The chemical composition and digestibility of twelve plant samples (Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Atriplex canescens, Artemesia herba-alba, Astragalus gombo, Calobota saharae Ceratonia siliqua, Gleditsia triacanthos, Hedysarum coronarium, Medicago sativa, Ononis natrix L, Hordeum vulgare and <...

Embolism repair and ionic effects on xylem hydraulic conductance have been documented in different tree species. However, the diurnal and seasonal patterns of both phenomena and their actual role in plants' responses to drought-induced xylem cavitation have not been thoroughly investigated. This study provides experimental evidence of the ability of three Mediterranean species to maintain hydra...

Extracts from pods and leaves of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) were tested for their ability to inhibit cell proliferation of mouse hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (T1). The two extracts showed a marked alteration of T1 cell proliferation in a dose-related fashion reaching the maximal effect at 1 mg/ml. Moreover, we demonstrated that leaf and pod extracts were able to induce apoptosis in T1 c...

There is a growing interest worldwide to find out new and cheap carbohydrate sources for production of bioethanol. In this work, carob pod (Ceratonia Siliqua) is proposed as an economical source for ethanol production, especially, in arid regions. The carob tree is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean region, cultivated for its edible seed pods and it is currently being reemphasised a...

The seeds of various plants were used as weights because their mass reputedly varies so little. Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), which has given its name to the carat, is particularly famous in this regard. But are carob seeds unusually constant in weight and, if not, how did the myth arise? The variability of seeds sampled from a collection of carob trees (CV=23%) was close to the average of 63 spec...

The carob tree, which is a member of the Fabaceae family, an agrosilvopastoral tree whose pre-Mediterranean tropical origin appears well established on basis genetic, fossil and physiological data. C. siliqua has recently been successfully introduced from Mediterranean basin to other parts world that have climate. In terms its domestication, there paleobotanical, philological, ecological histor...