Influence of cutting time interval and season on productivity, nutrient partitioning, and forage quality of blue panicgrass (Panicum antidotale Retz.) under saline irrigation in Southern region of Morocco.

Salinity has become a major issue in various parts of the world negatively impacting agricultural activities and leading to diminished crop potential and lower yields. Such situation calls for urgent interventions such as adopting salt-tolerant crops to fill the gap in food and feed availability. Blue panicgrass (Panicum antidotale Retz.) is a promising salt-tolerant forage crop that has shown an appropriate adaptation and performance in the saline, arid, and desertic environments of southern Morocco. However, for obtaining a highest forage productivity with nutritional quality, optimization of the cutting interval is required. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the optimal cutting time interval allowing high forage production and quality under high salinity conditions. This experiment was conducted over one entire year covering the summer and winter seasons. The effect of five cutting time intervals on selected agro-morphological traits, crop productivity, mineral nutrient accumulation, and forage quality of blue panicgrass in the region of Laayoune, southern Morocco. The finding of this study recommend that cutting blue panicgrass every 40 days maximized the annual fresh and dry forage yield as well as the protein yield, which reached 74, 22, and 2.9 t/ha, respectively. This study also revealed a significant effect of the season on both productivity and quality. However, forage yield declined during the winter and increased during the summer, while protein content increased during winter compared to summer. The mineral nutrient partitioning between shoots and roots, especially the K+/Na+ ratio, indicated that blue panicgrass has salt tolerance mechanism as it excluded sodium from the roots and compartmentalized it in the leaves. In conclusion, there is a potential of blue panicgrass on sustaining forage production under salt-affected drylands, as demonstrated by the response to two key questions: (a) a technical question to farmers for its adoption such as at which interval should blue panicgrass be harvested maximizing both forage yield and quality? And (b) a scientific question on how does blue panicgrass maintain high K+/Na+ ratio to cope with salinity stress?

Agro-morphological and biochemical responses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd. var: ICBA-Q5) to organic amendments under various salinity conditions.

In the Sahara Desert, due to drought and salinity and poor soil fertility, very limited crop choice is available for the farmers to grow crops. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) has shown promising under such conditions in the South of Morocco, a true representative site of Sahara Desert. Soil organic amendments have the potential to minimize negative effects of soil salinity and improve crop production. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the impact of nine organic amendments on quinoa (var. ICBA-Q5) growth, productivity, and biochemical parameters under saline irrigation water application (4, 12, and 20 dS·m-1). Results of the experiment indicate a significant effect of organic amendments on major agro-morphological and productivity parameters. Biomass and seed yield tends to decrease with the rise of salinity level, and organic amendments have improved productivity compared to the non-treated control. However, salinity stress alleviation was assessed by determining pigments concentration, proline content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity. Therefore, the action of organic amendments varies from one level of salinity to another. Furthermore, a remarkably significant decrease in total saponin content was reached due to the application of amendments even at high saline conditions (20 dS·m-1). The results demonstrate the possibility of enhancing the productivity of quinoa as an alternative food crop under salinity conditions by using organic amendments and improving the quality of grains (saponin reduction) during the pre-industrialization process.

Crop Species Mechanisms and Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Forage Cropping Systems in Salt-Affected Arid Regions.

Soil salinity limits crop productivity in arid regions and it can be alleviated by crop synergies. A multivariate analysis of published data (n = 78) from arid and semiarid habitats across continents was conducted to determine the crop species mechanisms of salinity tolerance and synergies relevant for designing adapted forage cropping systems. Halophyte [Cynodon plectostachus (K. Schum.) Pilg.] and non-halophyte grasses (Lolium perenne L. and Panicum maximum Jacq.) clustered along increasing soil salinity. Halophytic grasses [Panicum antidotale Retz. and Dicanthum annulatum (Forssk.) Stapf] congregated with Medicago sativa L., a non-halophytic legume along a gradient of increasing photosynthesis. Halophytic grasses [Sporobolus spicatus (Vahl) Kunth, and Cynodon plectostachyus (K. Schum.) Pilg.] had strong yield-salinity correlations. Medicago sativa L. and Leptochloa fusca L. Kunth were ubiquitous in their forage biomass production along a continuum of medium to high salinity. Forage crude protein was strongly correlated with increasing salinity in halophytic grasses and non-halophytic legumes. Halophytes were identified with mechanisms to neutralize the soil sodium accumulation and forage productivity along an increasing salinity. Overall, halophytes-non-halophytes, grass-forbs, annual-perennials, and plant-bacteria-fungi synergies were identified which can potentially form cropping systems that can ameliorate saline soils and sustain forage productivity in salt-affected arid regions.

