In this study, human-safe lactic acid microorganisms (LAM) were isolated from food samples to be used as potential additives for human food. Samples from various food sources (artisanal cheeses, fermented chickpeas, fermented rice, natural yogurt, pickles, and raw milk) were used to inoculate de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) and malt agar plates, which were incubated at 30°C for 48 h or 37°C for 72 h to isolate lactic acid bacteria and yeast, respectively. Out of 120 isolates (85 bacteria and 35 yeast), 75 isolates showed γ-hemolytic activity and were considered “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) isolates. After testing their growth rate under the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) conditions, including acidic pH and specific bile salt concentrations, we selected 30 isolates. Then, we evaluated the fermentative abilities of these 30 isolates on nine types of carbohydrates, their total acidity, and their antagonistic activity against five human pathogens. Based on the results of these tests, four isolates were selected for identification using the Biolog program and 16S rRNA sequencing for bacteria and 18S rRNA sequencing for yeast and found to be Bacillus bingmayongesis (FJAT-13831), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (R094), Pediococcus pentosaceus (DSM 20336), and one yeast isolate as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SaCe1 26S).

In this study, human-safe lactic acid microorganisms (LAM) were isolated from food samples to be used as potential additives for human food. Samples from various food sources (artisanal cheeses, fermented chickpeas, fermented rice, natural yogurt, pickles, and raw milk) were used to inoculate de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) and malt agar plates, which were incubated at 30°C for 48 h or 37°C for 72 h to isolate lactic acid bacteria and yeast, respectively. Out of 120 isolates (85 bacteria and 35 yeast), 75 isolates showed γ-hemolytic activity and were considered “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) isolates. After testing their growth rate under the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) conditions, including acidic pH and specific bile salt concentrations, we selected 30 isolates. Then, we evaluated the fermentative abilities of these 30 isolates on nine types of carbohydrates, their total acidity, and their antagonistic activity against five human pathogens. Based on the results of these tests, four isolates were selected for identification using the Biolog program and 16S rRNA sequencing for bacteria and 18S rRNA sequencing for yeast and found to be Bacillus bingmayongesis (FJAT-13831),Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (R094), Pediococcus pentosaceus (DSM20336), and one yeast isolate as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SaCe1 26S).

Ephedra is the most widely and largest widespread genus in the Gnetopsida, a subgroup of the gymnosperms. This research was done to find out how gamma radiation affected the in vitro growth of callus and suspension cultures. In addition, the effect of gamma rays (γ-rays) on the ephedrine and pseudoephedrine concentrations was evaluated through HPLC analysis. The cell suspension and callus cultures were formed on Murashige and Skoog's basal medium (MS) supplemented with 0.5 mg/l kinetin (Kn), and 3 mg/l of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and exposed to variable gamma radiation doses (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 Gray). Highly significant differences in both fresh and dry callus weights were recorded due to the effect of gamma rays (γ-rays). The findings demonstrated that in the cell suspension and callus cultures, 15 Gray achieved the highest fresh and dry weights when compared to the control. Similarly, the highest concentrations of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were found in suspension and callus cultures compared to control at 15 Gray.

Ephedra is the most widely and largest widespread genus in the Gnetopsida, a subgroup of the gymnosperms. This research was done to find out how gamma radiation affected the in vitro growth of callus and suspension cultures. In addition, the effect of gamma rays (γ-rays) on the ephedrine and pseudoephedrine concentrations was evaluated through HPLC analysis. The cell suspension and callus cultures were formed on Murashige and Skoog's basal medium (MS) supplemented with 0.5 mg/l kinetin (Kn), and 3 mg/l of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and exposed to variable gamma radiation doses (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 Gray). Highly significant differences in both fresh and dry callus weights were recorded due to the effect of gamma rays (γ-rays). The findings demonstrated that in the cell suspension and callus cultures, 15 Gray achieved the highest fresh and dry weights when compared to the control. Similarly, the highest concentrations of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were found in suspension and callus cultures compared to control at 15 Gray.

