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Molecular Identification of Some Rhizobium and Serratia Isolates as Potential Producers of Indole-3-Acetic Acid
2023
Shaimaa Sello | Ashraf Abdel Razik | Samir Ibrahim | Sawsan Elateek
In order to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, the use of biological inoculants has been increased. Beneficial microorganisms are used to increase crop yields by stimulating plant growth through the production of phytohormones. In the present study, Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) production was analyzed in 18 bacterial isolates with Plant Growth-Promoting (PGP) capabilities; 15 of these isolates were Rhizobium, and three were Serratia. All isolates have been characterized morphologically and biochemically, and their IAA production in the presence of tryptophan, a precursor for IAA biosynthesis, has been evaluated. IAA production was detected using the Salkowski reagent with CT-2200 spectrophotometer at 530 nm. The levels of IAA production varied between the different isolates. The top two IAA producers were selected for genetic identification using 16SrRNA primers (27F and 1492R). One of the Rhizobium isolates (NRC-R2) shared 95% sequence similarity with Rhizobium sp., according to a Blastn search in GenBank and Rhizobium leguminosarum, whereas the Serratia isolate (Ain Shams Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ACGEB)-S2 was 99.5% similar to Serratia sp. Accordingly, these two isolates could serve as biological sources for IAA.
Show more [+] Less [-]Effect of Rumen-Protected Choline Supplementation on Growth Performance of Fattening Calves
2023
Abdelrahman Amin | Ahmed Marwan | Fouad Abdelaziz | Nasr Elbordiny
This study aimed to evaluate the influence of choline chloride supplementation on the growth performance of feedlot calves. Thirty-two crossbred calves with a mean initial body weight of 305.71±4.09 Kg were divided into three groups of 10, 11 and 11 animals, randomly. The animals were distributed to one of three dietary treatments, control, choline15 and choline 30 (the rations supplemented with 0, 15 and 30 g choline chloride, respectively). The animals were fed on concentrate feed at a rate of about 2.15% of their live body weight and rice straw open access. Supplementing animal ration with choline chloride did not significantly affect all nutrients' digestibility and feeding value. The animals supplemented with 30 g choline chloride recorded significantly higher (P=0.037) total serum protein concentration compared to the other groups. The group received a ration supplemented with 30 g of choline chloride and recorded significantly higher final weight, total gain, and mean daily gain. Data showed significant improvement in TDN, CP and DCP conversion for the animal received ration supplemented with 30 g choline chloride compared to the control group. In conclusion, supplementing fattening calves' ration with rumen-protected choline could improve average daily gain and feed conversion.
Show more [+] Less [-]Evaluation of Biologically Treated Olive Mill Wastewater for Irrigation of Pea Plant
2023
Rokia yehia | Azza Abdelaal | Ahmed Abdelhafez
This study evaluated the use of biologically treated olive mill wastewater (OMWW) for irrigation of pea plants, rather than discharging this nutrient-rich liquid and polluting the environment. Pea seeds were planted in pots containing soil irrigated with tap water (control), untreated (crude) OMWW, or OMWW treated with the fungus, Pleurotus columbinus, or algae Spirulina platensis or Wollea sp., with two NPK rates. Plant length shoot and root dry weight, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, chlorophyll, and carotene contents were measured, along with to nitrogenase and dehydrogenase activity. The highest shoots' N and P contents were recorded in plants irrigated with Sp. platensis- treated OMWW + 100% NPK; while the highest K content was in plants irrigated with crude OMWW + 100% NPK. The highest dehydrogenase activity, 59.01 μg TPF/100 g soils, was recorded in plants irrigated with P. columbinus-treated OMWW supported with 75% NPK, while maximum nitrogenase activity (261.82 μmol/100g soil/day) occurred in plants irrigated with Wollea sp.-treated OMWW with 75% NPK. The highest content of chlorophylls a & b and carotene (0.838, 0.276, 0.252 mg/g dry weight, respectively) were found in plants irrigated with OMWW treated with Wollea sp. and 100% NPK. Thus, biologically-treated OMWW showed promising impacts on plant growth parameters.
