Drought is one of the most serious climatic and natural disasters inflicting serious impacts on the socio-economy of Morocco, which is characterized both by low-average annual rainfall and high irregularity in the spatial distribution and timing of precipitation across the country. This work aims to develop a comprehensive and integrated method for drought monitoring based on remote sensing techniques. The main input parameters are derived monthly from satellite data at the national scale and are then combined to generate a composite drought index presenting different severity classes of drought. The input parameters are: Standardized Precipitation Index calculated from satellite-based precipitation data since 1981 (CHIRPS), anomalies in the day-night difference of Land Surface Temperature as a proxy for soil moisture, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index anomalies from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and Evapotranspiration anomalies from surface energy balance modeling. All of these satellite-based indices are being used to monitor vegetation condition, rainfall and land surface temperature. The weighted combination of these input parameters into one composite indicator takes into account the importance of the rainfall-based parameter (SPI). The composite drought index maps were generated during the growing seasons going back to 2003. These maps have been compared to both the historical, in situ precipitation data across Morocco and with the historical yield data across different provinces with information being available since 2000. The maps are disseminated monthly to several main stakeholders’ groups including the Ministry of Agriculture and Department of Water in Morocco.

Contribution to the ethnobotanical study of antidiabetic medicinal plants of the Central Middle Atlas region (Morocco)

The essential oils yield of Cedrus atlantica, Chenopodium ambrosioides and Eucalyptus camaldulensis was different. C. ambrosioides gave a relatively higher yield (2.1 ± 0.1%), while that of C. atlantica was low (1.0 ± 0.1%) and that of E. camaldulensis was lower (0.75 ± 0.1% of dry matter). The active ingredients of the essential oils and some of their biological effects were also determined. The characterization of their chemical compositions showed that the three essences have different chemical profiles: C. atlantica was richer in sesquiterpenes (β-Himachalene (54.21%) and γ -Himachalene (15.54%)), C. ambrosioides was very rich in monoterpene peroxides and monoterpenes (α-Terpinene (53.4%), ascaridole (17.7%) and ρ-Cymene (12.1%)) and E. camaldulensis was very rich in monoterpene compounds and monoterpenols (p-cymene (35.11%), γ-Eudesmol (11.9%), L-linalool (11.51%) and piperitone (10.28%)). The in vitro measurement of antioxidant activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) reduction assay showed a significant performance of the eucalyptus oil and average performance of the other two (C. atlantica and C. ambrosioides). The in vitro bio-test for their antimicrobial effects showed that the antibacterial activity differed depending on the essential oil and the concentration used, and that their bactericidal efficacy was similar or superior to that of synthetic antibiotics. The toxicity test on rats revealed that the LD₅₀ of the three essential oils was 500 mg/kg body weight, which classifies them as category four cytotoxic natural products at high doses.

Context: The flora of the Bouhachem Regional Natural Park has been studied by many botanists and ecologists, but the analysis of the medicinal and economic values of these plants is still weak and poorly documented. Within the framework of this study, further investigations will be carried out into the value of indigenous medicinal plants and the documentation of their ethnopharmacological knowledge. In addition, due to their important socio-economic role as a second source of income after agriculture, the evaluation of the commercial activity of aromatic and medicinal plants (AMP) will also be taken into account. Aims: To evaluate the ethnobotanical and commercialized medicinal plants in north region of Morocco in which traditional medicine is widespread. Methods: The uses of medicinal plants in traditional phytotherapy were researched through 700 question cards, in Bni-Leit and Al-Oued districts, which are a part of the Naturel Regional Park of Bouhachem. A series of ethnobotanical, economic and sociocultural surveys/interviews were conducted among the local population in the study area, between March 2014 and July 2016. Results: This Ethnobotanical study identified 101 medicinal plant species belonging to 46 families, of which the most abundant are Lamiaceae (FUV: 1.87). This study also revealed that the leaves are the most used parts of the plant (26%) and that the most remedies are prepared as decoction (27%). Digestive disorders rank first among the diseases treated by these plants with a rate of 21%. Conclusions: The present study shows that the traditional use of medicinal plants still persists and constitutes a very rich heritage in the northern of Morocco. Therefore, this important indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants would be exploited in pharmaceutical research. It reveals that urgent action is needed to promote a sustainable and best practices to reduce the increasing scale of exploitation of AMPs for commercial use and to draw the attention of Park managers to the preservation of these plants from genetic erosion by a rational management.

Our objective is to test selected mycorrhizal complexes to verify the contribution of mycorrhizal symbiosis as a biological tool promoting the development of the argan tree under hostile conditions. In addition, this study aims to assess the impact of soil drought caused by stopping watering of young argan plants inoculated with strains of fungal complexes indigenous to the species in comparison to non-inoculated plants. Under conditions of water deficit stress, the most marked reductions in fresh and dry biomass were recorded in non-mycorrhizal plants. The most negative values of leaf water potential Ψf and Ψb were also noted in non-mycorrhizal plants. On the other hand, plants inoculated with mycorrhizal Bouyzakarne inoculum were relatively less affected by watering discontinuation compared to those inoculated with mycorrhizal Argana inoculum. Water stress caused a reduction in potassium and phosphorus content in the leaves and roots of all plants. However, mycorrhizal plants exhibited the highest P and K values compared to non-mycorrhizal ones. Therefore, mycorrhization compensates for the deficit in absorption of inorganic nutrients during drought. Sodium gradually decreased in the leaves but increased in the roots, and this delocalization of Na⁺ ions under water deficit stress resulted in higher concentrations in the roots than in the leaves of all plants. However, the mycorrhizal plants exhibited relatively lower values of root Na⁺ compared to the non-mycorrhizal controls. The water deficit reduced the content of chlorophyll a and b in the leaves and the chlorophyll a/b ratio in stressed plants. The lowest chlorophyll values were recorded in non-mycorrhizal plants. The levels of proline and soluble sugars in the leaves and roots of argan plants increased in all plants, especially with the extension of the duration of stress. However, proline accumulation was higher in mycorrhizal plants, with superiority in plants inoculated with the Bouyzakarne complex in comparison with that of Argana. In contrast, the accumulation of soluble sugars was higher in non-mycorrhizal plants than in mycorrhizal plants. We concluded that with a correct choice of the symbiotic fungi complexes, AMF inoculation biotechnology can benefit argan cultivation, especially under stressful conditions in arid regions with structural drought, where native Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi levels are low.

Because of its recurrence and the durability of its effects, drought in Morocco has become a structural component of the Moroccan climate. It is a real threat to the agricultural sector, which represents nearly 20% of the Moroccan economy. The spatiotemporal variability of this phenomenon makes drought risk management more complex. The current study seeks to map the structural vulnerability to drought in Morocco by using remote sensing techniques to characterize its sensitivity to drought. In this premise, we utilized a weighted combination of soil classes, land cover and socio-economic data with seasonal drought monitoring through a composite index generated monthly over the past twenty years. The generated map shows dominance of areas with high and very high vulnerability risk to drought over respectively 38.5% and 14.4% of the country and this concerns both agricultural and non-agricultural zones. The map also indicates that 36.5% of Morocco presents a medium vulnerability to drought and only 10.6% of the national territory is considered non-vulnerable to drought. This map can be used as a planning tool to support natural resources management and mitigate drought impacts.