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This study characterizes three bacterial strains isolated from plant rhizospheres and evaluates their performance as plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Pseudomonas plecoglossicida strain Pp20 was isolated from the rhizosphere of a date palm in Bechar (Algerian Sahara), Bacillus spec. strain Bt04 isolated from the rhizosphere of pear in Ghardaia (Algerian Sahara) and Lysinibacillus fusiformis strain Lf89 was isolated from the rhizosphere of tomato in Ain Defla (northern Algeria). Their effects on plant growth and development were analyzed in different in vitro cultures: an Arabidopsis thaliana plate assay and two hydroponic systems for Datura stramonium and Datura tatula. Our results show that all strains significantly improve plant growth of the plant species tested and some strains produce a shift in the C/N ratio in A. thaliana. Inoculation had no effect on alkaloid production per gram leaf dry weight in D. stramonium, but specific plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria interactions may alter the alkaloid composition in the shoot. ARTICLE HISTORY

Juniperus thurifera is a key element of the forest communities in arid and semi-arid areas of the western Mediterranean. Previous genetic and morphological investigations suggested that Algerian populations are genetically more similar to European than to Moroccan populations and advocated their recognition at the variety rank. We aimed to investigate the spatial genetic structure in J. thurifera to verify the distinct character of the Algerian population in terms of the genetic breaks reported among several North African taxa. We also modelled species distributions since the Eemian to recognise the impact of past climatic changes on the current pattern of diversity and predict possible changes in species distribution in the future. Species-specific microsatellites were used in the analysis of 11 populations from Algeria, Morocco and Europe. We revealed the significant genetic distinctiveness of the Algerian populations from the Moroccan and European stands that may have important taxonomic and conservation implications. The diversity pattern revealed for J. thurifera reflects the east-west genetic splits reported among some North African plant and animal taxa and suggests an impact of shared historical processes. Additionally, modelling of the distribution allowed us to identify possible glacial refugia and their impact on the modern pattern of differentiation in J. thurifera. Reduction of species occurrence, especially in the European domain, is likely according to the future projections of the species distribution.

BackgroundThe ability of maize populations/landraces to tolerate drastically extreme environments over the past four centuries in Algeria leads to characterize these genetic resources for germplasm management as well as the identification of the best landraces useful for genetic improvement. Thus, the aim of the present work was a fingerprinting of an Algerian maize collection (47 landraces) from Saharan oasis by using 24 agro-morphological traits and18 Simple Sequence Repeats to evaluate genetic diversity and population structure.ResultsPhenotypic traits showed large significant variation in which earliness, plant size, ear and kernel features and crop yield appeared the most discriminant traits among landraces by using principal component analysis (PCA). One hundred ninety-seven different alleles were detected with a high mean number of allele per locus (10.9). The selected SSR were highly informative with PIC values > 0.65 as well as an overall genetic diversity (0.47) highlighting a broad genetic variability in the analyzed landraces. Genetic structure analysis revealed a high genetic differentiation among the 47 maize landraces with an overall Fst value (0.33). Cluster analysis for morphological traits as well as for SSR markers grouped the 47 Algerian populations regardless their geographic origin.ConclusionsMaize from Algerian desert harbors a wide genetic diversity offering a source of novel/unique alleles useful for maize breeding programs to face the ongoing and future major challenge, the climate changes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12863-018-0655-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Medicinal plants are currently used by local populations to treat different diseases around the world. In the present study, the local knowledge of medicinal plants used by indigenous populations living in the Park of Tlemcen (North-West Algeria) has been documented. A total of 254 informants with a strong ethnomedicinal knowledge living in the national park of Tlemcen were interviewed by using a questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using quantitative indices such as the ethnobotanicity index (EI), use value (UV), and Informant Consensus Factor (FIC). 109 species belonging to 54 families were identified and used by indigenous populations to treat different diseases. The most frequent families were lamiaceae (15.5%), asteraceae (11.9%), and rosaceae (5.5%).  Roots, rhizomes or tubers were the most used part for medical care (37.6%), followed by leaves (33.6%), other aerial parts (16%), fruits (8%), flowers (1.6%), and seeds (3.2%). Regarding modes of preparation, we noticed that decoction (40.4%) and infusion (28.5%) were the most predominant. Moreover, Thymus lanceolatus (UV=0.96), Origon glandulosum (UV=0.96) and Ammoides verticillata (UV=0.94) were the most frequently used species. FIC values ranged from 0.65 to 0.98. The highest FIC were recorded for reproductive and sexual disorders (0.98), respiratory tract diseases (0.98), cardiovascular system disease and blood disorders (0.94), digestive disorders (0.93), and general health (0.93). A variety of species are used to treat several ailments. Recorded species with high UV should be prioritized for conservation and subjected to further phytochemical and pharmacological studies.

