculated seedlings. The root dry weight has shown an increase rate of 24% to 86% compared to the control. The analysis of mineral contents in plant tissues, showed a highly significant increase in P. N. K. Ca and Mg levels of the aerial parts compared to the control. A significant increase in chlorophyll contents was noticed when inoculated seedlings were compared to non-inoculated ones. This study had confirmed the importance of AMF improving the growth of C. siliqua seedlings; the AMF complexes remain to have the important growth and mineral nutrition responses. However some single- species have shown similar magnitude to the complexes for all analysed parameters. A large biofertilizer potential of the single-species isolates in the inoculation of C. siliqua is demonstrated for the first time.
In the current study, we investigated the impact of inoculation with a selected indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) complex on the growth and physiology of carob plants at increasing levels ...of watering (25, 50, 75 and 100% field capacity). The following growth and stress parameters were monitored in carob seedlings after 6 months of growth and 2 months of applied drought stress: fresh and dry weight, root and shoot lengths, leaf surface area, relative water content, stomatal conductance and membrane stability. Chlorophyll a and b, total soluble sugars, proline and protein contents were also determined along with the activities of stress enzymes: Catalase, Peroxidase and Superoxide dismutase. The obtained results indicate that inoculation with the indigenous AMF complex has a positive impact on the plant’s growth as all the assessed parameters were significantly improved in the mycorrhizal plants. Additionally, our results show that mycorrhization contributes to the minimization of the impact of drought stress on the carob plants and allows a better adaptation to dry conditions.
The impact of salt stress on the growth and phosphorus utilization efficiency (PUE) of two leguminous species: Retama monosperma and Acacia gummifera was studied. The effectiveness of arbuscular ...mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to mitigate salt stress was furthermore assessed. Growth, N and P tissue concentrations, mycorrhizal root colonization frequency and intensity, and P utilization efficiency (PUE) in the absence or presence of AMF were evaluated under no salt (0 mM L−1) and three salt (NaCl) concentrations of (25, 50 and 100 mM L−1) using a natural sterilized soil. A significant difference in mycorrhizal colonization intensity, root-to-shoot ratio, P uptake, PUE, and N uptake was observed between the legume species. Salt stress inhibited the shoot and root growth, and reduced P and N uptake by the legume species. Mycorrhizal inoculation aided to mitigate the effects of salt stress with an average increase of shoot and root growth responses by 35% and 32% in the inoculated than in the non-inoculated A. gummifera treatments. The average shoot and root growth responses were 37% and 45% higher in the inoculated compared to the non-inoculated treatments of R. monosperma. Average mycorrhizal shoot and root P uptake responses were 66% and 68% under A. gummifera, and 40% and 95% under R. monosperma, respectively. Mycorrhizal inoculated treatments consistently maintained lower PUE in the roots. The results provide insights for further investigations on the AMF conferred mechanisms to salt stress tolerance response by A. gummifera and R. monosperma, to enable the development of effective technologies for sustainable afforestation and reforestation programs in the Atlantic coast of Morocco.
Description of the subject. Impact of anthropogenic activities via metal pollution on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in rhizopheric soils of date palms in urban and peri-urban areas. Objective. ...The study’s objective was to assess the impact of rhizospheric soil contamination via various chemical species of heavy metals on the AMF spore density associated with date palms. Methods. A collection of date palm’s rhizospheric soil samples from eight sites including three boulevards, three gardens and two distinct areas of the Marrakesh palm grove. These samples were used for counting endomycorrhizal fungal spores, for estimating mycorrhization state of root system and for physico-chemical analyzes. A five-stage sequential extraction scheme was used to evaluate the fractionation of some heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn and Fe). Pearson’s correlation coefficients between AMF spore’s density and metal species were determined and a multiple linear regression was tested to predict AMF spore density from chemical species content of soil. Results. A mycorrhizal dependency of date palm was indicated, since a high frequency (61 to 98%) and a middle intensity (10 to 47%) of root colonization by AMF were recorded. The spore density from all sites was found in increasing order of boulevards, garden then palm groves. A significant correlation between AMF spores’ density and some metal species rhizospheric soil content was recorded ; negative for sulphide-bound lead (r = - 0.81) and Zinc (r = - 0.70) and for exchangeable fraction Copper (r = - 0.79) whereas it's positive for exchangeable fraction Zinc (r = 0.70). AMF spores’ density predictions from Sulphide-bound Zinc and exchangeable fraction Copper exhibited a good fit, with higher R2 value (0.91, p = 0.002). Conclusions. Since Date palm has a mycotrophic nature, the sustainability of the microbial populations associated with their roots might be ensured by modifying some chemical forms of heavy metals like Sulphide-bound Zinc and exchangeable fraction Copper.
Coss. ex is a plant used in traditional medications. Antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of the essential oil from leaves of
Coss ex. (EOW) were investigated. EOW was extracted ...using a Clevenger apparatus, and its volatile compounds were characterized by GC-MS. Antioxidant potency was determined using DPPH, FRAP, and TAC assays. Antibacterial effects were determined vs.
,
,
, and
; while its antifungal efficacy was determined vs.
,
,
, and
using the disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration bioassays. A chromatographic analysis showed that EOW contained eight phytochemical compounds constituting 99.14% of the total mass of oil. Caryophyllene (24.74%), Longifolene (21.37%), δ-Cadinene (19.08%), and Carene (14.86%) were predominant compounds in EOW. The concentrations required to inhibit 50% of free radical (IC50) values of antioxidant activities of EOW were 0.031 ± 0.006 mg/mL (DPPH), 0.011 ± 0.003 mg/mL (FRAP), and 846.25 ± 1.07 mg AAE/g (TAC). Inhibition zone diameters of EOW vs. bacteria were 18.11 ± 0.5 mm (
), 17.10 ± 0.42 mm (
), 12.13 ± 0.31 mm (
), and 11.09 ± 0.47 mm (
), while MIC values were 51 ± 3, 47 ± 5, 46 ± 3 and 31 ± 1 µg/mL, respectively. Inhibition zone diameters of EOW vs. fungi were 31.32 ± 1.32, 29.00 ± 1.5, 27.63 ± 2.10, and 24.51 ± s1.07 mm for
,
,
, and
, respectively. MIC values were 8.41 ± 0.40, 28.04 ± 0.26, 9.05 ± 0.76, and 22.26 ± 0.55 µg/mL, respectively. Importantly, the highest dose of EOW (1 mg/mL) showed negligible (~5%) cytotoxicity against MCF-12, a normal human epithelial cell line derived from the mammary gland, thus underscoring its wide safety and selectivity against tested microbes. To sum it up, EOW has exhibited promising antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, which suggests potential to abrogate antibiotic resistance.
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