A survey of medicinal plants of Wadi Al-Kouf in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya

Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar (the Green Mountain) of Cyrenaica, Libya is known to have the highest plant species diversity in the country, particularly in the depressions and the valleys of the mountain. Wadi Al-Kouf is the largest valley in the mountain, with a rich flora of aromatic and medicinal plants. The present investigation was conducted to record and list the medicinal plant species growing in the valley during the flowering season of 2019. Results revealed that Wadi Al-Kouf hosts 107 medicinal plant species belonging to 49 families and 93 genera. Dicotyledons were the most represented group of angiospermae with 38 families, 79 genera and 89 species, whereas Monocotyledons were represented by only 8 families, 10 genera and 13 species. Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae and Solanaceae were the families with the highest number of species; 11, 9, 6 and 6 species, respectively. The most dominant life forms found in the valley were Therophytes (25.2%), Phanerophytes (25.2%) and Chamaephytes (24.3%), followed by Hemicryptophytes (15.9%) and Geophytes (9.3%). Nine endemic species were detected and recorded.

Response of Potential Indicators of Soil Quality to Land-Use and Land-Cover Change under a Mediterranean Climate in the Region of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya

Conversion of native lands into agricultural use, coupled with poor land management practices, generally leads to changes in soil properties. Understanding the undesirable effects of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes on soil properties is essential when planning for sustainable land management. This study was conducted in Al Jabal Al Akhdar region, Libya, to assess the effects of land-use and land-cover changes on soil quality inferred by analyzing the relative changes in 17 chemical, physical, and biological soil properties in the upper layer (0–20 cm) of disturbed and undisturbed soil systems. Soil samples were collected from 180 sampling sites with 60 from each of the three types of LULC prevalent in the study area: natural Mediterranean forests (NMF), rainfed agriculture (RA), and irrigated crops (IC). The soil properties of the two agricultural land uses were compared with soil properties under an adjacent natural forest, which served as a control to assess changes in soil quality resulting from the cultivation of deforested land. The results indicate significant reductions in most soil quality indicators under rainfed agriculture as compared to native forest land. Under irrigated agriculture, there were significant changes (p ≤ 0.05) in most of the soil quality indicators, generally, indicating a significant reduction in soil quality, except for improvement of nitrogen and phosphorus levels due to frequent fertilizer application. Our data support the notion that changes in land use and land cover, in the absence of sustainable management measures, induce deterioration of soil properties and ultimately may lead to land degradation and productivity decline.

Auto-resistance to germination of invasive Acacia saligna trees seeds to Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar region

Sustaining the vegetation cover in Libya represents the most important priority that must be taken into account by the Ministry of Agriculture. This study was conducted in the laboratory of the Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al-Bayda, Libya, to investigate the possibility of controlling seed germination of Acacia saligna trees by using aqueous extracts (flower- seeds- leaves - bark) at different concentration (10, 20 and 40%). The results showed highly significant differences in decreasing a germination percentage and increasing an average germination time, between aqueous extracts and concentrations relative to control, where a flowers extract gave the largest effect on inhibitory germination percentages over the rest of other extracts. Commonly 40% concentration was the most toxic effect on A.saligna seed germination. The study concluded of Acacia salgina trees possess an autotoxicity that can be used to combat thier invasion and expansion in agricultural lands

Evaluation of antioxidants activity of some tree barks grown in Libya (Al Jabal Al Akhdar) Pinus halepensis Mill, Pistacia lentiscus L, Juniperus phoenicea L

