Bioclimatic Impact on the Carob Seeds Morphological Diversity in Morocco

Abstract

The carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua L., a typical thermophilic sclerophyllous species, is a multipurpose tree (agronomic, silvicultural and pastoral) with aromatic and medicinal properties. Due to its geographical distribution, it occupies different countries of the Mediterranean. In Morocco, this species spreads over the different bioclimatic from the arid in the south to the humid in the north. The present work, study the morphological diversity of the seeds of five carob tree ecotypes distributed along a rainfall gradient (from the arid in the south to the humid one towards the north of the country). The shape parameters studied are the length, width, thickness, weight, volume and density of the seeds.The results obtained show that the carob tree ecotypes are characterized by significant differences in the different morphological parameters of the seeds among the five ecotypes studied. Indeed, dry land seeds are generally reduced in length, volume and weight, while those in humid regions are larger in weight and size. Those of the dry sowing areas have moderate parameters. The variance analysis shows that the origin of the ecotypes hada significant effect on the various shape parameters. Moreover, the multiple comparison of averages revealed different distinct groups. ACP analysis revealed that seed weight and volume is strongly correlated with the first component (the bioclimatic origin and the annual rainfall of the site of origin). While the second component corresponds to the parameters of length, width and thickness of the seeds. As for the factor 3, it corresponds to the density of the seeds which is not dependent on the other variables.In terms of conclusion, it is deduced that in Morocco, the carob tree seeds are characterized by a large morphological diversity which varies according to the rainfall gradient.

Exploring Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.): A Comprehensive Assessment of Its Characteristics, Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemical Aspects, and Pharmacological Activities

“…In another study, the pretreatment of experimental rats, by intraperitoneal injection for 8 days of the ethyl acetate extract of the leaves of C. siliqua, protected the rats against CCl 4 -induced hepatic and renal disorders. The biochemical parameters were consistent with the histological observations showing hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects of C. siliqua [43].…”

“…It plays a significant socioeconomic role, generating a total revenue that would be at least 7.94% of the total value of crop production for farmers in the north of the country [ 42 ]. Due to its adaptability to soil and climate stress, it could contribute to the development of marginal areas with an arid or semi-arid climate, rugged terrain, poor soil, and where specific erosion is high, and the regression of the vegetation cover limits any development of these zones [ 43 ].…”

Mycorrhization and root excision effects on morphological and biomass production of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.)

“…This species grows naturally in several bioclimatic zones with a large spectre adaptation to soil nature. Carob distribution extends gradually with farming essays (Haddarah et al, 2013;Boubkar et al, 2021). This tree species is recently introduced and cultivated in Australia, Africa, and central America (Palaiogianni et al, 2022).…”