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Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) should be highly prioritized, monitored, and conserved as they have an immense effect on sustainability and livelihood. In this study we aim to survey and map cereal and legume wild relatives of Fabaceae and Poaceae families. Mount Hermon, Bekaa side, Lebanon. A set of 46 CWR species were targeted based on desk selection analysis and prioritization by the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas genebank for their potential importance in breeding programs. A botanical survey of 17 sites of the various habitats of Mount Hermon was performed during April–June 2021 using a systematic transect/quadrate sampling method. Recorded genera and species were accurately georeferenced and then mapped with the DIVA‐GIS program. In total, 854 occurrences were observed belonging to 34 species of Fabaceae and 12 species of Poaceae. High H′ Shannon diversity values were recorded in three sites (Al Fakiaa, Sham El Hafour and Ain Ata‐ al Berke) of the Mount with values ranking between 2.45 and 2.83. This was confirmed by the richness distribution maps of genera and species. Richness distribution maps provide relevant clues on candidate sites for high concentrations of each of the species under study. At least the three sites, hosting 87% of the surveyed CWR's species, can be considered for further in situ conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During surveys in 2020 on the Lebanese western slopes of Mount Hermon, we detected Ferula biverticellata J.Thiébaut, which is new to the flora of Lebanon. The species has a distribution extending from Mount Hermon, the Golan, and the Hauran in South Syria to the Negev and Transjordan. We discuss the range of this southern Levantine element, its presence in Lebanon, and its conservation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Medicinal plant species in Lebanon are experiencing severe threats because of various environmental conditions, human expansion footprints and recent growing global demand. Organized research and information on indigenous medicinal plants and knowledge have been very limited and little efforts have been invested to develop a complete inventory for native medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge in the country. Recognized as a key biodiversity area of the Mediterranean Basin, Mount Hermon hosts important richness of medicinal plants that has been traditionally used in treatment of many illnesses since generations. Novel knowledge gathered by the present investigation is important in preserving indigenous knowledge of Mount Hermon community and revitalizing traditional herbal medicines. Material and methods Ethnopharmacological information was collected by semi-structured interviews with 53 native informants (herbalists, traditional healers, midwives and local adult villagers) in 13 towns and villages surrounding Mount Hermon. The interviews were conducted through guided field visits and discussion groups whilst collecting plants specimens. Taxonomical identification of plant species was based on the determination keys of the “ New Flora of Lebanon and Syria” and specimens were deposited at the herbarium of the Research Center for Environment and Development at Beirut Arab University. Results The results obtained indicate that 124 plant species of Mount flora are still used in traditional medicine by the local communities as an important source of primary health care and treatment of a wide range of different illnesses. These species belonged to 42 families and 102 genera. Compositae (19 species), Labiatae (18 species), Rosaceae (11) and Umbelliferae (11) formed the dominant families. Informants' Consensus Factor ( F IC ) analysis revealed that among the 14 illness categories used, respiratory (0.94), gastrointestinal and renal (0.93), genital systems (0.92) had the highest FIC values. The Medicinal Importance (MI) of these systems had also the top positions (16.24, 13.60, 13.18 and 12.09, respectively), whilest Mentha spicata subsp. condensata (Briq.) Greuter et Burdet recorded the heighest Cultural Importance (CI) value at 4.75. Conclusion This study documents for the first time the ethnopharmacological knowledge regarding part of the Lebanese flora in Mount Hermon. The perpetuity of this knowledge of successive generations can be used as an important tool for the future phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological studies, as well as conservation and management of medicinal plants as part of the local cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two Lebanese fig accessions of local varieties (Biadi and Aswad), infected by Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 1 (FLMaV-1), Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 2 (FLMaV-2) and Fig mosaic virus (FMV), were subjected to tissue culture and thermotherapy for producing virus-free plant material. The virus status of all progeny explants was assayed by RT-PCR using viruses-specific primers. The shoot tip culture technique was reliable for elimination of from 60 to 100% of fig viruses. However, stem cutting culture coupled with thermotherapy was the most effective for shoot regeneration (40% of reactive explants), while