IN-SITU MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CASSAVA LANDRACES (MANIHOTESCULENTACRANTZ) FROM COTE DIVOIRE

Cassava provides food security for millions of people worldwide. In Cote dIvoire, it is the second most important food crop. The objective of this study is to evaluate the structure and genetic variability of certain qualitative traits in targeted cassava landracesin order to identify the most widespread cassava landraces. Thus, prospecting missions were carried out in different regions of Cote dIvoire to characterize cassavalandraces, from which 180 cassava landrace accessions were characterized using14 morphological markers. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) showed that among the 14 markers, 10 were relevant fordescribing the total variability within accessions. In addition, the Hierarchical Ascending Classification (HAC) grouped the Ivorianlandraces into five homogeneous groups and also revealed that this morphological diversity is not structured according to the landracesgeographical origin. The study highlighted 131 distinct cultivars among the 180 accessions characterized. Moreover, of the 131 distinct cultivars, four were the most widespread. These are the local cultivars: Yace, Six mois, Blêbou and Trogla. Thus, the study has definitively shown that breeders have a wide choice of parents for developing improved cassava cultivars adapted fromthe populations found in Cote dIvoire.

ORGANIC POLLUTION INDEX IN THE EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF LAKE DOHOU, A SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER SUPPLY IN THE CITY OF DUEKOUE (WEST COTE DIVOIRE)

The abiotic typology of the different sampling stations based on physico-chemical parameters and the assessment of the nutrient load and the relative contributions of the different nutrient sources to this surface water were analysed. Five physical and chemical parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen, transparency, pH and conductivity) were measured in situ at each sampling campaign in Lake Dohou over a period of one year, once a month at seven (7) selected stations. Water samples were taken for subsequent determination of dissolved solids, biological oxygen demand for 5 days and nutrient salts (nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, ammonium).Thephysico-chemical characterisation revealed weakly mineralised water with average conductivities varying from 12.38 ±16.33 µS.cm-1 to 39.63 ±45.28 µS.cm-1 with high temperatures in the dry season. A hierarchical ascending classification (HAC) was used to group the stations into 3 groups. Group I (stations 6), due to its exposure to domestic discharges and leaching from agricultural land, is heavily loaded with organic matter and nutrients. The values of the pollution index express a high organic pollution at all the sampling stations. The water of Lake Dohou is highly loaded with organic matter and receives a very high amount of pollutant from the environment.

PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF GOAT ECOTYPES IN NORTHWESTERN TUNISIA

The study aimed to identify and characterize the phenotype of goat genetic resources in NorthWestern Tunisia. Observation of physical attributes and morphology and morphometrical measurements were employed for data collection. Five hundred fifty adult heads including 440 females and 110 males from three governorates (Bizerte, Beja, and Jendouba) were studied. Twenty-six parameters were evaluated. The results showed that 67.3% of the females and 7.11% of the males had a straight profile and 61.68% of the females had curled horns. Besides, we found that 83.41% of animals do not have pendants, 82.94% have a goatee and 80.28% of them are horned. The average length of the head was 22.22 ± 2.29 cm. The length of the body was 62.13 ± 6.54 cm, the length of the pelvis was 16.55 ± 2.05 cm, and the length of the tail averaged 9.84 ± 2.91 cm. The width of the hips was 13.10 ± 1.75 cm, the width of the ischium was 10.16 ± 6.75 cm. While the width of the chest was 40.93 ±4.65 cm. Besides, sex is a very highly significant factor of variation for the majority of studied traits. Finally, regarding the studied traits, Multiple Factorial Analysis (MFA) and Hierarchical Ascending Classification (CAH) identified five classes in the studied population.

