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Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effect of storage time and temperature on the bioactive and sanitary quality of cherry syrup made from the “Burlat” cultivar cherries. The syrup was pasteurized at 70 °C for 2 min and stored at four temperatures (− 20, 4, 28, and 40 °C) for six months. The total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), total anthocyanin (TAC), and antioxidant activity (AA) of the syrup were monitored throughout the storage period. Results showed that there was no statistically significant loss of TPC, TFC, TAC, and AA up to 60 days of storage at − 20 °C and 4 °C (p

ABSTRACTThis research focuses on understanding the spatial variation of Soil Organic Matter (SOM) and pH levels in the North of Morocco. The study employs a comprehensive approach to enhance predictive modelling, incorporating the Boruta algorithm for effective environmental covariates selection and optimizing model parameters through hyperparameter optimization. Utilizing a Random Forest (RF) model with remote sensing indices and topographic features, the research predicts SOM and pH to identify key contributors to their spatial variability. SOM prediction saw significant success, with a notable correlation to remote sensing indices such as the RVI, NDVI, and TNDVI. These indices, indicative of vegetation health and productivity, emerged as primary influencers of SOM. In comparison, the influence of topographic features like elevation, slope, and aspect was found to be less significant. Conversely, predicting pH was challenging due to the minimal spatial variability within the dataset. Addressing this limitation could involve dataset expansion or alternative models for low-correlated data handling. Despite the RF model’s limited efficacy in pH prediction, an observable correlation between SOM and pH was identified, consistent with prior research. Areas with higher SOM exhibited lower pH values, indicating relative soil acidification from organic matter decomposition. The study’s RF model demonstrated potential in SOM prediction using remote sensing indices, but enhancing pH prediction is essential. Future research may explore dataset expansion, diverse sampling, or testing alternative predictive models for better performance with low-correlated datasets. The study offers valuable insights for advanced predictive model development and enriches understanding of soil management practices.

IntroductionFicus carica L. seeds are a substantial source of minor oil with high unsaturation levels and potent antioxidant properties. The study aims to evaluate the mineral composition, lipodomic profile, and vibrational fingerprints of 22 fig genotypes utilizing FTIR-ATR techniques and chemometrics.MethodsFTIR-ATR spectroscopy and chemometric techniques were employed to examine the phenotypic diversity of fig seeds. The investigation was performed in detail. The research analyzed twenty-two fig genotypes to assess their nutritional properties, genetic relationships, and potential applications.ResultsThe results demonstrate substantial nutritional benefits related to fig seeds, which could serve as genetic resources for selection programs for extracting vegetable oil and functional ingredients. Additionally, a detailed lipodomic profile analysis led to the categorization of the genotypes into four unique clusters. The study uncovered new insights regarding the nutritional composition of the samples, while also highlighting significant similarities and differences. The findings showcased the phenotypic diversity within the studied fig germplasm, which is likely attributed to underlying genetic factors. These accessions offer a valuable gene pool for future breeding programs and diverse applications involving fig seeds.DiscussionThis work contributes to the selection of potential genotypes for scientific and industrial purposes. Furthermore, the application of FTIR and chemometrics revealed a noteworthy diversity of patterns, emphasizing the previously underestimated significance of this aspect in evaluating the chemodiversity of the species.

This study aims to identify the individual phenolics and volatile compounds, as well as the organic acids of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) genotype fruits. The antioxidant activities were also assessed using three methods (DPPH, ABTS and βeta carotene bleaching assays) significant differences (p˂0.05) were observed among all the genotypes. Total phenols varied from 25.37 to 39.06 mg GAE/g dried weight (DW), total flavonoids ranged between 3.30 and 7.07 mg RE/g DW, and anthocyanins varied from 0.15 to 0.64 mg cya-3-glu/100 g DW. Moreover, the antioxidant activities were in the range of 3.33–21.08, 2.25–19.58, and 1.08–13 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g DW for DPPH, ABTS and βeta carotene bleaching assays, respectively. Seventeen phenolics compounds were identified by HPLC in A. unedo fruits. Gallocatechol and catechin were the most abundant compounds. Among the volatile compounds identified, hexadecanoic acid was the most abundant in all the genotype fruits. The principal component analysis revealed that the first two components formed 66.47% of the total inertia.