The aim of the present study investigated anti-oxidant activity of various methanol-water extracts from tree barks grown in Libya (Al Jabal AL Akhdar) by four anti-oxidant assays FRAP. DPPH. H2O2 and Metal chelating activity. Additionally, these antioxidant activities were compared with BHA, BHT as reference antioxidants. Tree bark has a large, diverse class of compounds, many with antioxidant properties. This study showed FRAP inhibitory activity of the Pinus halepensis bark extracts 56.8%, while Juniperus phoenicea L 57.6%, and Pistacia lentiscus L bark extracts was 69.2% The DPPH radical scavenging in the bark extracts exerted an inhibition of 66.8 %, 62.3% ,74.6% for Pinus halepensis, Juniperus phoenicea and Pistacia lentiscus L respectively. While H2O2 activity shows variation, ranging from 67. 8 to 81. 3%. The Metal chelating activity of the barks extract was 59% in Pinus halepensis and 57% in Juniperus phoenicea L bark extracts furthermore Pistacia lentiscus L was 67.8% in addition the Metal chelating activity of BHT and BHA 92%, 94% respectively. The high antioxidant activity of bark was founded in Pistacia lentiscus L bark extracts.

Agro-ecological landuse transformation in oasis systems of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, northern Oman

The millenia-old oasis systems in the Western Hajar Mountains of Northern Oman have received widespread attention as models of sustainable irrigated agriculture in hyperarid Arabia. Given Oman’s rampant urbanization, growing scarcity of water and skilled labour, we quantified chances in water use, land use, and land cover between 2007 and 2018 using a rare time-series approach of detailed GIS-based crop mapping. Results from satellite image analysis and comprehensive ground truthing showed that urban areas grew from 206 ha in 2009 to 230 ha in 2014 and 252 ha in 2018. Throughout this decade, irrigated areas in backyards and front-house gardens of the town, planted largely to tree crops and vegetables, increased from 13.5 to 23.3 ha. Between 2007 and 2018 the actively used area of the studied oasis systems declined by 2.0% and the share of perennial crops without underplanting by 5.1%, while land under agroforestry increased by 2.1% and fallow land by 3.5%. Rising water demand of the sprawling town Sayh Qatanah led to terraces of Al ‘Ayn and Ash Sharayjah now being partly irrigated with treated wastewater which accelerated the abandonment of the old settlement structures. The labour- and water use efficiency-driven transformation of the Al Jabal Al Akhdar oasis agriculture into increasingly market-oriented landuse systems questions its function as example of sustainable, bio-cultural heritage of Arabia.

Rabies in bovine: First case report of rabies in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Libya

Background: Rabies is still one of the most neglected diseases in developing countries. It is endemic to North Africa, although rabies incidence in North Africa is certainly underestimated. Case Description: On 18 December 2018 in the region of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, an 8-month-old calf died after a period of characteristic clinical symptoms of rabies. This is the first case of rabies in bovine which is confirmed through histopathological examination in the Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Omar Al-Mukhtar University. Microscopic examination clearly revealed encephalitis with the pathognomonic Negri bodies in the cerebellar neurons. Conclusion: Since the characteristic lesions in the histopathological examination are sufficient to confirm the diagnosis and report infected cases, we recommend that the next version of the OIE Terrestrial Manual should add and clarify that the results of the use of histopathological techniques in the diagnosis of rabies are significant.

The “Second Egypt”: Cretan Refugees, Agricultural Development, and Frontier Expansion in Ottoman Cyrenaica, 1897–1904

This article investigates the Ottoman state's endeavor to create the “second Egypt” by consolidating its imperial authority along the coastline and hinterland of Cyrenaica from 1897 to 1904. It examines the strategic settlement of Cretan Muslim refugees in territories situated between Benghazi and Derna and in al-Jabal al-Akhdar following the Cretan insurrection of 1897–98. I argue that Cretan Muslim refugees-turned-settlers served as skilled agriculturalists and experienced armed sentries who were integral to the Ottoman state's plans for economic development and expansionism in Cyrenaica. Focusing particularly on ‘Ayn al-Shahhat and Marsa Susa, this article contends that the establishment of Cretan Muslim agricultural colonies served to undermine the political and economic position of the Sanusi order by appropriating the order's properties and access to resources. This work offers a new perspective on how the Ottoman state reasserted its sovereignty in its frontier territory in Cyrenaica by harnessing the power of migration.