article · Sustainability
Marrubium aschersonii is an underutilised plant species endemic to Tunisia. Researchers established an ecological profile of the species using open-source data and geographical information systems to understand the abiotic conditions of its natural habitats. This environmental data informed propagation experiments, revealing that seed germination reaches 68.75 percent at 20 degrees Celsius. Seedling growth trials showed that integrated nutrient management fertilisers were more effective than standard chemical options during pilot cultivation. Furthermore, the species was authenticated using DNA barcoding for the first time, providing a tool for genetic traceability. Together, these ecological, agronomic, and genetic findings provide a foundation to support both conservation measures and controlled cultivation. The data also allowed for an updated feasibility assessment regarding the sustainable exploitation of the plant.
Neglected endemic plants often face conservation risks and remain underused due to a lack of ecological and agronomic data. By establishing effective seed germination methods, suitable cultivation practices, and molecular identification tools, this work provides the necessary baseline information to preserve a vulnerable local plant while investigating its potential for broader use.
The work targets potential applications in the medicinal-cosmetic, agro-alimentary, and ornamental-horticultural sectors. DNA barcoding provides traceability for commercial product design, while cultivation protocols support controlled sourcing. Because the research establishes propagation baselines and pilot seedling cultivation, it remains at an early applied stage, requiring further scale-up before market integration.
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In the frame of conservation and sustainable utilization of neglected and underutilized phytogenetic resources, this study produced for the first time a detailed ecological profiling for the local Tunisian endemic Marrubium ascheronii (Lamiaceae) using Geographical Information Systems and open-source data. This profile was used to illustrate the abiotic environmental conditions of its wild habitats; the profile facilitated the examination of the effect of temperature on its seed germination and may inform species-specific guidelines for its cultivation in man-made environments. With effective seed propagation firstly reported herein (68.75% at 20 °C), species-specific in situ conservation efforts and ex situ conservation or sustainable exploitation strategies were enabled for M. aschersonii. The first-reported molecular authentication (DNA barcoding) of M. aschersonii may facilitate its traceability, allowing for product design. This study also reports for the first time the effects of chemical and integrated nutrient management (INM) fertilizers on the growth and pilot cultivation of M. aschersonii seedlings, with the latter being advantageous. This multidisciplinary approach has bridged important research gaps that hindered the conservation efforts and/or the sustainable exploitation for this local endemic plant of Tunisia. Based on all the above, we re-evaluated and updated the feasibility and readiness timescale for sustainable exploitation of M. aschersonii in the medicinal-cosmetic, agro-alimentary and ornamental-horticultural sectors.
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DOI: 10.3390/su14031637
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