Agromorphological Determinants Favoring the Spread of Anthracnose Disease in Cashew Agroforestry Farms in Côte d'Ivoire

Cashew cultivation faces several health problems. Among these problems, anthracnose causes extensive damage to twigs, leaves and fruits and causes loss of yield. The spread of this disease is thought to be determined by certain agromorphological features of the cashew tree. The objective of this study was to search for these agro-morphological determinants that influence the spread of anthracnose disease in agroforestry systems in Côte d'Ivoire. To achieve this objective, 30 cashew trees spread across 26 agroforestry cashew orchards in the Korhogo, Sinématiali and Boundiali departments were chosen and geolocated. The factor studied was the clone, consisting of 30 cashew genotypes, with 15 modalities. The collected data was subjected to descriptive analysis, correlation test, PCA and hierarchical ascending classification (CAH). The results showed that the wingspan, leaf area and size of cashew trees are determinants that promote the spread of anthracnose disease. Following this result, the CAH made it possible to screen the genotypes into three groups. These results could contribute to management of anthracnose disease in agroforestry, to enhance and intensify this cropping systems.

Developing an Indicator-Based Framework to Measure Sustainable Tourism in Romania. A Territorial Approach

Sustainable tourism is gaining importance in national agendas to encourage economic growth, social inclusion, and the protection of cultural and natural assets. More than 13 million tourists (10.6 mil. Romanians and 2.6 mil. foreigners) visited Romania in 2019, the fifth consecutive year of growth for the tourism sector. The authors have selected 10 statistical indicators to highlight the main components for tourism sustainability by using the principal component analysis (PCA). The current patterns of sustainable development of tourism and the territorial inequalities at a micro-scale were assessed based on a sustainable tourism index (STI). In addition, to observe the way indicators interact and determine each other and to analyze the territorial disparities, the hierarchical ascending classification was used. The study was performed using the statistical data available at NUTS5/LAU level provided by the National Institute of Statistics. In addition, various data and information extracted from documents published by the UNWTO, National Institute for Research and Development in Tourism, the World Bank, EUROSTAT, etc., were also used. By applying an STI, the authors were able to assess the tourism development level at a national scale in Romania, delineating the most advantaged/disadvantaged areas. The analysis of sustainable tourism in Romania shows that tourism performance is more consolidated in the big cities, the Black Sea coast, the Danube Delta and the Carpathian Mountains. Studies such as the present one are meant to provide a methodological framework that will be useful to perform a quantitative assessment of the sustainable level of tourism development in terms of economic, social and environmental performance.

Evaluating Sustainable Development by Composite Index: Evidence from French Departments

Since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations, sustainability has been a key priority for European governments. While previous studies have investigated the associations between indicators of sustainable development, few have directly considered a multidimensional approach to assess and compare the performance of regions in terms of sustainable development. As such, a comprehensive assessment of regional sustainable performance is thus still needed. In this paper, the concept of sustainability relies on the construction of six composite indices (environment and natural resources, energy transition, sustainable mobility, economic dynamism, social cohesion and solidarity, and governance and citizenship) with the aim to provide an evaluation framework for empirically comparing the performance of the 96 metropolitan French Departments. Each dimension is explored by spatial autocorrelation analysis and Hierarchical Ascending Classification (HAC) to classify French Departments providing five different regional profiles of sustainable development. The findings make it possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the departments in the implementation of sustainable development. This approach provides the bases for a systematic monitoring of sustainable development policies at the regional scale.

Clustering of European Smart Cities to Understand the Cities’ Sustainability Strategies

This paper analyzes the smart strategies of European cities through the dynamic capabilities approach. We develop a clustering of smart cities based on the activities implemented by the cities. Our methodology considers three steps. First, we establish an empirical assessment of the smart dimensions for 40 European cities. Then, we categorize and interpret core capabilities via a principal component analysis. Finally, we highlight a hierarchical ascending classification identifying three relevant groups of cities. As a result, the first cluster represents cities with emerging smart strategies. The second cluster regroups international metropolises, which have technology-oriented strategies to deal with specific challenges. The third cluster stands for middle-sized European cities with a good quality of life. Our outcomes show that there is not just one smart city but several smart cities emerging according to the cities’ environment. These findings enrich the analysis of smart cities’ dynamic capabilities and point out how these strategies make cities sustainable.

