An experimental field trial was conducted in seasons of 2015 and 2016 at Giza Experimental Station of Agricultural Research Centre (ARC), Egypt to evaluate the foliar spray effect with transpiration regulators (Potassium, Kaolin and Ascorbic acid) and three levels of irrigations (100%, 80% and 60% of Et0) on yield, its attributes, and water productivity of two sunflower cultivars (Giza 102 and Solala 120). The factorial treatments were arranged in split- split plot design with three replications. The irrigation levels (100%, 80% and 60% of Et0) were devoted for main plots, while subplots contained the three spraying treatments of transpiration regulators. (Potassium at 1%, Kaolin at 3% and Ascorbic acid at 100 ppm), in addition to control treatment (water spray). Sub-sub plots were occupied by the two sunflower cultivars (Giza 102 and Solala 120). Obtained results proved that, increasing irrigation levels up to (80- 100%) caused significant increase in all growth characteristics, photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophyll), relative water content (RWC %) and seed oil %. Also, yield parameters being head diameter, 1000-seed weight and seed yield) show significant reduction under water deficit. Foliar spray with (Potassium at 1%, Kaolin at 3% and Ascorbic acid at 100 ppm), positively affected all the growth and physiological criteria of the tested plants compared with control. Generally, under low irrigation levels, application of transpiration regulators effectively reduced the detrimental impact of drought stress on growth, yield and its components of the two used cultivars in the two seasons. While, foliar spraying of potassium under 100% of Et0 gave the best treatment in this respect. Concerning cultivars, WUE (water use efficiency) for Solala 120 was significantly higher than for Giza 102 in the two seasons. All interactions among factors under study due to WUE were not significant in 2015 and 2016 seasons.

The effect of two probiotic products with Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) as source of dietary protein and/or energy in ruminant diets on the growth performance and some blood parame-ters of Barki lamps were evaluated. Two com-mercial probiotic formulas (ZAD and ICEC-Trol) were administrated directly with theirap-plications: P1 (without probiotic), P2 (ZAD), P3 (ZAD + ICEC-Trol), the combination of four different rations: R1 (control), R2 (PKC as source of energy), R3 (PKC as source of en-ergy and protein) and R4 (PKC as source of protein). Barki lambs (n=96, 35kg average body weight) were randomly assigned to 12 experimental groups in a completely random-ized block design. (8 lambs for each group) and fed for 47 days. ZAD probiotic was ap-plied at 2 ml/head/day and ICEC-TROL was applied at 3 g/head/day. Animals weight gain and average daily gain were measured and Glucose, total protein, albumin, calcium and phosphorus were measured. Results showed that animals fed control ration (R1) with P2, R2 with P3 and R4 with P3 showed highest (P<0.05) total weight gain (10.75, 10.88 and 10.56, respectively) and average daily gain (0.229, 0.231 and 0.225, respectively). ZAD probiotic improved serum total protein, globu-lin, glucose when using with PKC in lambs’ rations. In conclusion, using PKC as a source of energy or protein, with two sources of pro-biotics in lambs’ rations showed to be more ef-fective in weight gain, while using one probi-otic (ZAD) is enough for fattening with tradi-tional rations.

Mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is in-fected with many diseases. In this work, two fungi species, Aspergillus fumigatus and As-pergillus flavus, were isolated from the in-fected B. mori larvae during rearing process. The morphological symptoms were the same for both fungi and appeared from newly hatched larvae until moth formation. In larvae, black spots of both fungi species appeared eve-rywhere on the body, then these spots extended and eventually larvae died, and fragments of the fungus came out from the spots. The only one difference between the two fungi, is that symptoms of A. fumigatus appeared four days earlier than those of A. flavus. Newly hatched larvae were sprayed with spore suspension (1x106 conidia spores/ml) of A. fumigates and A. flavus separately. One and 12 hrs. after in-oculation, larvae were sprayed with different concentrations of fungicide (Actamyl), sali-cylic acid, and henna and propolis powders, in isolation. After words, mortality and survival percentages were calculated and compared to those that occurred in untreated check (larvae were inoculated with A. fumigatus and A. fla-vus separately without any control treatment). The lowest mortality and highest survival per-centage were occurred in larvae treated with salicylic acid at 10% after 12 hrs. from inocu-lation with A. fumigatus. On the other hand, the lowest mortality and highest survival percent-ages occurred in larvae treated with the fungi-cide Actamyl at 6% and henna at 15% after 12 hrs. from inoculation with A. flavus.

