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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.

The peach tree is a very water-demanding species that is affected by water stress, which is worsening due to global warming. The soil environment is also influenced by tillage and cropping methods, which affect the water content, temperature, aeration, and organic matter of the soil. Weed control is one of the most crucial cultural practices in arboriculture since weeds can compete with fruit trees for resources. This paper aims to measure the impact of water stress combined with different soil maintenance methods on vegetative growth and peach tree production. Different evapotranspiration conditions (ETc) were used. Two irrigation doses R1 (80% of ETc) and R2 (100% of ETc) were combined with three soil maintenance modes T1 (Sapping), T2 (Sickle tillage), and T3 (Chemical maintenance). The findings highlighted water stress reduces the growth and development of the peach tree but did not have a significant impact on yield when the irrigation dose was reduced by 20%. The sapping and sickle maintenance modes recorded the best results for most of the parameters, while the chemical maintenance mode had a positive effect on the total number of fruits and yield under the 100% of ETc water regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grape diversity present in Morocco and the part of this diversity used nowadays are poorly documented. In order to choose diversified genotypes, to select them so that their agronomic interest will be tested, a group of 21 autochthonous cultivars preserved in the germplasm collections of SODEA and 18 Moroccan cultivars from 'Domaine de Vassal' INRA grape collection was compared to a group of cultivars from neighbouring countries (Algeria and Tunisia), and from a core collection optimizing simple sequence repeat (SSR) allelic diversity of grape. Data from 20 nuclear and 3 chloroplastic SSR markers were obtained for this set of 211 cultivars. A total of 156 alleles (mean of 7.8 alleles per locus) were detected for the nSSRs and 7 alleles for the cpSSR in the Moroccan group. Chlorotype diversity in Moroccan and Algerian group were similar, but slightly lower than in the Tunisian group and the core collection. Similarly, the nSSR diversity was high in the core collection and low in the Moroccan and the Algerian groups compared to the two other groups. Clustering of cultivars based on nSSR data reflected their geographical origin and, to a certain extent, the use of the cultivars. The specificity of the Moroccan plant material was attested by the Bayesian analysis using Structure, while differences of the core collection were clearly revealed both by the Bayesian and a multivariate analysis. These results confirm the differentiation of the material from Maghreb and more specifically of Moroccan material, having evolved independently from Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]