Moroccan Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Analysis of genetic diversity of the critically endangered Onobrychis conferta subsp. conferta using cross-genera transferability of SSR markers developed from related legume species

2024-05-20T00:23:08+02:00

The use of transferable cross-species/genera SSR markers is an alternative strategy to ensure availability of markers in genomic resources-limited crops, such as critically endangered species. Eighteen microsatellite markers derived from the genomes of Medicago truncatula Gaertn., Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. were tested for transferability and used to study the genetic diversity of the three remaining populations of the critically endangered species Onobrychis conferta subsp. conferta, collected from their natural habitats. All pairs of primers tested were found to be polymorphic and reproducible. A total of 257 alleles were obtained from 134 loci, resulting in an average of 1.93 alleles per locus. The average number of alleles per accession was 51.4, yielding an average of 14.27 alleles per SSR marker and accession. The lowest number of alleles was recorded in O. conferta from Aïn Dyssa, with 37 alleles, while the highest was observed in O. viciifolia, with 63 alleles. Each SSR amplified 3-16 alleles. The MTIC343 primer yielded the highest number of loci (16 loci). The mean Polymorphism Information Content (PIC), Marker Index (MI), and Resolving Power (Rp) were 0.36, 2.22, and 4.58, respectively, indicating a high level of polymorphism in the studied SSR markers. UPGMA cluster analysis grouped genotypes into two main clusters in corroboration with the morphological distinction of sections. Our study demonstrated that O. conferta subsp. conferta genomes could be successfully examined using other legume SSR markers, providing a valuable tool to detect polymorphism for future genetic studies, breeding programs, and conservation strategies, addressing the lack of available SSR markers in this genus. These microsatellite loci may help to further survey the adaptive evolution and genetic variation of Onobrychis conferta conservation.

Ultra-sonication treatment for saline groundwater: A new innovative approach for preventing emitter clogging in surface drip irrigation systems

2024-06-09T16:29:10+02:00

Clogging is a serious problem in drip irrigation, especially when using saline groundwater; this may cause uneven water distribution. However, efficient and environmentally friendly methods are rarely available for mitigating clogging. In the present study, an innovative and environmentally friendly technology using ultrasonic waves within radio frequency without the use of chemicals to treat emitter clogging, is evaluated. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the chronological changes in the emitter flow rate and the effect of ultrasonic (US) water treatments on solving the problem of emitter clogging in the field. The performance of the drip irrigation system is tested by measuring emitter discharge and estimating the average emitter discharge (qav), the manufacturer coefficient of variation (CVm), the distribution uniformity of the lowest quarter (DUlq), the application efficiency (AE) and the Christiansen uniformity coefficient (CUC). The results showed that the qav for the emitters improved from 3.37 l/h before treatment to 4.1 l/h after 180 h of US irrigation water treatment. The DUlq and the AE of the drip irrigation system were respectively 76.7% and 69.1% before treatment, due to the presence of salts in the groundwater, which caused emitter clogging. After 180 hours of US water treatment, DUlq and AE improved to respectively 90.3% and 81.3%. This improvement led to saving about 15% of the daily irrigation water. This study showed that ultrasonic water treatment is highly effective as chemical-free treatment method with great potential for preventing emitters clogging in drip irrigation systems, and could be further promoted in drip irrigation with saline groundwater.