This study was performed to examine the separate and simultaneous influence of predictive models’ choice alongside sample ratios selection in soil organic matter (SOM). The research was carried out in northern Morocco, characterized by relatively cold weather and diverse geological conditions. The dataset herein used accounted for 1591 soil samples, which were randomly split into the following ratios: 10% (∼150 sample ratio), 20% (∼250 sample ratio), 35% (∼450 sample ratio), 50% (∼600 sample ratio) and 95% (∼1200 sample ratio). Models herein involved were ordinary kriging (OK), regression kriging (RK), multiple linear regression (MLR), random forest (RF), quantile regression forest (QRF), Gaussian process regression (GPR) and an ensemble model. The findings in the study showed that the accuracy of SOM prediction is sensitive to both predictive models and sample ratios. OK combined with 95% sample ratio performed equally to RF in conjunction with all the sample ratios, as the latter did not show much sensitivity to sample ratios. ANOVA results revealed that RF with a ∼10% sample ratio could also be optimum for predicting SOM in the study area. In conclusion, the findings herein reported could be instrumental for producing cost-effective detailed and accurate spatial estimation of SOM in other sites. Furthermore, they could serve as a baseline study for future research in the region or elsewhere. Therefore, we recommend conducting series of simulation of all possible combinations between various predictive models and sample ratios as a preliminary step in soil organic matter prediction.

Pomegranate trees are known for their ability to withstand drought conditions, but there is still much to learn about how water stress affects the lipobiochemical behavior of their seeds. This study aimed to investigate how sustained deficit irrigation (SDI-50), equivalent to 50% of crop evapotranspiration, influences pomegranate seed oil attributes such as phenols, flavonoids, and tannins content, and the seeds’ lipochemical fingerprints compared to fully irrigated trees. At the full ripening stage, pomegranate seeds were analyzed for their oil content, biochemical traits, and vibrational fingerprints using infrared radiation. The results indicated that there was a significant genotypic effect coupled with applied water stress on all the investigated traits. Interestingly, an increasing trend in seed oil yield was observed under water stress conditions compared to the control, with the highest oil yield increase observed in the ‘Zheri Precoce’ fruit seeds. Only two cultivars did not show the same pattern, with the oil yield increase ranging from 8% to 100%. Furthermore, SDI-50 induced a substantial increase in total phenolic content, coupled with a significant genotypic effect, and resulted in an average increase of 7.5%. This increase in total phenolics also correlated with an increase in antioxidant activity across all investigated cultivars. ATR-FTIR fingerprinting revealed eleven spectral fingerprints corresponding to functional groups present in pomegranate seeds oil, with a particular pattern of significant effects of both genotypic and SDI-50 factors. These results suggest that exploiting water scarcity conditions could be a viable approach to improve the quantitative and qualitative attributes of pomegranate seed oil. While there are still several aspects to be investigated further, this study provides a basis for pomegranate processing under water shortage conditions.

Abstract Background Mapping of soil nutrients using different covariates was carried out in northern Morocco. This study was undertaken in response to the region's urgent requirement for an updated soil map. It aimed to test various covariates combinations for predicting the variability in soil properties using ordinary kriging and kriging with external drift. Methods A total of 1819 soil samples were collected at a depth of 0–40 cm using the 1-km grid sampling method. Samples were screened for their pH, soil organic matter (SOM), potassium (K2O), and phosphorus (P2O5) using standard laboratory protocols. Terrain attributes (T) computed using a 30-m resolution digital elevation model, bioclimatic data (C), and vegetation indices (V) were used as covariates in the study. Each targeted soil property was modeled using covariates separately and then combined (e.g., pH ~ T, pH ~ C, pH ~ V, and pH ~ T + C + V). k = tenfold cross-validation was applied to examine the performance of each employed model. The statistical parameter RMSE was used to determine the accuracy of different models. Results The pH of the area is slightly above the neutral level with a corresponding 7.82% of SOM, 290.34 ppm of K2O, and 100.86 ppm of P2O5. This was used for all the selected targeted soil properties. As a result, the studied soil properties showed a linear relationship with the selected covariates. pH, SOM, and K2O presented a moderate spatial autocorrelation, while P2O5 revealed a strong autocorrelation. The cross-validation result revealed that soil pH (RMSE = 0.281) and SOM (RMSE = 9.505%) were best predicted by climatic variables. P2O5 (RMSE = 106.511 ppm) produced the best maps with climate, while K2O (RMSE = 209.764 ppm) yielded the best map with terrain attributes. Conclusions The findings suggest that a combination of too many environmental covariates might not provide the actual variability of a targeted soil property. This demonstrates that specific covariates with close relationships with certain soil properties might perform better than the compilation of different environmental covariates, introducing errors due to randomness. In brief, the approach of the present study is new and can be inspiring to decision-makers in the region and other world areas as well.

