Dans cette contribution nous allons présenter certains aspects de l’histoire de la nomenclature et des usages de la culture de l’orobe (Vicia ervilia L. Willd.). Bien que cette culture soit actuellement considérée comme mineure et utilisée uniquement dans l’alimentation animale, cela n’a pas été toujours le cas. A certaines époques la culture de l’orobe était plus importante et occupait une place importante parmi les légumineuses cultivées. Même si elle était peu appréciée, elle était utilisée dans l’alimentation humaine et faisait partie de la pharmacopée traditionnelle. La marginalisation excessive de la culture et de la consommation de l’orobe est relativement récente. L’intérêt de la conservation de ce type de ressources est discuté à la lumière des recherches sur la durabilité et la résilience des agroécosystèmes face aux changements globaux.

Morocco, with its Mediterranean climate and its various potentialities, conceals an important space for the extension of viticulture, in particular that of traditional grape varieties, which has undergone profound upheavals linked to economic, social and environmental constraints which have had a negative impact on genetic diversity. The present study aimed to evaluate the richness of the local phylogenetic heritage of the traditional vines in the North-West of Morocco. For this, we carried out a characterization of a collection of 1617 leaves, taken from 162 vine plants and belonging to 27 different traditional varieties. Thereafter, we used an ampelometric and ampelographic approach with the Super Ampelo software. The ANOVA test revealed the most discriminating parameters, which were the angles, the depth of the lateral sinuses in relation to the lengths of the ribs, and the relationships between all the parameters. In this sense, the qualitative parameters (OIV Codes) confirmed the presence of morphological diversity within the grape varieties studied; the study of general averages made it possible to specify the varieties with the large values of distance/angles and of ratio, and we have shown the presence of a great intra-varietal diversity in addition to that which is inter-varietal. The analysis in principal components allowed the grouping of the grape varieties into five groups according to their expressions by the quantitative parameters, and it confirmed the hypothesis of the influence of the external environment in addition to the gene pool on the grape varieties. This leads us to provide more efforts to maintain inter- and intra-varietal variability and to fight against genetic erosion and the threat of environmental changes.

Morocco, like other Mediterranean countries, is characterized by a great diversity of indigenous varieties of vines, “Vitis vinifera ssp. vinifera”, due to the climate and the heterogeneity of the landscapes, as well as the know-how and agricultural practices adopted by traditional farmers who have contributed preserving the genetic diversity of these indigenous grape varieties. Within the framework of this study, we seek the identification and characterization of 36 indigenous grape varieties sampled in northern and southern Morocco. The samples studied were taken from traditional vineyards in these regions. For the ampelographic and ampelometric descriptions, 26 characters were used according to a list of descriptors developed by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV). Thus, the ampelographic and ampelometric approaches were refined by a principal component analysis (PCA), which made it possible to group the grape varieties into five distinct groups according to their correlations to the variables linked to the bunch, the berry, and the seed. The results obtained from these different approaches confirmed the presence of great inter-grape and intra-grape variability within the samples studied. This observation encourages us to make more efforts to maintain this variability and to fight against genetic erosion and the threat of environmental changes.

A Global climate change has raised serious concerns about food security and the sustainability of agriculture, particularly in developing regions of the world. In response to these concerns, attention should be called to the global importance of conservation of some neglected and underutilized crops, such as Lathyrus species, which are nutrient-rich and already adapted to harsh environments and low-input agriculture. L. cicera L., known in Morocco as ‘ikiker’, ‘kiker’ or ‘ichicher’, is marginally cultivated in the region. Landraces of this crop species, which are maintained locally by traditional agricultural practices, correspond to ecotypes adapted to local agroclimatic conditions. We have surveyed the traditional cultivation sites of this crop to identify specific associated agroecosystems in the Middle and High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. We have evaluated the diversity of ecotypes of L. cicera L. by a set of characters associated with the socioeconomic and agromorphological aspects of their cultivation. The results confirmed that their cultivation is very old in the area, and that its maintenance until today is important as the local farmers have started to master the uses for human and animal food. In addition, from a biology point of view, we have demonstrated the existence of variability depending on the trait considered but which demonstrates a differentiation between the ecotypes. From adaptive potential of these ecotypes with respect to tolerance to aridity and increased temperatures, the ecotypes studied showed promising prospects for selection. Thus, despite the limitation of the territory and the regression of the culture, the studied ecotypes have a very interesting stand. This result can be explained by cultural practices. These ecotypes are maintained in traditional agroecosystems which play the role of conservatory of the neglected resources. Therefore, the conservation of these genetic resources depends on the conservation of the traditional agroecosystem and local knowledge.