Irrigation with saline water can act as an alternate water resource and thus plays an important role in saving freshwater resources as well as promoting agriculture. Furthermore, salinity stress is ...considered one of the major abiotic stress factors, which strongly reduces crop productivity. In this context, the present work was conducted to examine the effect of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) application on salt stress tolerance of strawberry plants. For this purpose, strawberry plants (
Fragaria vesca
L.), three months old, were treated with three SA concentrations (0 mM, 0.25 mM and 0.5 mM), then subjected to 80 mM NaCl or not. After five weeks of treatment, growth responses, water status, photochemical efficiency and oxidative stress indicators were measured. The obtained results showed that irrigation with saline water negatively affected the growth parameters, the leaf water potential (LWP), the relative water content (RWC), the stomatal conductance (gs) and photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm). While, the total protein content, the electrolyte leakage (EL), the malondialdehyde (MDA) and the hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
) contents were increased in stressed plants compared to unstressed ones. Salt stress also leads to the activation of the antioxidant enzymes. However, the exogenous application of SA under salt stress conditions reduced the H
2
O
2
accumulation, the electrolyte leakage and the MDA content. It has also improved the growth parameters, the LWP, the RWC, the gs, the Fv/Fm, the protein content and the antioxidant enzyme activities (POD, CAT and SOD) in the treated plants compared to those without SA application. Therefore, the beneficial effect of 0.25 mM SA on
Fragaria vesca
L. salinity tolerance may provide some practical basis for strawberry cultivation under saline conditions.
Soil salinity is one of the ecological problems limiting plant growth and development, especially in semi-arid and arid regions where water availability is very limited.
Stevia rebaudiana
Bertoni ...(Asteraceae) is known for its sweetness and non-caloric products (steviol glycosides). It can be considered as a plant for the future sugar industry and human health nutrition. The present work aims to study the modulation of salt stress (NaCl: 80 mM) effects on
Stevia rebaudiana
Bertoni plants by an exogenous application of salicylic acid (0 mM, 0.1 mM and 0.5 mM). The results obtained show that saline stress influences the growth and development of the plant through several metabolism aspects. The exogenous application of salicylic acid to plants subjected to saline stress has improved plant biomass, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, stomatal conductance, antioxidant enzyme activity, MDA content and electrolyte leakage. All these results show a potential role of salicylic acid in strengthening tolerance mechanisms and mitigating physiological and biochemical damage caused by saline stress on
Stevia rebaudiana
Bertoni plant.
Seed germination is the critical stage for species survival. Salinity affects germination and seedling growth and yield of several crop species, such as broad bean. That is why this study was carried ...to evaluate the effects of NaCl on seed germination and influence of salicylic acid on seed in order to improving salt tolerant on broad bean. Vicia faba L. is an important pulse crop in the Mediterranean region. In many cases broad bean is grown on saline soils where growth and yield are limited by salinity. The results showed that Irrigation with saline water significantly reduced all seed germination parameters in comparison with the respective control. Alleviation of growth arrest was observed with exogenous applications of salicylic acid (SA) under salt stress conditions. Overall, the positive effect of SA towards resistance to the salinity of V. faba L. will provide some practical basis for V. faba L cultivation.