Keywords: Clogging, drip, irrigation, emitter, saline groundwater, ultrasonic

Carbon footprint of agro-industrial chains: A meta-analysis

2024-06-15T23:15:04+02:00

The carbon footprint is one of the most important tools for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions and guiding decarbonization strategies and actions at any scale. This work consists of a literature synthesis based on meta-analysis to understand the logic of the carbon footprint of agri-food products. The literature search was carried out from 2009 to 2023 and after an initial search and review, a total of 154 articles were found. Most of this work was carried out in Europe, accounting for 42%. In terms of agricultural products, milk was the most studied animal product. For crop-based products, vegetable oils and vegetable crops were the main crops subject to carbon footprint calculations. From a methodological point of view, the life cycle assessment is the most widely used approach, especially for products of animal origin. For these products, it was found that the off-farm average (0.69 ± 0.79 Kg CO₂ eq/FU) is significantly lower than the on-farm average (3.02 ± 3.18 Kg CO₂ eq/FU). On the other hand, correlation analysis could not establish a relationship between production factors and carbon footprint. For plant products, the industrial part generates a more important footprint (65.2 Kg CO₂eq/FU ± 70.9) than the agricultural part (20.0 Kg CO₂eq/FU ± 18.8). In the agricultural part, nitrogen and phosphate fertilization contribute significantly to the carbon footprint (r=0.36 and 0.55 respectively). For the industrial part, electricity contributes to the carbon footprint with a significant correlation of 0.52.

Keywords: Carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonization strategies, agri-food products, meta-analysis

The Effect of in-ovo injection of anthocyanin on post-hatching traits of Ross 308 broiler chicks

2024-06-26T19:24:37+02:00

This study investigated the effect of injecting hatching eggs with different anthocyanin concentrations on the morphological and physiological characteristics of one-day hatching chicks at two different times (days 12 and 18) of the incubation period. This study was conducted at Al-Anwar hatchery facility from 11-11-2023 to 2-12-2023. A total of 900 fertilized eggs were used for this study, divided into two groups (450 eggs each), and each group had six treatments with three replicates and 25 eggs for each replicate. The treatments were (NC) negative control, (PC) positive control (NaCl solution), and 50, 60, 70, and 80 ppm of Anthocyanin for T3, T4, T5, and T6, respectively. Results showed that hatching and embryonic mortality percentages were significantly affected in both injected dates in addition to the hatched chick weight in the second period. The percentage of dead piped chicks was significantly low on the 50-ppm anthocyanin level compared to other treatments on day 18 while no significant effect was found on day 12 of the incubation period. The highest recorded chick length was at the level of 50 ppm anthocyanin compared to the control on day 18, while on day 12, the 60 ppm anthocyanin level significantly showed the highest wing length value compared to the control. Both leg length and tonic immobility were significantly affected in both periods, especially when the anthocyanin treatments significantly increased leg length and decreased tonic immobility compared to the control treatments of the second incubation period. Significant differences were obtained between treatments on the appearance and feather condition, leg, and navel status at day 12, while at day 18, only chick activity and appearance and feather condition significantly appeared different effects between treatments.

Keywords: Anthocyanin, hatching chicks, morphological traits, in-ovo feeding

Evaluation of flood risk in an arid region of southern Tunisia: Coupling hydrological and hydraulic modeling

2024-06-16T21:30:18+02:00

Flash floods are today more intense and more frequent due to climate change, especially in arid regions. This issue particularly threatens the Tataouine province, an arid area located in southern Tunisia, where sudden heavy flood events recorded during the last three decades have caused serious material damage and human life losses. The aim of this study is to assess flood risk in the Wadi Tataouine watershed by integrating a hydrological model, a hydraulic model and watershed physical characteristics. To proceed, a rainfall frequency analysis was performed using the Hyfran-Plus software to determine maximum daily rainfall versus return periods. The results of this analysis were afterwards used for hydrological modeling by the Watershed Modeling System (WMS) to develop a flood hydrograph. The latter served as a boundary condition for the two-dimensional hydraulic model HEC-RAS 2D. A flood hazards map was developed based on the obtained flood hydrograph and land cover manning coefficients that were used to determine inundation depth and water velocity distribution at the flooded area. The water depth map shows that the depth reached 4 m and the velocity values ranged up to 3.5 m/s. A flood vulnerability map was established using the physical characteristics of the Wadi Tataouine watershed. A flood risk map was developed by associating the flood hazards with the vulnerability map of the study area. The results of the applied integrated hydrological and hydraulic modeling approach suggest that urban areas, basically the Tataouine city, present the highest risk of flooding. This can be mainly explained by the increase of impermeability and the higher exposure of people, properties and infrastructure in these zones. Therefore, the flood risk map proposed in the present study can help decision makers identify the most threatened zones in the Tataouine region and develop targeted prevention measures and effective mitigation strategies for flood risk management.

Keywords: Flood risk mapping, hydrological model, hydraulic model, climate change, arid region