Objective: The aim of this research was to determine and compare phenylpropanoids and fatty acids composition in two plant species, Datura innoxia and Datura stramonium. Methods:Phenylpropanoids and fatty acids composition in leaves and roots extracted from Datura innoxia and Datura stramonium, grown under greenhouse conditions, was analyzed by gas chromatography-electron impact/time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC-EI/TOF-MS) chromatography techniques. Analyses were carried out at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology of Golm (Germany). Results:We revealed that Datura stramonium (DS) contains hydroxy-hexanedioic acid while hexanoic acid was found in Datura innoxia (DI). Also, two fatty acids are common to both Datura species, hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acid, with an almost equal rate between leaves and roots. However, phenylpropanoids composition revealed eight compounds; luteolin, quercetin, trans-caffeic acid, trans-ferulic acid, cis-caffeic acid, cis-4-hydroxy-cinnamic acid, trans-4-hydroxy-cinnamic acid and trans-sinapic acid in DI. However, in DS, five compounds were detected: luteolin, quercetin, trans-caffeic acid, trans-ferulic acid and dihydroferulic acid. Also in both Datura species, phenylpropanoids concentration in leaves was significantly higher than in the roots. Conclusion:Our results showed a difference in phenylpropanoids and fatty acids compositions between the two Datura species, with a significantly higher concentration of phenylpropanoids in Datura innoxia than in Datura stramonium

Background: In humans, various diseases are associated with the accumulation of free radicals. The antioxidants can scavenge free radicals and reduce their impact; thus, the search for effective natural antioxidants of plant origin is indispensable. The present study aims to determine, for the first time, the flavonoid compounds profile and to investigate the free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties of the methanolic extract of Taxus baccata L. from Algeria. Methods:The determination of the flavonoid compound profile of the methanolic extract of Taxus baccata L. was established using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS). The total flavonoid content (TFC) was performed according to the aluminum chloride colorimetric method, while the free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities were carried out using three methods, namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay, 2,2'-azino-bis3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) Assay.Results: A total of 26 compounds including flavon-3-ols, flavanonols, flavones, flavonols and bioflavonoids were characterized and identifiedusing HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS analysis, five were reported for the first time such as taxifolin, apigenin, apigenin 7-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside and robustaflavone. The plant extract exhibited high total flavonoid content (TFC = 204.26 ± 6.02 mg RE/g dry extract) which corresponded to its strong radical scavenging activities [(DPPH IC 50 = 35.31 ± 0.29 µg/ml and ABTS IC 50 = 8.27 ± 0.52 µg/ml)] as compared to the synthetic antioxidant BHT [(DPPH IC 50 = 78.96 ± 5.70 µg/ml and ABTS IC 50 = 13.56 ± 0.06 µg/ml)]. However, the methanolic extract of T. baccata showed the lowest ferric reducing ability as compared to the positive controls (BHT, BHA, ascorbic acid, trolox and quercetin). Conclusion:Our results imply that the Taxus Baccata L. might be a potential source for the isolation of natural antioxidant compounds.