An Analysis of the Media Coverage of the Socio-Economic Impacts Generated by Online Tourist Rental Platforms

This work aims to determine, by means of a press analysis, the positioning of the media on the problems generated by the growth of tourist pressure in city centers and by the expansion of tourist accommodation intermediated online. The main objective of this work is to analyze, classify, and group the main press media and agencies and their positioning with respect to their coverage of socio-economic impacts linked to tourist accommodation platforms. Two different statistical techniques will be used, MultiDimensional Scaling and Hierarchical Ascending Classification (Clustering). Mainly, 24 impacts have been pinpointed, 12 positives and 12 negatives, which shows the great complexity of this phenomenon and the echo that the press makes of it. The impacts related to the ability to retain a dwelling in the tourist area are most frequently reported by the press, the increase in the price of rents/homes, the lack of regulation, the tourist pressure, or depopulation.

Evaluation agro-morphologique de sept écotypes de lentille de terre (Macrotyloma geocarpum) cultivés au Burkina Faso

Macrotyloma geocarpum est une légumineuse dont sa culture est largement abandonnée au profit de celle d’autres légumineuses. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’identifier les écotypes performants à partir d’une caractérisation agromorphologique dans les conditions pluviales. Les résultats ont montré une diversité phénotypique entre les écotypes pour les caractères couleur du tégument, couleur des fleurs et du pétiole. L’analyse de variance a révélé une faible variabilité entre les caractères quantitatifs. La classification ascendante hiérarchique a mis en évidence 3 ensembles de diversité agro-morphologique. Le premier groupe constitué de 3 écotypes à graines noires, est caractérisé par un nombre important de feuilles trifoliolées à la floraison, un cycle du semis à la floraison intermédiaire et un poids de 100 bonnes graines élevé. Le second groupe compte un seul écotype à graines blanches, caractérisé par un cycle de floraison précoce, un nombre de feuilles trifoliolées faible et un poids de 100 bonnes graines faible. Le troisième groupe constitué de 3 écotypes à graines noires, est caractérisé par un cycle de floraison tardif, un nombre de feuilles trifoliolées moyen et un poids de 100 bonnes graines moyen. Ces résultats pourront contribuer à la création de variétés performantes répondant aux attentes des producteurs et consommateurs.Mots clés: Culture négligée, génotypes, caractères, variabilité, climat. English Title: Agro-morphological evaluation of seven earth lens (Macrotyloma geocarpum) ecotypes cultivated in Burkina FasoMacrotyloma geocarpum is a legume whose cultivation is largely abandoned in favor of that of other legumes. The objective of this study was to identify successful ecotypes based on agromorphological characterization in rainfed conditions. The results showed phenotypic diversity between the ecotypes for seed coat color, flower color and petiole color. Analysis of Variance revealed little variability between quantitative traits. The hierarchical ascending classification has highlighted 3 sets of agro-morphological diversity. The first group consisting of 3 black-seeded ecotypes is characterized by a large number of trifoliate leaves at flowering, a cycle of sowing at intermediate flowering and a high weight of 100 good seeds. The second group has only one white-seeded ecotype characterized by an early flowering cycle, a low trifoliate leaf count and a low good seed weight of 100. The third group of 3 black-seeded ecotypes is characterized by a late flowering cycle, a medium number of trifoliate leaves and a medium weight of 100 good seeds. These results can contribute to the creation of high-performance varieties that meet the expectations of producers and consumers.Keywords: Neglected crop, Genotypes, characters, variability, climate.

Short Communication: Habitat characterization of Aristolochia baetica L. in Tessala Mount, Western Algeria

Zahra H, Zoheir M, Ali L, Kouider C, Amel A. 2018. Short Communication: Habitat characterization of Aristolochia baeticaL. in Tessala Mount, Western Algeria. Biodiversitas 19: xxxx. The aim of the current investigation was to study the characterization ofthe habitat of Aristolochia baetica L., an Ibero-Mauretanian species, present in Tessala Mount (West of Algeria). Twenty-fourphytoecological surveys were realized on eight stations (St1-St8) in which the species is present. The floristic inventory allowed us toidentify 68 species which are part of the floristic of A. Baetica, distributed in 31 botanical families; 6 biological and 19 biogeographicaltypes. The assessment of edaphic and plant data using correspondence factor analysis (CFA) and hierarchical ascending classification(HAC) showed that A. baetica is a member of plant training of scrublands and grows especially in stations at low heights with a highrate of limestone.