Abstract First convectional thin layer drying of two fig (Ficus carica L.) varieties growing in Moroccan, using partially indirect convective dryer, was performed. The experimental design combined three air temperatures levels (60, 70 and 80 °C) and two air-flow rates (150 and 300 m3/h). Fig drying curve was defined as a third-order polynomial equation linking the sample moisture content to the effective moisture diffusivity. The average activation energy was ranged between 4699.41 and 7502.37 kJ/kg. It raised proportionally with the air flow velocity, and the same pattern were observed for effective moisture diffusivity regarding drying time and velocity. High levels of temperature (80 °C) and velocity (300 m3/h) lead to shorten drying time (200 min) and improve the slices physical quality. Among the nine tested models, Modified Handerson and Pabis exhibited the highest correlation coefficient value with the lowest chi-square for both varieties, and then give the best prediction performance. Energetic investigation of the dryer prototype showed that the total use of energy alongside with the specific energy utilization (13.12 and 44.55 MWh/kg) were inversely proportional to the velocity and drying temperature. Likewise, the energy efficiency was greater (3.98%) higher in drying conditions.

Irradiation is one of the promising food preservation techniques, but few are known about its impact on foods' water vapor change. In this research, the impact of gamma irradiation on moisture adsorption isotherms of dried figs, one of the most emblematic foods of the Mediterranean diet, at increasing doses (0, 1, 1.5, and 2 kGy) was investigated. The isotherms data of equilibrium points displayed a sigmoid-shaped curve of the type II pattern for both controlled and irradiated dried figs, with a notable effect of irradiation on equilibrium moisture content, which revealed a decreasing pattern as irradiation dose and temperature increase. This effect was also seen in data fitting, where GAB model showed the best prediction statistics for control samples, while Peleg model displayed the most suitable samples irradiated at 1 and 1.5 kGy, then the Enderby model for those treated with 2 kGy. Results of Net isosteric heat of adsorption suggested that high irradiation dose increases the spontaneity of moisture adsorption. Hence, gamma irradiation exhibited a significant effect on the water-specific surface area of which the magnitude was proportional to the increasingly applied doses. This effect was also visibly significant on the optimum water activity [aw (op)] for proper dried fig storage. Indeed, aw was about 0.4243 for control samples, which is much higher compared to irradiated ones (aw = 0.2). Information from this research suggests that gamma irradiation at a dose up to 2 kGy extended the dried figs' shelf life. Since many aspects related to the impact of gamma irradiation on the moisture adsorption isotherms and thermodynamic properties of dried figs as well as in other foods have yet to be further investigated, this study provides interesting results that may be a useful reference for future research direction.

The objective of this study was to identify, quantify, and elucidate the polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, and their antioxidant activities (via 13 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) (DPPH) radical and 2,2ʹ-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation scavenging abilities and bleaching β-carotene tested in vitro in the whole fruit, fruit skin of strawberry tree fruits of 5 genotypes and to find out the most valuable fruit for disease preventing diets. Total phenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins, antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS and β-carotene bleaching assay), pH, titrable acidity, soluble solids, and organic acids were investigated in five strawberry tree genotypes belonging to several areas in Morocco. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of individual phenolic compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were also carried out. Significant differences (p˂0.05) were observed across the five genotypes in total phenols (25.37–39.06 mg GAE/g DW), total flavonoids (3.30–7.07 mg RE/g DW), total anthocyanins (0.15–0.64 mg cya-3-glu/100 g DW), pH (2.44–3.92), titrable acidity (0.65–1.01 g malic acid/100 g fw), and soluble solids (14.83–18.53%). The antioxidant activity was evaluated by three assays. The values were 3.33–21.08, 2.25–19.58, and 1.08–13 mg AAE/g DW for DPPH scavenging test, ABTS, and β-carotene bleaching, respectively. Gallocatechol and catechin were the most abundant phenolic compounds. Principal component analysis showed that the first three components formed 90.25% of the total inertia. Chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid derivative I, ellagic acid, rutin, and cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside were the most involved variables in the total variance explained.

