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Aromatic and medicinal plants in ecosystems are subject to various climatic disturbances that impact their morphological and physiological processes. Although plants have mechanisms to adapt to their climatic conditions, such as periods of drought and lack of precipitation, their metabolism is still affected. This study aimed to predict and evaluate the behavior of Salvia officinalis under climatic disturbances. Over a period of 4 years in a controlled environment, three treatments were applied to the plant: Treatment 1 with normal monthly average temperature and precipitation in the first year; Treatment 2 with a temperature increase of 5°C and a 50% reduction in water supply in the second year; and Treatment 3 with a temperature increase of 10°C and a 75% reduction in water supply in the fourth year. The results show that the percentage of primary metabolites, including nutritional values, changed with increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation. Treatment 1 had 7.13% protein, 6.21% carbohydrate, 1.35% lipid, and 4% dietary fiber, while Treatment 2 had 7.05% protein, 5.12% carbohydrate, 1.01% lipid, and 3.01% dietary fiber, and Treatment 3 had 6.86% protein, 3.02% carbohydrate, 0.52% lipid, and 2.34% dietary fiber. The mineral composition of the plant also changed with each treatment, with Mg decreasing from 10.02 to 8.55 to 0.05%, Fe decreasing from 8.18 to 8 to 7.62%, K decreasing from 5.55 to 5.05 to 4.02%, Mn decreasing from 5.54 to 5.11 to 3.48%, Ca decreasing from 4.65 to 2.75 to 1.23%, and P decreasing from 3.37 to 3.05 to 2.25%. Regarding secondary metabolites, the percentage of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, coumarins, tannins, and essential oil yield changed as well. Treatment 2 showed an increase in secondary metabolites, while Treatment 3 showed a decrease. Alkaloids increased from 9.56 to 13.68 to 11.3%, flavonoids increased from 7.53 to 13.48 to 10.49%, saponins increased from 5.23 to 7.44 to 6%, coumarins increased from 3.35 to 4.85 to 3.99%, tannins increased from 2.26 to 3.22 to 2.62%, and essential oil yield increased from 0.53 to 0.80 to 0.62%. Gas chromatography analysis revealed that the major compounds of the essential oils of Salvia officinalis, such as α-thujone, manool, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, viridiflorol, 1,8-cineol, and camphor, were also modified by temperature and water stress.

Forestry residues (FR) and medicinal-aromatic plant waste (MAPW) are considered potential resources for energy recovery. In this context, we explore the bioethanol production potential of three microbial strains Aspergillus niger, Zymomonas mobilis, and Trichoderma longibrachiatum using this lignocellulosic hydrolysate as a substrate. The blend of FR and MAPW was pretreated by different methods like acid sulfuric (AS), steam explosion (SE), and enzymatic (E). The ethanol yield was measured by gas chromatography (GC). Zymomonas mobilis demonstrated the highest ethanol yield of 5.95% on untreated substrate. Conversely, Aspergillus niger exhibited peak performance with an ethanol yield of 10.78% following AS, SE and E combined pretreatment. Trichoderma longibrachiatum, yielded ethanol ranging from 1.27% to 2.47%. Furthermore, the use of immobilized d' Aspergillus niger strains revealed a small decrease in ethanol yield from 11.34% in the first cycle to only 5.02% in the sixth cycle. In conclusion, Aspergillus niger emerges as a promising candidate due to its dual functionality in pretreatment and ethanol fermentation, offering pathways for advancing sustainable biofuel technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Callosobruchus maculatus (Fab.) (C. maculatus) is one of the major pests of legume seeds in storage causing significant damage, leading to food insecurity and low income for farmers. This work was planned to develop eco-friendly agents from essential oils of Artemisia herba alba Asso. (AEO), Maticaria Recutita L. (MEO), and Dittrichia Viscosa L. (DEO) to control C. maculatus. To achieve this goal, essential oils (EOs) were extracted by hydro-distillation using Clevenger apparatus before being characterized by GC-MS. EOs were used for testing purposes using three different tests, namely, inhalation toxicity, contact toxicity, and repellency tests. GC-MS analysis of EOs showed the presence of 16 potentially active compounds in AEO and 38 in MEO, whilst 15 compounds were identified in DEO. AEO was higher in thujone (57.6%) and chrysanthenone (11.8%). Santolina alcohol (40.7%) and germacrene D (8.9%) were the major compounds identified in MEO, whereas isocostic acid (72.3%) was the chief compound of DEO. The obtained findings showed that the studied EOs showed considerable insecticidal activity against C. maculatus with a lethal dose (LC50) of 3.78, 8.86, and 14.34 μL/1 liter of air by AEO, MEO, and DEO, respectively. At 1 μL/1 liter of air, the oviposition reduction rate was 90.02%, 70.65%, and 48.23% by AEO, MEO, and DEO, respectively, whereas the emergence reduction rate was 87.32%, 60.08%, and 32.24% by AEO, MEO, and DEO, respectively. With increasing doses up to 20 μL/L, the reduction of individual emergence reached 98.8% by AEO of 24 h after treatment. AEO, MEO, and DEO showed significant repellent effects against adults of C. maculatus with repulsion percentages of 60.83%, 50.83%, and 72.5%, respectively. The outcome of this work suggests that the essential oils of the studied plants, particularly Artemisia herba alba Asso. oils, can constitute a natural and environmentally friendly alternative to develop new bioinsecticides for the control of C. maculatus.