elimination of the three viruses was possible even though with lower rates of removal (from zero to 81%) were achieved. This study has indicated that FLMaV-2 is more susceptible to thermotherapy than FLMaV-1 and FMV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of barley in Lebanon is still limited to feed despite the increased beer consumption and the amplified demand by local industries of imported malt. In the present work, the performance of 11 foreign malting genotypes delivered by ICARDA was assessed in addition to three varieties, Assi, Rihane-3 and Atahualpa, used as checks. Two field trials were conducted in 2013, the first one at Kfardan LARI station at 1000 m a.s.l. and 171.6 mm precipitations, and the second one in Qaa farmer field at 648 m a.s.l. and 119.4 mm precipitations. The trials were carried out rain fed in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. In both fields, the results showed that at least one malting genotype was early in heading and maturity aligning checks patterns. Genotypes displayed a large variability for yield components, particularly for grain number per spike and thousand grains weight. The higher yields were recorded in Qaa trial for the malting genotypes designated as Malt-9, Malt-10 and Malt-11 with 274.4 g/m2, 232.2 g/m2, and 231.1 g/m2 respectively; whereas in Kfardan trial, Malt-11 and Malt-7 had the highest yields with 245 g/m2 and 222 g/m2 respectively. Atahualpa variety produced 244 g/m2 in Qaa vs. 178 g/m2 in Kfardan overcoming both Rihane-3 and Assi. Based upon Euclidean distance, the hierarchical classification permitted the distribution of studied genotypes into three mains clusters and identified those positioned next to the checks. A preliminary assessment of malting quality attributes carried out on grain samples taken from Kfardan trial confirmed the suitability of the foreign genotypes for malting and revealed a promising potential for the common varieties Assi and Rihane-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aim of recording the present flora present across the Lebanese archeological sites, a survey including 15 different sites located in various bioclimatic regimes was conducted. The inventory documented 262 taxa from 32 families, encompassing 87 species and 75 genera. The most frequently occurring species were Cichorium intybus and Hyoscyamus aureus. Among the reported species, 14.95% were found to be endemic species to either Lebanon or the Eastern Mediterranean region, 2.35% were alien species, 28.73% were unique species; i.e. observed only in one site. This survey showed a first insight into the flora present in Lebanese archaeological sites and highlighted the role of these sites in harboring rich floral diversity. Thus, it is of fundamental importance to strengthen the conservation and protection efforts of the archaeological sites’ natural landscape and its sustainable utilization along the cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] This is the first report on the assessment of the Lebanese loquat germplasm. [•] Fruit and seed quantitative traits were the most discriminate traits between accessions. [•] Accessions clustered in three groups according to fruit traits and time introduction. [•] Local Saidaoui was positioned close to foreign accessions introduced earlier into the country. [•] We pave the road towards the conservation of loquat germplasm and breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Under cultivation, many outcrossing fruit tree species have switched from sexual reproduction to vegetative propagation. Traditional production systems have persisted, where cultivar propagation is based on a mixed reproductive system. For millenia, almond, Prunus dulcis , has been propagated by seeds. Almond grafting remained of little importance until recently. In Lebanon, both sexual and clonal reproductions are used for almond propagation. We used 15 microsatellite markers to investigate the effect of introducing graft-propagated cultivars and associated practices, on the structure of the genetic diversity among and within the two main Lebanese cultivars. Results: As expected, the sexually propagated cultivar Khachabi exhibited more genotypic and genetic diversity than the vegetatively propagated cultivar Halwani. It also exhibited lower differentiation among populations. The distribution of clones showed that propagation modes were not exclusive: farmers have introduced clonal propagation in the seed-propagated cultivar while they have maintained a diversity of genotypes within populations that were mostly graft-propagated. These practices are also important to avoid mate limitations that hamper fruit production in a self-incompatible species. 