Twelve local Zaraiby goats with average live body weight of 10.71±0.23 kg (5-6 months). Animals were divided into three comparable groups. Goats in first group were fed without supplement (control group) or sup-plemented with 25% ordinary cobalt and 25% nanocobalt from cobalt requirements (NRC, 1985). The results showed that no significant difference (P>0.05) among experimental groups for DMI and CPI values. However, there was a highest significant difference (P<0.05) in average daily gain, total gain, and feed efficiency (kg gain/ kg DMI) for nanoco-balt group. Nutrients digestibility values as DM, CP, CF, NFC, ADF, NDF, cellulose and hemicellulose in addition to percentage of TDN in nanocobalt treatment were higher sig-nificantly than those others groups. But the ra-tio of nitrogen balance in goats' diet with nano-cobalt group was less than that using ordinary cobalt and control group. While the DE (Mcal/Kg DMI) ratio was no significant differ-ences observed among groups. Rumen pH and TVFA’s values after 3 and 6 hours of feeding, the control and the ordinary cobalt groups in-creased (P<0.05) more than the nanocobalt group. After 3hrs, adding nanocobalt has lower significant values for NH3-N than those others. Where, the control group recorded the lowest value. No significant (P>0.05) differences were observed at 0, 3and 6 hrs. after feeding for all blood parameters. There was a slight in-crease for most of body measurements with nanocobalt supplement. It could be concluded that adding nanocobalt for goats' rations en-hanced growth performance, digestibility coef-ficients, rumen parameters and slightly body measurements without any diverse effect on animals' health.

This study aimed to examine the consequences of three regimes for irrigation on cucumber crops and their growth indication, production, and water productivity under greenhouse cultivation. Cucumber seedlings were planted in May 2018 under a greenhouse condition. Three regimes of drip irrigation were examined, first 100%, 80%, and 50% of ETc namely T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The second regime was systems of drip irrigation (sur-face and sub-surface irrigation). Finally, the third was dripper discharge which used (2 l/h and 4 l/h). Results indicated clearly that the best production was under 80% ETc regime by 2 l/h dripper for surface and subsurface that was 10.1 and 11.2 ton/greenhouse respectively with IR 172 m3/season and the best regime by using 4 l/h was 50% ETc for surface and sub-surface respectively  which was 11 and 11.5 ton/greenhouse with IR 216 m3/season which saved about half a quantity of irrigation water. On the other hand, the very best water productivity value (WP) was under 80% ETc was 58.7 and 65.4 kg/m3 under surface (S) and sub-surface (SS) drip irrigation respectively by 2 l/h dripper flow rate.

A series of lab and field experiments were carried out to evaluate the possibility of using some substances as adjuvants added to the foliar fertilizer tank to improve fertilizer application and enhance use efficiency. Each of the suggested substances was prepared in 10 concentrations treatments, ranging between 0.05 and 2g/L. The effect of each concentration on static surface tension and static contact angle in liquid/air/glass and solid plant leaves/air interface were used to evaluate and find out the optimum concentration of each substance to be used as an adjuvant. An Adjmix-D1 was pre-pared using 0.6g/L Triethanolamine and 0.6g/L liquid soap as surfactants, 0.6g/L glycerin as a humectant, 0.6 g/L Arabic gum as a sticker and 0.6g/L urea as a penetrator. The obtained results showed that fruit yield as well as N, K, Fe, Zn and Mn contents in white eggplants and cucumber leaves are positively increased by the applications of improved foliar fertilizers (IFF). This increase can be arranged in the following descending order: Adjmix-D1 > Adjmix-D2 > Liquid soap > Rixi film > Triethanolamine. It could be concluded that the Adjmix-D1 can be used as an effective adjuvant for improving foliar fertilizer application efficiency.