Pomegranate tree is cultivated since ancient times in Morocco, where a high genetic diversity is hosted mainly in traditional agroecosystems. Over the past decade, it regained importance through extension of cultivated area, but remains thus far little valued. To date, its genetic variability and chemodiversity have gone unheeded for many reasons, some of which are related to previous agricultural strategies. In this context, the present study aimed to screen an ex-situ collection of seven local cultivars and seven exotic varieties with regard to 50 fruit morphometric and biochemical descriptors. The results showed statistically significant variability within accessions (p < 0.01), based on all aforementioned traits, except for seed weight, with coefficients of variation greater than 49%. This indicated a high level of phenotypic diversity among the studied genetic pool. The 3D scatter plot built based on the principal component analysis displayed an interesting discrimination with regard to the genotypes' geographic origins with a total variance of about 50%. According to morphometric based-heatmap, four main clusters were identified distinguishing the typicality of some local cultivars compared to exotic varieties, mainly ‘Sefri’, ‘Bzou’, ‘Chioukhi’ and ‘Djeibi’. Traits having the highest impact on discrimination between accessions were, by order of importance, fruit weight and its dimensions, juice yield, aril yield, single aril diameter, soluble sugars (glucose and fructose) along with contents in some organic acids, including citric, palmitic, linoleic and malic acids. Potential statistically significant correlations were spotted through bi-dimensional heatmap analysis, particularly between the fruit size, shape and peel traits along with some biochemical attributes. As many areas of the species chemodiversity and functional properties are still needed to be investigated further, the results of the present study are of great interest for the species valorization and for breeding programs.

This work investigates response to drought of nine local cultivars alongside two exotic varieties of Japanese plum (Prunus salicina L.) through their yield and fruit quality components. It was carried out at Sais plain, northern Morocco, over two consecutive years (2019–2020). Water stress was imposed by a deficit irrigation (DI) treatment of 50% ETc during the whole fruit growth period, compared to full irrigation of 100% ETc (CI). At their full ripening stage, the cultivars were assessed for their yield, fruit weight and fruit quality attributes, namely total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), maturity index (MI), soluble sugars content (SSC), amino acids content (AAC), total phenolic compounds (TPC) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Results displayed significant decrease in yield and fruit weight since the first year of DI application. Owing to calculated stability indexes of the aforementioned traits along with water use efficiency, the local cultivar ‘Fortu-43’ was the most insensitive to drought, whereas ‘Timhdit’ and ‘Black-D35’ showed the lowest drought tolerability. The effects of water stress on fruit chemical and biochemical traits varied significantly among cultivars, exhibiting an overall significant improvement in fruit quality. Two-dimensional clustered heatmap analysis subdivided the cultivars into two distinct clusters, mainly discriminated based on stability indexes of SSC, MI, TPC and TAC. Among the latter, SSC stability index was probably the most significant drought tolerance marker for Japanese plum.

Mid-infrared spectroscopy using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) correction was coupled with partial least square regression (PLSR) for the prediction of phenolic acids and flavonoids in fig (peel and pulp) identified with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), with regards to their partitioning between peel and pulp. HPLC-DAD was used to quantify the phenolic compounds (PCs). The FTIR spectra were collected between 4,000 and 450 cm–1 and the data in the wavenumber range of 1.175–940 cm–1, where the deformations of O-H, C-O, C-H, and C=C corresponded to flavanol and phenols, were used for the establishment of PLSR models. Nine PLSR models were constructed for peel samples, while six were built for pulp extracts. The results showed a high-throughput accuracy of such an approach to predict the PCs in the powder samples. Significant differences were detected between the models built for the two fruit parts. Thus, for both peel and pulp extracts, the coefficient of determination (R2) ranged from 0.92 to 0.99 and between 0.85 and 0.95 for calibration and cross-validation, respectively, along with a root mean square error (RMSE) values in the range of 0.46–0.9 and 0.23–2.05, respectively. Residual predictive deviation (RPD) values were generally satisfactory, where cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside had the higher level (RPD > 2.5). Similar differences were observed based on the distribution revealed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), which showed a remarkable overlapping in the distribution of the samples, which was intense in the pulp extracts. This study suggests the use of FTIR-ATR as a rapid and accurate method for PCs assessment in fresh fig.