Climate change poses a threat to plant and animal biodiversity. It induces physiological and morphological changes in plants. This study aimed to assess the effect of climate change on the phytochemical constituents, essential oil yield and chemical composition of Inula viscosa leaves. Three samples of I. viscosa from the Taounate region of Morocco were cultivated in a closed chamber for three years under different climatic conditions: sample 1 (I. viscosa cultivated in the first year under normal temperature and precipitation conditions of Taounate region), sample 2 (I. viscosa cultivated in the second year, at 5°C increase in temperature and 50% decrease in precipitation), and sample 3 (I. viscosa cultivated in the third year, at 10°C increase in temperature and 75% decrease in precipitation). Phytochemical and mineral analyses of the three samples were done according to standard procedures. Essential oils were extracted from the leaves of the three samples by hydro-distillation using the Clavenger apparatus. Chemical composition of the essential oils was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. Phytochemical screening showed that moderately intensified climatic conditions (sample 2) led to an increase in phytochemical content, mineral composition, and essential oil yield of Inula viscosa leaves. However, at adverse climatic conditions (sample 3), the phytochemical content, mineral composition, and essential oil yield of Inula viscosa leaves decreased significantly. GC-MS analysis revealed that changes in climatic condition affected the content of major compounds in the essential oil of I. viscosa leaves. Therefore, climate change can significantly impact the chemical composition of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thymus vulgaris L. (family Lamiaceae) is an aromatic medicinal plant well-known for its essential oil and therapeutic values. It thrives across Europe, Western Asia, the Mediterranean, and Northwestern Africa. This study aims to investigate the effect of climate change on the chemical composition, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities of Thymus vulgaris essential oil. Essential oils were extracted from three distinct Thymus vulgaris samples (S1 - S3) cultivated under different climatic conditions. S1 was cultivated under normal seasonal condition; S2 and S3 were cultivated under controlled conditions; 5°C temperature increase and 50% precipitation (S2), 10°C temperature increase and 75% precipitation (S3). Chemical constituents of the essential oils were identified using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity was assessed using the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging, and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays. The antidiabetic activity was assessed via the a-glucosidase and a-amylase inhibitory activities. GC-MS analysis identified 23 compounds with varying proportions in the three essential oil samples. The findings showed that S1 had the most potent antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 461.83±10.49 µg/mL and 1508.83±7.22 µg/mL in the DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively, while S3 exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in the FRAP assay, with IC50 value of 244.64±1.34 µg/mL. For the antidiabetic activity, S1 showed the highest a-amylase inhibitory activity, while S2 exhibited the highest a-glucosidase inhibitory effect. This study sheds light on Thymus vulgaris' adaptability and therapeutic potential under changing climatic conditions. These findings underscore the importance of understanding these dynamics for future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest area of the region of Taounate has experienced significant pressure from the combined effects of climate change and anthropization, leading to a strong regression of the cover plant. This study was aimed at evaluating the changes in the Taounate forest region landscape between 1975 and 2019 to create awareness in the public about the impact human activities have on the environment and to engage them in its preservation through the integration of residents' knowledge with that of the provincial office in charge of water and forests. The study was conducted in the province of Taounate, which is located in the pre-Rifa and Rifa regions in the north of the Kingdom. The forest estate covers an area of 40,690.96 ha (7%) of the provincial area. Information related to vegetation cover was obtained from the Provincial Directorate of Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification. Data on climate change were acquired through a questionnaire. The quantification of the degradation of the forest surface under the combined effects of climate change and anthropization was evaluated with remote sensing, coupled with Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. The results obtained show that the forest landscape has experienced a strong regression, mainly due to invasive species (cannabis) and environmental changes. The largest successive area of cut vegetation cover is that of 2015, 2014, 2013, 2017, 2018, and finally 2016. The findings of this study indicate that urgent intervention of all social actors is required to save the local ecosystems of this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]