A pot experiment was carried out in seventeen levels of fertilization to evaluate the effect of the bio-fertilizer mixture alone or in combination with chemical fertilizer (NPK) on Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill). Bio-fertilizer was a mixture of Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus circulans and Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza. Results indicated that the use of bio-fertilizer at 3.75 ml/pot four times with 25% of NPK gave the highest significant values of vegetative growth, yield parameters, and NPK uptake; how-ever, fertilizing with bio-fertilizers without NPK application showed the lowest significant values in the two experimental seasons. The same addition of bio-fertilizer gave the highest significant values of total microbial count of soil and increased cumulative CO2; whereas the addition of 100% NPK gave the lowest significant values in both seasons. The full dose of NPK significantly increased volatile oil percentage while the addition of bio-fertilizer only significantly decreased it in both seasons. GC analysis of essential oil showed that the highest percentage of anethol (12.77 %) was obtained by applying 3.75 ml/pot bio-fertilizer added one time + 25% NPK and de-creased estragole (72.78%).

In the sake of enhancing the thermal stability of α-Tocopheryl acetate (α-TA) and Strawberry Anthocyanins (AN), their encapsulation with starch or β-Cyclodextrin were prepared and characterized by UV-Vis and IR spectra in addition to thermal analysis. Thermal stability was investigated by comparing the thermographs of each host and guest with that of the prepared complex. Both hosts provided extra thermal stability to both guests where α-TA is stabilized from 230 to 291oC by complexation with starch and to 285oC by encapsulation with β-CD. AN was also stabilized from 40.02oC to 75.57 and 79.46oC by complexation with starch and β-CD respectively.

Glyphosate (GLY) and glufosinate-ammonium (GLUA) are broad-spectrum, non-selective, contact herbicides that are commonly used in fruit farms Achieving the separation and detection of glyphosate and glufosinate from soil samples by chromatography is a challenging task as they are ionic and highly water-soluble compounds. The aim of this study is conducted to determine the dissipation of GLY and GLUA applied at two dose levels in three-depth soils of orange orchards. The residues of GLY and GLUA were determined by the HPLC-UV detector. The residual detection limits of GLY and GLUA of the method were 0.03 and 0.05 ng/g in soil respectively. The obtained data indicated that GLY persistent in the soil is very short, only for 7 days, following applications of 1 to 2 kg/fed in the orange crop. GLUA dissipated in soil within 14 days of application, regardless of dose. The half-life (T/2) of GLY and GLUA were 1.68 and 1.42 days at 0 cm depth, respectively. There was no significant difference between the half-life of the two herbicides in soil at three depths. These results showed that GLY dissipation occurs rapidly in soil. However, GLUA was moderately persistent in soil. The two compounds tested showed a reduction of dry weight for four types of weeds after 14 days of recommended and double-rate application.

Aphids are considered one of the most economically important insect pests worldwide. Successful pest management systems are based on accurate and rapid pest species identification. Traditional morphological identification of closed aphid species may be considered an inaccurate taxonomic process. To overcome the disadvantages of traditional morphological identification, molecular techniques, related to DNA markers and based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR), were approached by using nine ISSRs primers to identify and diagnose fifteen common aphid species that disperse in the Egyptian agroecosystem. The examined ISSRs primers could success-fully discriminate the tested aphid species that reflected 61.39% polymorphism among them. Moreover, four banding patterns were considered unique bands that could characterize three aphid species (Aphis gossypii, Aphis nerii and Myzus persicae). The highest genetic homology (84.9%) was observed between species Rhopalosipum padi and Schizaphis graminum. In addition, each of A. gossypii and Aphis citricola were also genetically homologous species. In contrast, species Aphis craccivora and M. persicae were analogous genetically with a low similarity percentile (59.8%). High genetic di-vergence was observed also between A. nerii and M. persicae. Two alternative molecular branching taxonomic keys were proposed by subjecting the five highest polymorphic ISSRs primers and 29 banding patterns with different molecular sizes.