The aim of this study was to compare the rhizobial symbiosis and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) accumulations in soil and plants in intercropping versus sole cropping in biennial rotation of a cereal – durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.), and a N₂-fixing legume – faba bean (Vicia faba L.) over a three-year period at the INRA (National Institue of Agronomic Research) experimental station in the Mauguio district, south-east of Montpellier, France. Plant growth, nodulation and efficiency in the use of rhizobial symbiosis (EURS) for the legume, nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) for the cereal, and N and C accumulation in the soil were evaluated. Shoot dry weight (SDW) and NNI were significantly higher for intercropped than for the sole cropped wheat whereas there was no significant difference on SDW between the intercropped and sole cropped faba beans. EURS was higher in intercropped than in sole cropped faba bean. Furthermore, by comparison with a weeded fallow, there was a significant increase in soil C and N content over the three-year period of intercropping and sole cropping within the biennial rotation. It is concluded that intercropping increases the N nutrition of wheat by increasing the availability of soil-N for wheat. This increase may be due to a lower interspecific competition between legume and wheat than intra-specific competition between wheat plants, thanks to the compensation that the legume can achieve by fixing the atmospheric nitrogen.

Neurodegenerative disorders, caused by prone-to-aggregation proteins, such as Alzheimer disease or Huntington disease, share other traits such as disrupted homeostasis of essential metal ions, like copper. In this context, in an attempt to identify Cu 2+ chelating agents, we study several organic compounds (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, phenylenediamine, metformin, salicylate, and trehalose) and organic extracts obtained from Bacopa monnieri L., which has been used in Ayurvedic therapies and presented a broad spectrum of biological properties. For this purpose, UV–visible spectroscopy analysis and electrochemical measurements were performed. Further, biological assays were performed in Caenorhabditis elegans models of polyQ toxicity, in an attempt to obtain better insights on neurodegenerative disorders.

The island of Grande-Terre is a French overseas region that belongs to the Guadeloupean archipelago, a biodiversity hotspot with unique flora. Herbal medicine is widely used in the island for therapeutical purposes; however, there is a significant knowledge gap in the records relating to medicinal plants and their associated uses. Ethnobotanical survey methodology using quantitative parameters (informant consensus factor, species use value, relative frequency of citation, frequency use of a treatment and plant for an ailment) provided insights into the traditional medicinal use of a given plant. Ninety-six different plant species distributed among 56 families were identified and 523 remedies were documented in the survey. After data filtering, 22 plants species were associated with 182 remedies. The most frequent plant families were Poaceae, Myrtaceae, Cucurbitaceae and Rubiaceae. Aerial parts of these plants were the most common parts of the plant used for the remedies and the most frequent mode of administration was oral ingestion. This study highlights a valuable traditional knowledge of folklore medicine and helps to document and preserve the association of a plant with—and its use frequency for—a given ailment. These findings might be the starting point for the identification of biologically active phytocompounds to fight common health debilities.