Moisture sorption isotherms of five sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L.) at three temperatures of 30°C, 40°C, and 50°C, and water activity range of 0.057–0.898 were determined using the static gravimetric method. The sorption isotherms of all cultivars decreased with increasing temperature, and they all exhibited type II behavior according to the classification of IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry). The isosteric heat of sorption, differential entropy, spreading pressure, and water surface area were determined, and the energy associated with the sorption processes was defined. The curves were fitted to GAB, PELEG, and ENDERBY models, and the GAB model gave the best fit for the whole set of data. The enthalpy–entropy compensation proved that the process occurs spontaneously and is fully controlled the enthalpy. The spreading pressure value varied with temperature in all sweet cherry cultivars in both the desorption and adsorption processes. The average surface area varied from 78.05 to 214.02 m2/g for desorption and from 49.0 to 204.4 m2/g for adsorption from 30 to 50°C.

This research investigates whether pollination and pollen sources separately and simultaneously influence fig seed set and quality, as being thus far the less studied part of the fig trees. This is the first research that tries to answer and verify the above hypothesis through a combined approach of vibrational spectroscopy along with lipo-biochemical and ionomic fingerprinting. Results showed that pollination and pollen source significantly impacted seed set as it was higher in fertilized seeds than that in the control. A similar pattern was obtained with oil yield, which generally ranged between 25.93 and 32.59%. Caprification also displayed a substantial effect on seeds' phenolic components, which was more driven by pollen carbohydrates, involved in the phenolic biosynthesis in the endosperm and embryo tissues. This biosynthesis is also activated by minerals, which are cofactors for large varieties of enzymes that are involved in the phenolic synthesis pathways. Ca and Zn did not follow this pattern and have recorded high levels in figs fertilized by the pollen of OZ and FD4 caprifigs pollen, respectively. Vibrational spectroscopy using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with total attenuated reflectance (ATR) also showed a similar pattern to the seed sets and their lipo-biochemical attributes. Thus, the fertilized seeds displayed high vibrational intensity compared to the control in all fingerprint regions. Peaks at 2928 and 1747 cm−1 had a higher intensity and were attributed to lipids CH2 and CH3 stretching vibration and C=O of the carbonyl groups belonging to the triacylglycerols, respectively. Principal component analysis showed high throughput classification with quite similar patterns for both FTIR-ATR fingerprinting and ionomic and biochemical analysis. As many areas of how caprification impacts other seed aspects still need to be investigated further, this research suggests the importance of caprification in seed valorization for oil extraction and as a functional ingredient.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is the world’s second-largest oilseed crop after soybean. It contains functional compounds, including fatty acids and phenols, which are known for their health and nutritional benefits. In Morocco, rapeseed was introduced as a promising oilseed crop that has shown good adaptation and great potential. Six genotypes were registered and released as the most high-performance Moroccan varieties in terms of both seed yield and oil content. Apart from their ‘00′ quality, i.e., oil without erucic acid and meal with very low glucosinolate content, there is no information on other important quality traits. Therefore, this research aimed to characterize the lipochemical and phenolic attributes of those varieties, namely Baraka, Narjisse, Moufida, Lila, Alia, and Adila, grown at two contrasting sites (Allal Tazi and Douyet) so as to assess the environmental impact on oil quality. A set of 14 parameters were analyzed, comprising seed yield, oil content (Oil C), protein content (PC), acidity index (IA), peroxide index (IP), refractive index (IR), iodine value (IO), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids, total carotenoid contents, free-radical scavenging activity (FRSA), half-maximal inhibitory concentration, fatty acid composition, and omega 6/omega 3 ratio. The results displayed significant differences (p < 0.001) between the two sites for all the abovementioned traits, except for IA, with an outperformance of Allal Tazi over Douyet. Additionally, variety and variety by site interaction had a significant effect on all the studied parameters, except for IA, IP, IR, and TPC. Over both environments, the varietal effect generated variations in yield of 10.9 to 17.1 q/ha, Oil C of 36.7 to 39.9%, PC of 21.3 to 25.9%, IO of 94.1 to 100 g I2/100 g, FRSA of 22.7 to 42.9%, and an omega6/omega3 ratio of 1.8 to 2.3%. It is noteworthy that the Moufida and Alia varieties displayed a low-magnitude effect of the environment, as they maintained similar high performance over both sites. They, thus, represent Moroccan genetic material of interest from an agronomic and nutritional perspective. Therefore, they should be promoted and encouraged for cultivation in Morocco, mainly in the Allal Tazi area and similar regions.

