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Au Maroc, les pâturages pastoraux et sylvopastoraux sont soumis à des contraintes multiples d’ordre climatique, anthropique et social, ce qui menace la survie des espèces pastorales les plus appétibles et entraine la régression des formations végétales. La réhabilitation et la gestion de ces parcours sont donc impératives, notamment par l’installation de légumineuses herbacées et arbustives. Bituminaria bituminosa L. est considérée comme une espèce potentielle pour réhabiliter les parcours pastoraux et sylvopastoraux dégradés. Les principaux objectifs de cette étude étaient d'évaluer l'effet de l'âge des graines de B. bituminosa sur le taux de germination, déterminer les meilleures conditions de propagation végétative par bouturage (dose d'Acide Indole Acétique (AIA) et d’Acide Indole Butyrique) et d'évaluer l'influence de la saison sur la composition chimique et la valeur nutritive de cette espèce prometteuse. Les résultats ont montré que le meilleur taux de germination est observé pour les graines récoltées en 2016 (96%), tandis que les graines récoltées en 2010 (petite taille) ont enregistré le taux de germination le plus faible (4%). En outre, le taux d'enracinement le plus élevé a été observé chez les boutures ligneuses traitées avec une concentration de 5000 ppm d'AIA, dans lesquelles elles sont trempées pendant 5 min (66%). D’autre part, les résultats obtenus mettent en évidence une variabilité saisonnière non significative de la valeur nutritive de cette espèce. B. bituminosa recèle des potentialités nutritionnelles eu égard à sa richesse en protéines brutes (16.1 à 18.5% MS), en énergie (jusqu’à 0.8 UF/Kg MS) et sa faible teneur en constituants pariétaux. Ainsi, B. bituminosa est une plante fourragère prometteuse qui peut fournir une source d'alimentation de qualité pour le bétail tout au long de l'année.

In Morocco, oregano is one of the most valued aromatic and medicinal plants, widely used for various culinary and therapeutic purposes. Since some Moroccan oregano populations are threatened by extinction, we analyzed the germination behavior of different Origanum species cultivated in the experimental station of INRA in Morocco, in order to plan a subsequent preservation, rehabilitation and domestication programs. In this context, we tested under laboratory conditions the influence of different pretreatments (soaking in distilled water for 24 and 48 hours and soaking in boiling water for 5 minutes) on seed germination of five Origanum species cultivated in the Annoceur experimental station of INRA, namely O. compactum, O. elongatum, O. vulgare subsp. virens, O. vulgare subsp. vulgare and O. onites. Results showed that germination percentage varied significantly according to species and pretreatment. Soaking seeds in distilled water (24 and 48 hours) was more effective in improving the germination rate of all species. O. onites and O. elongatum showed the highest germination rate, 90% and 83% respectively for seeds soaked in distilled water for 24 hours. However, soaking the seeds in boiling water significantly reduced the germination rate of 4 species: O. elongatum, O. vulgare subsp. virens, O. onites and O. vulgare subsp. vulgare (Spain). It should be noted that soaking the seeds in distilled water not only increased the germination rate, but also reduced the latency time of these seeds. According to the treatments used in this study, soaking of seeds in distilled water for 24 and 48 hours can be recommended as the most effective treatment for enhancing germination of Origanum seeds. These data may serve as guidelines for species-specific sexual multiplication protocols, promoting ex situ conservation of these medicinal species.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a facultative halophyte renowned for its importance in enhancing food security, and it supports forage production across diverse climatic regions. The objective of this study is to examine the impacts of multiple pre-treatment methods on C. quinoa seed (Titicaca cultivar) germination parameters, identify the optimum pre-treatment to diminish the consequence of salinity, and promote the productivity of this crop, especially in marginal environments. For this purpose, a spectrum of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations spanning from 0 to 500 mM and gibberellic acid (GA3) concentrations ranging from 0 to 300 ppm were tested, and mechanical scarification (MS) was carried out. The effect of a combination of these pretreatment NaCl/GA3 and NaCl/MS on the germination parameters of C. quinoa seed was also investigated. The results showed that the total germination, vigor index, and germination index decreased progressively with an increase in salinity. Hence, salinity exhibited a notable influence on most germination parameters. Moreover, seeds scarified with 500 mM of NaCl negatively affected all measured parameters. In contrast, gibberellic acid applied at 200 ppm was effective on most of the parameters measured, particularly under 100 mM of NaCl. These findings indicate that immersing seeds in gibberellic acid could mitigate the adverse impacts of salinity.

Artemisia herba-alba is among the most important pastoral species, characterized by a high fodder value, especially for ruminants. However, Artemisia herba-alba steppes in Morocco are undergoing continuous degradation. Therefore, understanding the multiplication of this highly appreciated species is essential for its preservation and the rehabilitation of degraded pastures. The present study’s objective is to understand techniques of sexual and asexual multiplication of Artemisia herba-alba: germination and cutting. For sexual multiplication, three factors were considered: age of seeds, their origins and pre-treatments. For asexual multiplication, two factors were tested, i) the effect of Indole Acetic Acid IAA and ii) the cuttings type effect on the rooting of Artemisia herba-alba cuttings. The obtained results showed a high germination rate for freshly harvested seeds (88%), a decrease in the germination rate of seeds over the years, and those of the same year but lately collected (19.78%). Also, there is an increase is observed in the germination rate of seeds soaked for 48 h (21%) compared to the control (17%). In addition, an inhibitory effect of some IAA concentrations on the cuttings rooting was noted. The best rooting rate was observed in herbaceous cuttings control, collected in March (50%). Therefore, it can be concluded that cuttings represent the most efficient and promising technique for the propagation of Artemisia herba-alba.

In Eastern Morocco, rangelands constitute an important feed resource for livestock. Therefore, determining the nutritional value of pastoral species is useful for efficient and sustainable management of these arid areas. This study aims to determine the chemical composition and nutritional value of 20 native pastoral species collected from different localities of Eastern Morocco. Nutritional composition of species was estimated by determining levels of dry matter, mineral matter, organic matter, total nitrogenous matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and lignin detergent fiber. Results show that there were a highly significant differences among the species for all chemical compositions (P