As part of the search for biochemical markers of somatic embryogenesis in tissue cultures of olive (
L.), peroxidases (POXs) in both the soluble and ionically wall-bound fractions were studied in two ...reputed olive cultivars (cvs.): "Picholine Marocaine" and "Dahbia". In order to carry out embryogenesis induction, proximal cotyledons were cultured in modified olive medium (OMc) supplemented with 25 μM indole-3-butylic acid (IBA) and 2.5 μM 2-isopentenyladenine (2iP), while distal leaf fragments (somatic explants) were cultured in OMc supplemented with 4.56 µM zeatin riboside (ZR) and 10.25 µM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Regarding embryogenic potentials, the zygotic explants (cv. Picholine Marocaine: 43.39%; cv. Dahbia: 53.41%) were more regenerative than the somatic explants (cv. Picholine Marocaine: 13.05%; cv. Dahbia: 19.51%). The enzyme assay showed a higher POX activity in embryogenic calluses (ECs) than in nonembryogenic calluses (NECs) for the zygotic explants in both studied cultivars. When expressed as units per milligram of proteins (U mg
proteins), the highest total POXs activities (soluble POXs + ionically wall-bound POXs) were found in the ECs derived from the zygotic explants; for cv. Dahbia, 65% of the enzyme activities came from the ionically wall-bound fractions. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the ECs of the highly active cv. Dahbia were characterized by highly active isoperoxidases that were revealed in four migration zones, particularly a doublet in the A4 zone (R
0.70-0.73) present in the ionically wall-bound POXs. The fast-moving anodic POXs of the ionically wall-bound fractions could be adopted as an early electrophoretic test to determine the embryogenesis capacities in olive tissue culture materials. As biochemical markers, the POX enzyme and its profile in fractions, i.e., as soluble POXs and ionically wall-bound POXs, can offer a valuable tool for improving the tissue culture of olive via somatic embryogenesis.
To limit the generation of acid mine drainage at the Kettara abandoned mine (KAM) located 35 km North‐North West of Marrakech, Morocco, a store‐and‐release (SR) system was constructed. The SR system ...made of two materials, the cover constituted by phosphate waste (PW) rock and lower layer was the coarse‐grained tailings of KAM. The lower layer restricted water in the interface and the stocked water during wet periods by the PW layer is released during dry ones. The objective of this study is to assess the phytostabilization ability of SR cover using local plants. Seeds of five wild local plants: Atriplex semibaccata R. Br., Peganum harmala L., Asparagus horridus L., Launaea arborescens (Batt.) Murb., and Vicia sativa L., were selected and planted. Pots experiment of phosphate mine wastes (PW) and PW amended with different ratios of compost and commercial peat. These pot experiments were performed in greenhouse conditions. The germination and growth parameters studied were germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (MGT), speed of germination (SG), epigeal height, and hypogeal length evolution. Cd, Ni, As, Cu, and Zn concentrations in substrates and in plant fractions were analyzed. The results obtained using 100% PW (PW100) as the highest GP (87.50%) were obtained for A. semibaccata R. Br., followed by V. sativa L. with GP (25.00%). The uppermost MGT results showed that A. semibaccata R. Br. (MGT = 4.39) and L. arborescens (Batt.) Murb. (MGT = 1.91), were the most suitable for the phosphate mine wastes. Concerning SG, the values obtained were 19.07 and 5.11, for A. semibaccata R. Br., and L. arborescens (Batt.) Murb., respectively. Regarding the epigeal and hypogeal length, respectively, the best values were obtained for A. semibaccata R. Br., and V. sativa L., with 40.70 cm and 13.73 cm for epigeal length and 20.97 cm and 82.67 cm for hypogeal length. The results obtained with different ratios of amendments showed that the application of 10% compost and 20% organic fertilizer, showed significantly higher germination index, hypogeal, and epigeal growth for A. semibaccata R. Br., V. sativa L., and L. arborescens (Batt.) Murb. The concentrations of the studied trace elements in selected plant fractions does not exceed domestic animal metal toxicity limits in any trial. The concentrations of these trace elements in plant hypogeal fractions were significantly (p < .05) higher than those of epigeal fractions. The transfer and bio‐concentration factors were <1 in all selected plants. According to these results, we can affirm that A. semibaccata R. Br., as a key species and that V. sativa L. and L. arborescens (Batt.) Murb. are also good candidates for the phytostabilization necessary for the SR cover.