Palm date seeds oil of eight varieties were investigated for physical, chemical, and phytochemical analysis, and compared to used commercial oils. Significant differences were observed among varieties. The oil content of the eight varieties ranged from 6.05 to 10.25%. Fatty acid analysis using GC-MS revealed that oleic acids were the dominant component (38.67–44.38%) followed by lauric (21.72–26.66%), myristic (11.26–13.04%); palmitic (9.65–11.38%); linoleic (6.25–8.24%); stearic (3.06–3.32%) while linolenic acid was found in traces. The carotenoids content ranged from 17.57 ± 0.02 to 12.35 ± 0.03 mg/kg oil, total phenolic content ranged from 58.04 ± 0.30 to 181.03 ± 0.75 mg GAE/100 g and flavonoids content values ranged from 22.81 ± 0.08 to 53.41 ± 0.72 mg RE/100 g oil. The antioxidant activities (DPPH and ABTS) varied from 17.28 ± 1.06 to 47.37 ± 1.05 and 3.10 ± 0.28 to 8.83 ± 0.08 mg AAE/100 g, respectively. The phenolic compounds identified in seed oils were hydroxytyrosol (30.36 ± 0.21 to 38.63 ± 0.14 μg/g oil), procatechuic acid (14.47 ± 0.09 to 35.21 ± 0.07 μg/g oil), tyrosol (14.36 ± 0.03 to 21.23 ± 0.12 μg/g oil), gallic acid (7.37 ± 0.04 to 17.68 ± 0.09 μg/g oil), caffeic acid (3.21 ± 0.11 to 7.09 ± 0.12 μg/g oil) and oleuropein (1.37 ± 0.02 to 7.27 ± 0.05 μg/g oil). The total amount of the identified phenolic compounds recorded in Bouslikhan variety (107.32 μg/g oil). The results suggest that palm date seeds oil are strong radical scavengers and can be considered a good source of natural antioxidants for medicinal, functional food, and commercial uses.

Soil aggregate stability (SAS) is a critical parameter of soil quality and its mapping can help determine erosion hotspots. Despite this importance, SAS is less documented in available literature due to limited number of analyzes besides being a time consuming. For this reason, many researchers have turned to alternative methods that often use readily available variables such as soil parameters or remote sensing indices to estimate this variable. In that framework, the aim of the present study focused on the investigation of the feasibile use of adapted Leo Breiman’s random forest algorithm (RF) to mapping different mean weight diameter (MWD) tests as an index of SAS (mechanical breakdown (MWDmb), slow wetting (MWDsw), fast wetting (MWDfw) and the mean of the three tests (MWDmean)). The model was built with 77 samples distributed in the three watersheds of the study area located at Settat Ben-Ahmed, in Morocco and with the use of several environmental variables such as soil parameters (organic matter and clay), remote sensing indices (band 2, band 3, band 4, band 5, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and transformed normalized difference vegetation index (TNDVI)), topography (elevation, slope, curvature plane and the topographic wetness index (TWI)) along with additional categorical variables as geological maps, land use and soil classes. The results showed a good level of accuracy for the training phase (75% of samples) for the different tests (R2 > 0.92, RMSE and MAE < 0.15) and were satisfactory for the testing phase (25% of samples, R2 > 0.65, RMSE and MAE < 0.31). Also, organic matter, topography and geology were the most important parameters in the spatial prediction of SAS. Finally, the maps build during this study could be of great use to identify areas of less stable soils in the perspective for taking the necessary measures to improve their quality.

This work investigates the relationships between leaf traits and olive response to water stress through two complementary field experiments in order to screen genotypes for drought tolerance. The first experiment consisted of the phenotyping of 32 olive varieties for 11 leaf morpho-physiological traits during a fruit set phase under well-watered conditions. In the second experiment, the yield and vegetative responses of five representative varieties to the withholding of irrigation during the whole fruit growth period were assessed to identify leaf traits that are associated with olive resilience plasticity and that could be used as drought tolerance markers. The results highlighted large phenotypic variability for leaf area (LA, 2.9–9.5 cm2), petiole elasticity (8.0–36.0°), water loss in detached leaves (WLDL, 3.6–11.6%), stomatal density (222.6–470.1 no mm−2), stomatal length (11.4–18.7 µm), trichome density (120.5–204.4 no mm−2), trichome width (103.6–183.4 µm), leaf contents in cuticular wax (CWC, 44.7–606.2 µg cm−2), and soluble sugars (SSC, 15.8–536.9 mg gdw−1). Among these leaf traits, WLDL displayed a significant correlation with the yield stability index (r = −0.973) and water use efficiency (r = −0.939), suggesting its use as relevant drought tolerance phenotypic marker. Likewise, LA, SSC, and CWC were singled out as second-level drought tolerance markers, being strongly correlated with stability of leaf size and leafing intensity in response to water stress. Cluster analysis highlighted 12 distinct levels of drought tolerance within the studied olive collection. Based on the four identified phenotypic markers, “Lechin de Sevilla” alongside “Picholine Marocaine” were found to be the most drought-tolerant varieties, while Frantoio was the most sensitive. This study provides the first, unprecedented, insights into the usefulness of leaf phenotyping in olive drought tolerance screening, with a focus on structural and functional leaf traits.