Show more [+] Less [-]The Relationship Between Vegetation Type and Population Density-Diversity of Spiders in Certain Vegetable Crops
2023
Hamdi Abd El-Karim | Marguerite Rizk
The experiment was carried out on three different vegetable crops, Cucumber Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitaceae), eggplant Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae) and okra Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Malvaceae), during summer 2021, to investigate the effect of vegetation type on spider density and diversity. For this study, the pitfall trap method was used to collect spiders from the soil surface to ensure a comprehensive representation of all spider guilds. During this study, 20 species belonging to 6 families were collected. The results showed that a total of 374, 285 and 194 individuals belonging to 18, 17 and 15 species were recorded in okra, cucumber and eggplant fields respectively. Species diversity was greater in okra cultivation. Results also indicated that the Lycosidae family was the most abundant and dominant, representing 71.75%, followed by the Linyphiidae family of 90 individuals representing 10.55% of the whole obtained population. The most dominant species were Wadicosa fidelis 152, 98 and 67 individuals and Pardosa injucunda 111, 69 and 52 individuals in okra, cucumber and eggplant respectively. It is inferred from this study that the type of plant can have an impact on spider communities.
Show more [+] Less [-]Molecular Genetic Studies on Honeybees in Response to Some Environmental Stresses
2023
Rehab Mohamed | Naglaa Ebeed | Khalid Fahmy | Naima Alsenosy | Sawsan Abdelmegeed
The honeybee, Apis mellifera, is a widespread pollinator insect. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) has recently caused a significant decline in honeybee numbers worldwide. The beekeeping industry, agriculture, and world biodiversity are threatened by the honeybee population decline. We examined the mRNA levels of heat shock protein gene 60 (hsp60), acetylcholinesterase 1, and acetylcholinesterase 2, as biomolecular markers of the insect response to three separate forms of environmental stress, including high temperature, low temperature, and insecticide. The obtained results indicated increased levels of hsp60 and acetylcholinesterase 2 after the exposure of worker bees to temperatures of 17, 32, and 40°C for one hour, as well as exposure to a low dose of pesticide for 24 h ingestion of imidacloprid solution (2 ppm); meanwhile, acetylcholinesterase 1 showed remarkable expression decrease under heat and cold stresses but increased under pesticide treatment. The responses of honeybees to hsp60, acetylcholinesterase 1, and acetylcholinesterase 2 are diverse and very specific to various stimuli. According to this research, the distinct expression profiles of hsp60 and acetylcholinesterase 2 can serve as useful instruments for tracking honeybees' vulnerability to varied environmental effects. Due to its insufficient responsiveness, acetylcholinesterase 1 expression is not permitted for use as a biomarker.
Show more [+] Less [-]Assessment of Egyptian Local Sheep and Goat Productivity Under the Environmental Conditions of Coastal Zone of Western Desert and Upper Egypt
2023
Taha Abdelsabour | Hussein Mansour | Samir Messad | Manal Elsayed | Adel Aboulnaga | Veronique Alary
Livestock plays a significant role in food production, income generation, soil quality, transportation and the overall welfare of communities, especially in developing nations. Sheep and goats are vital sources of food, livelihood and urgent financial needs. Researching livestock practices can help optimize production, enhance productivity, and improve market access, ultimately boosting the economic well-being of developing communities. Research is needed to identify climate-resilient livestock practices, develop drought-resistant breeds, and optimize feed management strategies. By enhancing the resilience of livestock systems, research can help safeguard food security and livelihoods in the face of climate change. Climate change, evidenced by temperature changes and increased extreme weather events, negatively impacts traditional farming systems and livestock production by affecting pastures, feeds, water quality and livestock diseases. Breeds of the Coastal Zone of Western Desert (CZWD) such as the Barki sheep and goat as well as the Saidi breed in Upper Egypt (UE), have adapted to these harsh conditions and are crucial for smallholders. However, there's an information gap regarding these breeds' productivity in smallholder systems. This study utilizes the Twelve Month Monitoring (12MO) survey to estimate the productivity and demographic parameters of these breeds from 2018 to 2020.
