Antioxidant Capacity of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) Essential Oil and Its Effect on In Vivo Fertility of Rams Subjected to Testicle Heat Stress.

The detrimental effects of hyperthermia on the testes and the protective effect of thyme essential oil against testicular damage induced by this stress in rams were studied. Twenty-four rams of the Barbarine breed with an average weight of 62.5 ± 0.

Evaluation of performance and estimation of genetic parameters for milk yield and reproductive traits in Awassi and Asaf sheep breeds and crosses in the Palestinian territory.

This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters, including heritability and repeatability, for milk yield and prolificacy in sheep. It included 3682 records from 1837 ewes across various breeds: Awassi, Assaf, and Awassi x Assaf crosses, two Awassi lines: Improved Awassi, AFEC Awassi. The study measured total milk yield (TMY), yield up to 120 days (TMY120), and yield up to 150 days (TMY150), alongside reproductive traits: litter size (LS), number of lambs born alive (NLBA), and lambing interval (LI).

Socio-economic aspects and farming practices of goats in Southern Tunisia.

This study aims to describe socio-economic aspects, farming practices and production limitations of goats by surveying 53 farms holding 5507 head in the regions of Tataouine-Tunisia. It was revealed that goats represented a major source of income for most of the producers (66.1%).

The efficiency of chlorophyll fluorescence as a selection criterion for salinity and climate aridity tolerance in barley genotypes.

Introduction: In the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, crop production is being affected by various abiotic factors, including freshwater scarcity, climate, and soil salinity. As a result, farmers in this region are in search of salt-tolerant crops that can thrive in these harsh environments, using poor-quality groundwater. The main staple food crop for most of the countries in this region, Tunisia included, is barley.

Acquisition and transmission of (GFLV) by and (Longidoridae).

(GFLV) is one of the most severe virus diseases of grapevines, causing fanleaf degeneration that is transmitted by This paper aims to isolate species from Tunisian vineyard soil samples and assess their ability to acquire and transmit GFLV under natural and controlled conditions. Based on morphological and morphometric analyses, Tunisian dagger nematodes were identified as and These results were confirmed with molecular identification tools using species-specific polymerase chain reaction primers. The total RNA of GFLV was extracted from specimens of and amplified based on real-time polymerase chain reaction using virus-specific primers.

The role of interacting social and institutional norms in stressed groundwater systems.

Groundwater resources play an important role for irrigation, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, where groundwater depletion poses a critical threat to agricultural production and associated local livelihoods. However, the relationship between groundwater use, farming, and poverty, particularly with regards to informal mechanisms of resources management, remains poorly understood. Here, we assess this relationship by developing a behavioural model of groundwater user groups, empirically grounded in the politically fragile context of Tunisia.

Biofilm busters: Exploring the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of essential oils against Enteritidis.

This study delves into an exploration of the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of the essential oils (EOs) of cinnamon, garlic, and onion on Enteritidis. Firstly, disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) techniques were employed to assess the antibacterial activity of the EOs. Additionally, the study explored the effect of these EOs on both initial cell attachment and 24 h-preformed biofilms.

Farmland expansion and intensification do not foster local food self-sufficiency. Insights from the Mediterranean area.

Bridging the gap between the micro and the macro scale in modelling food security to inform context-specific regionalised policies remains a major scientific challenge. A better understanding of the relations between global and local drivers impacting local food self-sufficiency (LFSS) is essential. We applied to the whole Mediterranean environmental area (Southern and Northern) a modelling framework for structural estimates (PLS-PM) using qualitative and quantitative methods to combine local-level information from field surveys and participatory workshops with global-level data.

Polarimetric instrument Global Navigation Satellite System - Reflectometry airborne data.

In this paper, three datasets are described. The first dataset is a complete set of GNSS-R (GNSS-R: Global Navigation Satellite System - Reflectometry) airborne data. This dataset has been generated with the data acquired with the GLObal Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry Instrument (GLORI) developed at Centre d'Etudes Spatiales de la Biosphère (CESBIO), during the Land surface Interactions with the Atmosphere over the Iberian Semi-arid Environment (LIAISE) campaign in north-eastern Spain during the summer of 2021.

Insects as an alternative protein source for poultry nutrition: a review.

This review summarizes the most relevant scientific literature related to the use of insects as alternative protein sources in poultry diets. The black soldier fly, the housefly, the beetle, mealworms, silkworms, earthworms, crickets, and grasshoppers are in the spotlight because they have been identified as an important future source of sustainable animal proteins for poultry feeding. Insect meals meet poultry requirements in terms of nutritional value, essential amino acid composition, nutrient digestibility, and feed acceptance.

Effects of temperature adjustment with a heating device in weak honey bee colonies in cold seasons.