This work investigated the effects of sustained deficit irrigation (SDI) on yield components and fruit physico-biochemical proprieties of two pomegranate cultivars, ‘Sefri’ and ‘Wonderful’ 21 trees each, in Sais plain (northern Morocco) over two consecutive seasons (2018–2019). Irrigation treatments consisted of a control, irrigation applied to fully satisfy crop evapotranspiration (100% ETC), and two SDI treatments: 70% ETC (SDI70) and 50% ETC (SDI50). The effects of the SDI treatments differed between cultivars and years. During the first year, yield and fruit weight were significantly reduced in ‘Sefri’ under SDI50. The same effect was also observed in the second year under SDI70. In ‘Wonderful’, a significant decrease in yield occurred in the second year under both SDI regimes. Fruit juice content was reduced in both cultivars, particularly under SDI50, with no significant effect on fruit aril content and aril weight. As for juice chemical properties, it was observed a decrease in total soluble solids, especially under SDI50. Furthermore, a significant decrease in juice soluble sugars content was observed in the first year for both cultivars. Total polyphenols content has significantly diminished in the second year in both cultivars. Likewise, total anthocyanins level displayed the same pattern, particularly in ‘Wonderful’. The findings suggest that SDI decreases yield and fruit quality even under moderate regime of 70% ETC. These negative effects may be dramatic depending on pomegranate genotypes, as observed in ‘Sefri’, compared to Wonderful variety. The great impact on species behavior toward water stress was particularly driven by the irrigation treatment, of which the interaction with the cultivar factor had the higher impact on the model. As many areas of how sustained deficit irrigation impacts pomegranate tree resilience are still needed to be investigated further, this study is a first attempt to explore water management in pomegranate in the Mediterranean semiarid lands.

Figs are a traditional pantry staple for healthy eating in Middle Eastern and North African countries as fig trees grow abundantly in such hot and dry climates. Despite the importance of this species, chemotypic diversity has gone unheeded and therefore its valorization pathways remain poorly documented. For this reason, high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) alongside vibrational spectroscopy were used to investigate the changes of antiradical potency and primary and secondary metabolites in fresh figs with regard to the combined effect of the cultivar factor and the fruit peel chromatic coordinates. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) fingerprinting displayed six major peaks assigned to functional groups of the investigated samples with significant differences in their vibration intensities. Biochemical screening revealed highly significant variability (p < 0.05) among the investigated cultivars. Antioxidant activity was found to be higher in free radical scavenging using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) compared to ferric reducing ability (FRAP). Chemometric investigations of both biochemical and FTIR fingerprinting showed satisfactory resolutions, and the total phenol contents and chromatic coordinates had the highest scores in the dataset. However, the cultivars’ geographical origin seemed not to have a clear impact on the clustering results. The aforementioned analytical procedures were found to be equally important and can be jointly used for high-resolution screening and discrimination of fig trees.

In the present study, chromatic coordinates, phenolic acids, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate (ABTS) and lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity (LPIC) essays and their relative IC50 were investigated in 25 fig cultivars growing in Morocco. The aims of this study were to determine (i) the variation in these compounds among light and dark-colored cultivars, (ii) their partitioning between fruit peel and pulp and (iii) to display network connections among these variables. Twelve phenolic compounds (PCs) were isolated in peel extract versus eight in pulp samples. Anthocyanins, mainly cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, were the predominant compounds in peels, where the mean concentrations were 75.90 ± 18.76 and 77.97 ± 18.95 µg/g dw, respectively. On the other hand, (−)-epicatechin and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside were the major compounds in the pulp extracts, where the mean values were 5.23 ± 4.03 and 9.01 ± 5.67 µg/g dw, respectively. A two-dimensional hierarchically clustered heatmap was applied to the dataset to explore correlations in the dataset and similarities between cultivars, without dimensionality reduction. Results showed that anthocyanins, particularly pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, were the main contributors to the peels’ free radical scavenging capacity. This capacity was particularly higher in the peel of dark-colored figs compared to the fruit pulp. The local cultivar “INRA 1301” showed the most promising phenolic profile due to its very high levels of almost all detected PCs, especially (−)-epicatechin, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidine-3,5-diglucoside, cyanidine-3-O-rutinoside and pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside (54.66, 141.08, 35.48, 494.08, 478.66, 12.56 µg/g dw, respectively). Having the darkest figs in the collection (L* = 25.72, c* = 22.09 and h° = 20.99), this cultivar has also combined promising IC50 values, which were of 19.85, 40.58 and 124.78 µg/mL for DPPH, ABTS and LPIC essays, respectively.