Show more [+] Less [-]Decreasing of Monosaccharide Contents Resulted From Cold- Induced Sweetening in Tetraploid Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Using Genome Editing
2023
Sally Hassan | Mohamed Abdel-Salam | ayman hanfy | Haytham Abd-Elhalim | Nouh Ahmed | Emad Metry
Worldwide, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most essential agro-economically food crops. To ensure its presence throughout the year for food processors and to extend its shelf life, it should be stored in cold temperatures. Despite the benefits of storage at low temperatures, it causes undesirable phenomena; one of them is cold-induced sweetening, which reduces the quality and the commercial value of the potato tubers. In this study, the CRISPR technology ″Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats″ has been used in potato cultivar Desiree via Agrobacterium mediated transformation to edit starch phosphorylase gene that is responsible for starch degradation in cold temperature storage, after regeneration steps. The regenerated plants were used in the screening of genome editing by Sanger sequencing and the ICE program. Screening results showed that Desiree 2 (DE2), Desiree 7 (DE7) and Desiree 27 (DE27) lines have mutations in sgRNA sequence that indicated a significant reduction in reduced sugar contents of tubers after cold storage for 90 and 120 days. The reduction mean values were 29.224, 35.078 and 35.862 in DE2, DE7 and DE27 respectively after 90 days and 83.212, 56.674 and 34.109 after 120 days without visible differences in plant morphology and tubers
Show more [+] Less [-]A Theoretical Analysis of the Plate Heat Exchanger's Ideal Operating Conditions for Producing Soybean Milk
2023
Omnia Salama | Manal Sorour | Ashrf Anwer | Mostafa Abd El-salam
Heat exchanger optimization is a very efficient thermal design inquiry. The goal of the research is to determine an optimal channel flow velocity as well as an optimal total plate number based on overall information on the effectiveness of employing chilled water to cool soybean milk. Heat transfer coefficient, Prandtl number, Reynolds number and pressure drop measurements were applied for milk and water. The rheological properties of soybean milk have been investigated at various temperatures (5, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90 °C). The operational circumstances of PHE in soybean procedures were investigated at different numbers of plates, flow rates and flow velocities. Based on the present study, total substances showed non-Newtonian pseudoplastic conduct in any respect at any temperature and the power law model has a decent correlation. The cost estimation of the plate heat exchanger was observed at the lowest flow velocity of (2.25) m/s and number of plates is 17.
Show more [+] Less [-]Biological Adsorption and Desorption of Anionic Congo Red Dye by Nano Composite Polymer Sheets
2023
Hagar Magdy | Hekmat Madian | Ahmed Abdelhamid | Notiala Nasser | Mahmoud Hegazi | Ahmed Labena
Congo red (CR) is an anionic dye that is released from various industries and demonstrates a negative effect on the environment and human health. Dye`s elimination from the environment is an important challenge; therefore, the aim of this study was the application of unhydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse wastes, after acid hydrolysis, drying, grinding and including cellulose acetate to form different composite sheets. The composite sheets were applied in the 3Rs (Removal of Congo red using the composite sheet, Recover of the Congo red after removal using ethanol, and Reuse of the composite sheet many times) processes. The Congo red removal efficiency by the composite sheets was optimized using two statistical methods, One Factor at A Time (OFAT) and General Factorial Design. Afterward, isotherms models and kinetics studies were investigated; moreover, the reusability was also examined. The results exhibited that, the Congo red removal efficiency of 76.27 % was achieved for 500 ppm of the dye using the composite sheet with a concentration of 7 g/L; at a pH value of 7.0 and a contact time of 240 min. Interestingly, the composite sheets have been applied for 3Rs (Removal, Recovery, Reuse) cycles 5 times.
Show more [+] Less [-]Increasing of Amylopectin in Tetraploid Potato Desiree Cultivar (Solanum tuberosum L.) Via CRISPR/Cas9
2023
Nermin Ali | Mohamed Abdel-Salam | aiman hanfy | Haytham Abd-Elhalim | Nouh Ahmed | Emad Metry
Potato tuber starch characteristic is influenced by the ratio of amylose to amylopectin, which is affected by the granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) gene. GBSS gene expression was decreased in the leaves of the Desiree potato variety utilizing genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9. Constructs encoding Cas9 gene and sgRNAs targeting GBSS gene were inserted into plant leaves using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation delivery. The results obtained lines with mutations in GBSS genes accounting for 21% of regenerated shoots. The identification of mutations within one base pair of the used guide sequence provided further evidence of the considerable similarity between the target region around the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) position and the used guide sequence. Transforming DNA into potato leaves produced mutants that lacked the Cas9 gene. Using microscopic inspection of iodine-stained starch granules, the increase of amylopectin in the starch granules of editing potato tubers was evaluated.
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