Agro-Alimentary Potential of the Neglected and Underutilized Local Endemic Plants of Crete (Greece), Rif-Mediterranean Coast of Morocco and Tunisia: Perspectives and Challenges
Mohamed Libiad,
Abdelmajid Khabbach,
Mohamed El Haissoufi,
Ioannis Anestis,
Fatima Lamchouri,
Soumaya Bourgou,
Wided Megdiche-Ksouri,
Zeineb Ghrabi-Gammar,
Vasileios Greveniotis,
Ioannis Tsiripidis,
Eleftherios Dariotis,
Maria A. Tsiafouli,
Nikos Krigas
Affiliations
Mohamed Libiad
Laboratory of Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity Conservation (LESCOBIO), Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, B.P. 2121, M’Hannech II, Tetouan 93000, Morocco
Abdelmajid Khabbach
Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modelling, Health and Quality of Life (SNAMOPEQ), Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taza, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, B.P. 1223, Taza Gare, Taza 35000, Morocco
Mohamed El Haissoufi
Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modelling, Health and Quality of Life (SNAMOPEQ), Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taza, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, B.P. 1223, Taza Gare, Taza 35000, Morocco
Ioannis Anestis
Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Fatima Lamchouri
Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modelling, Health and Quality of Life (SNAMOPEQ), Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taza, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, B.P. 1223, Taza Gare, Taza 35000, Morocco
Soumaya Bourgou
Laboratoire des Plantes Aromatiques et Médicinales, Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj-Cédria, B.P. 901, Tunis 2050, Tunisia
Wided Megdiche-Ksouri
Laboratoire des Plantes Aromatiques et Médicinales, Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj-Cédria, B.P. 901, Tunis 2050, Tunisia
Zeineb Ghrabi-Gammar
Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, Université de Carthage, 43 Avenue Charles Nicolle, Cité Mahrajène, Tunis 1082, Tunisia
Vasileios Greveniotis
Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter, 41335 Larisa, Greece
Ioannis Tsiripidis
Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Eleftherios Dariotis
Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter, Thermi, P.O. Box 60458, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria A. Tsiafouli
Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Nikos Krigas
Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter, Thermi, P.O. Box 60458, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
The neglected and underutilized plants (NUPs) could become alternative food sources in the agro-alimentary sector, enriching human and animal diets, offering the opportunity for sustainable exploitation, resilience to climate change, and production with resistance to pests and diseases. In the Mediterranean countries, these valuable resources are threatened by climate change, overexploitation, and/or monoculture. In this framework, we evaluated 399 local endemic NUPs of Crete (Greece), the Mediterranean coast, Rif of Morocco, and Tunisia, regarding their agro-alimentary potential, and assessed their feasibility and readiness timescale for sustainable exploitation with own previously published methodology. The methodological scheme was developed by experts in co-creative workshops, using point-scoring of seven attributes to evaluate the potential of the targeted NUPs in the agro-alimentary. Our results showed a diversity of promising local endemic NUPs of different families in the studied regions (Lamiaceae members are prominent), and we outlined the cases of 13 taxa with the highest optimum scores of agro-alimentary potential (>70%). Despite the diversity or the promising potential and current ex-situ conservation efforts to bridge gaps, our study indicated that only a few cases of Cretan local endemic NUPs can be sustainably exploited in the short-term. However, it is argued that many more local endemic NUPs can easily follow sustainable exploitation schemes if specific research gaps are bridged. Since NUPs can help to increased diversification of food production systems by adding new nutritional/beneficial species to human and animal diets, basic and applied research, as well as market and stakeholder attraction, is suggested as prerequisite to unlock the full potential of the focal endemic NUPs in the agro-alimentary sector.