This study aimed to explore the main biochemical components and the antioxidant capacity of five strawberry tree fruits using three antioxidant essays within the ecotypic comparison scheme, to find out the most valuable fruit presenting disease-preventing properties. Total phenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins, antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, and β-Carotene bleaching assays), pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, and moisture content were investigated in five strawberry tree genotypes belonging to several areas in Morocco. Phenolic compounds were also identified using high performance chromatography (HPLC), with a diode array detector (DAD). High significant differences (p ˂ 0.05) were revealed among the examined genotypes regarding their total phenols (25.37–39.06 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g Dry weight (DW), total flavonoids (3.30–7.07 mg RE/g Dry weight (DW), total anthocyanins (0.15–0.64 mg cya-3-glu/100g Dry weight (DW), pH (2.44–3.92), titratable acidity (0.65–1.01 g malic acid/100g Fresh weight (FW), and soluble solids (14.83–18.53%). The average radical scavenging capacity, assessed using three methods, exhibited the following concentration ranges: 3.33–21.08, 2.25–19.58, and 1.08–13 mg Ascorbic Equivalent (AAE/g Dry weight(DW) for the DPPH scavenging test, ABTS, and β-carotene bleaching, respectively. Seventeen phenolic compounds were identified in sampled cultivars. Gallocatechol and catechin were found to be the major phenolic compounds. The correlation matrix revealed significant correlations among investigated variables, particularly ABTS and DPPH. The principal component analysis showed that the first three components formed 90.25% of the total variance. The following variables: chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid derivative, ellagic acid, rutin, and cyanidin−30.5-diglucoside, were the most involved in the total variance. The results revealed highly promising physico-biochemical profiles within the studied strawberry tree genotypes.

There are not many exhaustive works emphasizing the amount of genetic diversity among the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) genotypes in Morocco. This work aims to assess the biochemical composition of strawberry tree fruits, as well as to establish the variation of this composition among them. In this study, total phenols (TP), total flavonoids (TF), condensed tannins (CT) and hydrolyzable tannins (HT), total anthocyanins (TA), and free radical scavenging activity through ABTS were investigated in strawberry tree fruits. Furthermore, qualitative and quantitative analyses of individual phenolic compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were carried out. Color parameters such as lightness (L*), Chroma (c*), and hue angle (h°) were also investigated. All studied variables showed highly significant differences among all samples with the exception of hydrolyzable tannins and chromatic coordinates. TP varied from 22.63 ± 1.74 to 39.06 ± 2.44 mg GAE/g DW, TF varied from 3.30 ± 0.60 to 8.62 ± 1.10 mg RE/g DW, and TA ranged between 0.12 ± 0.06 and 0.66 ± 0.15 mg cya-3-glu/100 g DW. In addition, CT and HT amounts were in the range of 10.41 ± 1.07–16.08 ± 1.50 mg TAE/g DW and 4.08 ± 2.43–6.34 ± 3.47 TAE/g DW, respectively. Moreover, the IC50 value (ABTS) ranged between 1.75 and 19.58 mg AAE/g DW. 17 phenolic compounds were detected in strawberry tree fruits. Gallocatechol and catechin were the most abundant phenolic compounds. Matrix of correlations revealed significant positive and negative correlations among variables particularly c*, a*, and b*. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the first three components formed than 68% of the total inertia. The following variables gallic acid, protocatechuic, gallocatechin, gallic acid derivative, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, ellagic acid derivative II, L*, and h* were the most involved in the total variance explained. Hierarchical clustering classified samples into one main cluster, with a single branch. The results highlight a high biochemical diversity within studied strawberry genotypes, which is probably more genetically related.