'Khachabi' is structured into two gene pools separated by the Lebanese mountains. As to 'Halwani', two different gene pools were introduced. The most ancient one shares the same geographic range as 'Khachabi'; longtime coexistence and sexual reproduction have resulted in admixture with 'Khachabi'. In contrast, the more recent introduction of the second gene pool in the Bekaa region followed an evolution towards more extensive clonal propagation of 'Halwani' limiting hybridizations. Furthermore, some pairs of geographically distant 'Halwani' orchards, exhibited low genetic distances, suggesting that a network of exchanges between farmers was effective on a large scale and/or that farmers brought clonal plant material from a common source. Conclusions: Almond diversification in Lebanon is clearly related to the evolution of propagation practices adapted to self-incompatible cultivars. The comparison between both cultivars demonstrated the genetic effects of the introduction of a new cultivar and the associated grafting propagation practices. Our study provided information to develop a strategy for in situ conservation of cultivars and to limit gene flow from introduced material to ancient orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mount Hermon, Lebanon, has a long history of human occupation reflected in the landscape and ecology that makes biocultural perspectives highly relevant for the conservation of this mountain territory. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 126 local informants during 2022–2023 using a Values, Rules and Knowledge (VRK) framework. Our findings illustrate that while instrumental values of this territory (e.g., water sources, tourism, land, and good soils for crop production) were most frequently cited by informants (50.84%), relational values (e.g., social identity, sense of place, and spirituality in human-nature relationships) also scored high (41.88%), with subjective intrinsic values of nature as an end in itself (e.g., the right of nature to exist on its own behalf) least cited (7.28%). At the same time, co-occurrence of formal rules (62.26% of informants’ citations) and informal rules (37.74%) among actors with significant local ecological knowledge (LEK) in resource use, was identified in a 70.27% of the cases. Principal component analysis demonstrated five strong correlations of enabling or conflicting interactions within the VRK framework that merit close consideration for a meaningful participatory conservation strategy of both biodiversity and cultural diversity in a key hotspot. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the socioecological context of the Mt. Hermon ecosystem and to orient decision making for effective management and conservation planning in the region and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present for the first time in Lebanon a comprehensive GMOs testing regime of all forty eight soybean imported feed consignments during a fifteen-month period. First, p35S screening was performed using either conventional or Real-Time PCR and showed that all samples are positive. Moreover, p35S quantification in some samples via Real-Time PCR demonstrated a remarkably high percentage. Subsequently, GTS 40-3-2 soybean identification was conducted on several samples using a validated Real-Time PCR method and showed that all are positive. Finally, GTS 40-3-2 quantification via the same method showed that the samples contain a surprisingly high percentage, consistent with p35S quantification. Our study provides for the first time in Lebanon a complete GMOs analysis of imported soybean feed consignments encompassing screening, identification and quantification according to ISO 17025:2005 standard. Our results demonstrate that GM feed is imported to Lebanon which signifies the importance of developing and implementing Lebanese regulatory measures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study which examined the genetic diversity of Lebanese barley landraces or Hordeum vulgare L. subsp. using biochemical markers as hordeins. Topics covered include analysis of hordein banding patterns, polymorphisms of hordein bands, and genetic similarities and cluster analysis of Lebanese barley landraces.

Snake melon (Cucumis melo subsp. melo L. var. flexuosus (L.) Naudin) is an ancient and traditional crop in the Mediterranean region. Nevertheless, there has been poor interest in assessing snake melon germplasm where its genetic resources have not been surveyed before despite their potential in adaptation to environmental changes. In this study, we assess the genetic diversity of snake melon landraces collected from different Lebanese regions at both morphological and molecular levels. Morphological characterization using a set of 18 descriptors revealed an important phenotypic variability among the landraces studied. Principle component analysis indicated that fruit hair and its consistency, fruit size, and skin color pattern were good criteria for discriminating among landraces. Based on the scatter plot diagram, landraces of snake melon formed five different groups with one being defined as typical var. flexuosus. Ten simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used for the molecular characterization. Fifty-six different alleles were detected, with an average of 5.6 alleles per locus. Polymorphism information content of SSR markers ranged from 0.06 to 0.84 (average 0.38). Cluster analysis based on molecular markers showed high genetic diversity and divided the landraces into five distinct genetic groups, confirming thereby the morphological variability. Findings of this study indicate a significant diversity for the Lebanese snake melon germplasm that must be further conserved and considered in improvement programs of this ancient crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]