Salinization of soil is a major problem affecting many plant physiological processes. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) plays a key role in improving the growth and the crops yield. The ...aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of salt stress and AMF on agro-physiological and biochemical responses of
Stevia rebaudiana
Bertoni. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with ten replicates under the green house conditions. Stevia plants were inoculated with AMF consortium (MC) or with
Rhizophagus irregularis
(Ri) on the presence (80 mM of NaCl) or the absence (0 mM of NaCl) of salt stress. The results showed that plant height, dry biomass of shoots and roots parts, mycorrhizal frequency and intensity, relative water content, chlorophyll fluorescence, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll
a
, and total chlorophyll were significantly reduced by 29%, 72%, 36%, 84%, 65%, 24%, 17%, 60%, 28.50%, and 40.9% respectively under salt stress. These changes were associated with a significant increase in antioxidant enzymes (activity of polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase), electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation, and hydrogen peroxide contents. The application of AMF (MC and Ri) improved growth and physiological parameters through rising the activities of antioxidant enzymes and reduction of the oxidative damage caused by the salt stress. The better results were recorded with MC-inoculated plants. These findings suggested that AMF could be an effective strategy to alleviate the adverse effects of salt stress on
Stevia rebaudiana
.
•Olive tree irrigation by crude and treated mixture of olive mill and urban wastewaters was investigated.•Crude mixture irrigation of olives increases the height and trunk diameter of koroneiki ...cultivar.•Low Chlorophyll content& stomata conductance were obtained for olives irrigated by treated mixture.•Treated mixture irrigation of olives increases olive fruits production and oil yield.
Water is one of the most limiting factors in agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid region. The reuse of treated wastewater (TWW) in crop irrigation is becoming a frequent practice in areas with limited water resources. Olive mill wastewater (OMW) as well as urban wastewater (UWW) could be treated and reused to avoid this very serious environmental issue in Mediterranean areas. OMW is a nutritive and rich water concerning plant growth. However, it should be well treated to reduce toxic phenolic compounds and salinity before its reuse in irrigation. In this study “Koroneiki” olive grove used as a model plant, was planted and irrigated for a period of over than one year with a mixture of olive mill and urban wastewater (OMW + UWW) before and after treatment by a constructed wetland (TMCW) and compared to that irrigated by well water (WW) as a control. During the irrigation period, trunk diameter, plant height, stomatal conductance, the maximum quantum yield of PSII and chlorophyll contents were analyzed each two months of growth in order to assess the effect of irrigation by such effluents on morphological and physiological parameters of the olive grove. Results show that the mixture (OMW + UWW) can have a good fertilizer potential even after treatment by constructed wetland that insures a high reduction of toxic phenolic compounds. In terms of morphological parameters, olive grove irrigated by crude mixture and well water has shown the statistically significant highest efficiency regarding plant height and trunk diameter. However, the treated mixture has shown the statistically significant lowest effect in terms of physiological parameters and has given the highest production of olive fruits and oil yield. The maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) was optimum for all treatments.
Corrigiola telephiifolia Pourr. (Caryophyllaceae) is a Moroccan medicinal plant. Despite its popular usage, no study has been published concerning its toxicological profile. The acute toxicity of C. ...telephiifolia root extract was evaluated by giving it orally to mice at single doses of 5000, 10000, and 14000 mg/kg bodyweight. The extract was also administered at doses of 5, 70, and 2000 mg/kg bodyweight per day to rats for a forty-day toxicity study. No mortality or signs of toxicity were observed in the acute study. In the forty-day study in rats, the extract at 5 mg/kg/day showed no toxicological effects in either sex. At 70 mg/kg/day, the treated group differed from the control only by a significant decrease in serum concentrations of sodium and chloride ions (P<.05). At the dose of 2000 mg/kg/day, the extract significantly increased the serum concentrations of creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and phosphorus (P<.05) all suggestive of functional nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. The relative bodyweight of both sexes decreased at the dose of 2000 mg/kg/day, with a fast recovery for males. Histological examination did not reveal any treatment-related effects. In conclusion, Corrigiola extract appears safe at the doses used ethno-medicinally. Much higher doses pose toxicological risks.