Hala Samaha

The need for an agricultural system in the Mediterranean countries consuming fewer chemicals and respecting the environment becomes a pressing element. The use of natural beneficial microorganisms that enhance soil fertility could be a promising solution. Lebanese Beneficial Microorganisms (LBM) were extracted and evaluated for their capacity of promoting plant growth. Two combinations of LBM were compared to chemical fertilizers: alone (treatment B) or with an organic fertilizer (treatment A). Under field conditions, significant positive effects on height, leaf biomass, and fruit production were obtained starting from day 15 for both tested crops. Treatment A was the most efficient in enhancement of different growth parameters. Hence, Capsicum annuum shoots were 44.4% longer with 99.5% and 51.2% increase in the number of leaves and flowers per plant, respectively. Fruit yield increased over the control by 31.7% in C. annuum and 37.5% in Solanum lycopersicum. However, treatment B exhibited the highest significant values of root length and weight in S. lycopersicum. This study highlights the efficiency of both LBM combinations in the total absence of chemical fertilizers and the increase in their outcome by the addition of organic products. The use of native microbial consortia represents a novel strategy for the development of biofertilizers.

Despite the beneficial health properties shown by Lebanese saffron, its qualitative and quantitative composition has never been investigated before. In the present study, NMR spectroscopy, together with antioxidant activity assays, were applied to evaluate the chemical composition of saffron samples of different geographical origins (Lebanon, Italy, Iran, and India) and to categorize the Lebanese saffron for the first time. The distinction between Lebanese saffron and that produced in other countries was attributed to its higher linolenic and linoleic fatty acids, glucose and picrocrocin contents. Moreover, spices produced in three different regions of the Lebanese territory have been clearly differentiated. Saffron cultivated in the Qaa region displayed a high glucose, fatty acids and polyphenols content, whereas Hermel saffron exhibited the largest rate of picrocrocin and glycosylated carotenoids. Finally, samples from Baalbeck showed lower rates for the majority of metabolites. Moreover, Lebanese saffron showed a high antioxidant activity in ABTS and DPPH assays. A low dose of saffron extract (10 µg/mL) inhibited the growth of human lung adenocarcinoma cells, probably due to the high polyphenolic content. This study highlights the quality and peculiarity of Lebanese saffron cultivated in Northern Beqaa district and allows for a good discrimination between spices produced in relatively close territory.