A Comparative Study between Conventional and Advanced Extraction Techniques: Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Properties of Plant Extracts.

This study aimed to compare the influence of extraction methods on the pharmaceutical and cosmetic properties of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). For this purpose, the dried plant materials were extracted using advanced (microwave (MAE), ultrasonic (UAE), and homogenizer (HAE) assisted extractions) and conventional techniques (maceration, percolation, decoction, infusion, and Soxhlet). The tyrosinase, elastase, α-amylase, butyryl, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition were tested by using L-3,4 dihydroxy-phenylalanine, N-Succinyl-Ala-Ala-p-nitroanilide, butyryl, and acetylcholine as respective substrates. Antioxidant activities were studied by ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP. In terms of extraction yield, advanced extraction techniques showed the highest values (MAE > UAE > HAE). Chemical profiles were dependent on the phenolic compounds tested, whereas the antioxidant activities were always higher, mainly in infusion and decoction as a conventional technique. In relation to the pharmaceutical and cosmetic properties, the highest inhibitory activities against α-amylase and acetylcholinesterase were observed for Soxhlet and macerated extracts, whereas the highest activity against tyrosinase was obtained with MAE > maceration > Soxhlet. Elastase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities were in the order of Soxhlet > maceration > percolation, with no activities recorded for the other tested methods. In conclusion, advanced methods afford an extract with high yield, while conventional methods might be an adequate approach for minimal changes in the biological properties of the extract.

How Does Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Respond to Phosphorus Fertilization and Irrigation Water Salinity?

Soil salinity is a major problem in arid and semi-arid regions, causing land degradation, desertification, and subsequently, food insecurity. Salt-affected soils and phosphorus (P) deficiency are the common problems in the sub-Sahara, including the Southern region of Morocco. Soil salinity limits plant growth by limiting water availability, causing a nutritional imbalance, and imparting osmotic stress in the plants. The objective of this study was to determine the positive effects of P on growth and productivity and understand the major leaf mineral nutrient content of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) cv. "ICBA Q5" irrigated with saline water. A field experiment applying three salinity (Electrical Conductivity, EC) levels of irrigation water (ECw = 5, 12, and 17 dS·m-1) and three P fertilizer rates (0, 60, and 70 kg of P2O5 ha-1) were evaluated in a split-plot design with three replications. The experiment was conducted in Foum El Oued, South of Morocco on sandy loam soil during the period of March-July 2020. The results showed that irrigation with saline water significantly reduced the final dry biomass, seed yield, harvest index, and crop water productivity of quinoa; however, P application under saline conditions minimized the effect of salinity and improved the yield. The application of 60 and 70 kg of P2O5 ha-1 increased (p < 0.05) the seed yield by 29 and 51% at low salinity (5 dS·m-1), by 16 and 2% at medium salinity (12 dS·m-1), and by 13 and 8% at high salinity (17 dS·m-1), respectively. The leaf Na+ and K+ content and Na+/K+ ratio increased with irrigation water salinity. However, the leaf content of Mg, Ca, Zn, and Fe decreased under high salinity. It was also found that increasing P fertilization improved the essential nutrient content and nutrient uptake. Our finding suggests that P application minimizes the adverse effects of high soil salinity and can be adopted as a coping strategy under saline conditions.