Temperature adjustment was used to buffer against changes in external environmental temperature by a heating device. Two groups of honey bee colonies Apis mellifera anatoliaca were used: one as experimental (20) and the other control (10), which were equalized in terms of the number of brood frames, frames with bees, food, hive materials, and health treatments. The experimental colonies were heated during the cold season, and the temperature and humidity inside the hive were recorded.

Unlocking the story of resistance to Zymoseptoria tritici in Tunisian old durum wheat germplasm based on population structure analysis.

Background: Septoria tritici blotch (STB) remains a significant obstacle to durum wheat cultivation on a global scale. This disease remains a challenge for farmers, researchers, and breeders, who are collectively dedicated to reduce its damage and improve wheat resistance. Tunisian durum wheat landraces have been recognized as valuable genetic ressources that exhibit resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and therefore play a crucial role in breeding program aimed at creating new wheat varieties resistant to fungal diseases as STB, as well as adapted to climate change constraints.

Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant Markers, and Meat Quality as Affected by Heat Stress: A Review.

Heat stress is one of the most stressful events in livestock life, negatively impacting animal health, productivity, and product quality. Moreover, the negative impact of heat stress on animal product quality has recently attracted increasing public awareness and concern. The purpose of this review is to discuss the effects of heat stress on the quality and the physicochemical component of meat in ruminants, pigs, rabbits, and poultry.

Marker-assisted introgression of fecundity mutation into Barbarine sheep breed under low input production system.

Fecundity gene introgression has become an economical method to improve sheep prolificacy in developing countries. The FecX and FecGH mutations are variants of the BMP15 and GDF9 sheep genes, respectively, identified in Tunisian Barbarine sheep prolific line "W-INRAT," created through a prolificacy-based selection program. The first mutation caused increased prolificacy in heterozygous state and sterility in homozygous ewes.

Effects of Monochromatic Light on Growth and Quality of L.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are popular as a light source for in vitro plants because they save energy and allow the morphology of the plant to be altered. The purpose of this study was to show that switching from classical fluorescent light (FL) to LED light can have both beneficial and adverse effects. plantlets were exposed to FL, monochromatic Blue LED light (B), monochromatic Red LED light (R), and a 1:1 mixture of both B and R (BR).

Assessment of Genetic and Health Management of Tunisian Holstein Dairy Herds with a Focus on Longevity.

In Tunisia, the recognition of the possibility of including longevity and disease resistance in dairy cattle selection objectives has been hypothesized as a useful strategy by both researchers and producers. However, in this paper, the state of the art, with a focus on health and longevity, is reviewed. Along the same lines, the heritability for the milk traits, fertility traits, and longevity of Tunisian Holstein dairy cows complies with the literature.

Exploration of non-phytopathogenic Aspergillus spp. isolates recovered from soil and compost as potential source of bioactive metabolites for potato Fusarium dry rot control.

During storage, infected potato tubers by Fusarium species leads to significant losses. Searching natural-based alternatives to chemical fungicides for the control of tuber dry rot pathogens is becoming essential. Nine Aspergillus spp.

Wheat Stem Rust Detection and Race Characterization in Tunisia.

Climate changes over the past 25 years have led to conducive conditions for invasive and transboundary fungal disease occurrence, including the re-emergence of wheat stem rust disease, caused by f.sp. (Pgt) in East Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean basin.

Application of Doehlert Experimental Design for Optimization of a New-Based Hydrophilic Interaction Solid-Phase Extraction of Phenolic Acids from Olive Oils.

In this work, a rapid, precise, and cost-valuable method has been established to quantify phenolic compounds in olive oil using new-based hydrophilic interaction solid-phase extraction (SPE). Boehlert's experimental design applied the determination of the optimal operating conditions. An investigation into the effects of the methanol composition (50-100%), the volume of eluent (1-12 mL), and pH (1-3) on the extraction of phenols acids and total phenols from Tunisian olive oils was performed.

Analysis of Genetic Polymorphisms and Their Association with the Reproductive Performance Parameters in Two Mediterranean Sheep Breeds.

Sheep farming plays an important economic role, and it contributes to the livelihoods of many rural poor in several regions worldwide and particularly in Tunisia. Therefore, the steady improvement of ewes' reproductive performance is a pressing need. The gene has been identified as an important candidate gene that plays a key role in sheep reproduction and its sexual inactivity.

Entomopathogenic potential of bacteria associated with soil-borne nematodes and insect immune responses to their infection.

Soil-borne nematodes establish close associations with several bacterial species. Whether they confer benefits to their hosts has been investigated in only a few nematode-bacteria systems. Their ecological function, therefore, remains poorly understood.