Tillage as one of the agricultural practices consumes the largest amount of energy, which reflects on the total production cost. The artificial neural network (ANN) technique was utilized in the current study to opti-mize the performance of the tillage process. The ANN-modeled multilayer perceptron network with a backpropagation learning algorithm and momen-tum term was used by the PYTHON program. The ANN inputs were: the implement type, soil texture, moisture, bulk density, width, speed, and depth. The draught was the output (kN). Five layers composed the ANN model's optimal configuration (13-64-16-4-1). The linear and rectified linear units (ReLU) functions were utilized with hidden layers and the output layer, re-spectively. Momentum term and learning rate were 0.00003 and 0.9 respec-tively. The iteration number was 1000 epochs and stopped at 290 epochs. The coefficient of determination in the test datasets was high (0.92) while the difference between actual and predicted output was low (2.08). Bulk den-sity and depth were the main determinants of the draft. The evaluation of the developed model for chisel, moldboard, and disk plow gave satisfactory re-sults of 0.985, 0.924, and 0.917. In comparison to the ANNs, the regression model's correlation coefficient for predicting draught force was the lowest (0.373).

Machine learning models, Artificial neural network, Tillage performance, Energy needs, draught Tillage as one of the agricultural practices consumes the largest amount of energy, which reflects on the total production cost. The artificial neural network (ANN) technique was utilized in the current study to optimize the performance of the tillage process. The ANN-modeled multilayer perceptron network with a backpropagation learning algorithm and momentum term was used by the PYTHON program. The ANN inputs were the implement type, soil texture, moisture, bulk density, width, speed, and depth. The draught was the output (kN). Five layers composed the ANN model's optimal configuration (13-64-16-4-1). The linear and rectified linear units (ReLU) functions were utilized with hidden layers and the output layer, respectively. Momentum term and learning rate were 0.00003 and 0.9 respectively. The iteration number was 1000 epochs and stopped at 290 epochs. The coefficient of determination in the test datasets was high (0.92) while the difference between actual and predicted output was low (2.08). Bulk density and depth were the main determinants of the draft. The evaluation of the developed model for chisel, moldboard, and disk plow gave satisfactory results of 0.985, 0.924, and 0.917. In comparison to the ANNs, the regression model's correlation coefficient for predicting draught force was the lowest (0.373).

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is the second sugar crop for sugar production after sugar cane worldwide. This plant is subjected to the infestation of several insect pests that cause considerable damage, especially leafhoppers, that can transmit phytopathogens (e.g., phytoplasma). In this work, we identified and described the leafhopper, Hebata (Alboneurasca) decipiens, in addition to the detection and molecular identification of Candidatus Phytoplasma that was transmitted by this leafhopper on sugar beet plants from naturally infected sugar beet plants to an uninfected one. The 16S rDNA gene from phytoplasma was amplified by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and directly sequenced using specific primer pairs DNA fragments. The resulting sequences were analyzed and compared with another phytoplasma sequence available at GenBank sequences performing BLAST using DNAMAN.

The second sugar crop of sugar production after sugar cane world-wide is sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). This plant is subjected to the infestation of several insect pests that cause considerable damage, especially leafhoppers, that can transmit phytopathogens (e.g., phytoplasma). In this work, we identified and described the leafhopper, Hebata (Alboneurasca) decipiens, in addition to detection and molecular identification of Candidatus Phyto-plasma that was transmitted by this leafhopper on sugar beet plants from naturally infected sugar beet plants to an uninfected one. The 16S rDNA gene from phytoplasma was amplified by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and directly sequenced using specific primer pairs DNA fragments. The resulting sequences were analyzed and compared with another phytoplasma sequence available at GenBank sequences performing BLAST using DNAMAN.

This work aims to examine the quality features of functional cam-el ice cream (8% fat) prepared by replacing the cream with a solid milk fat fraction (SMF), a liquid milk fat fraction (LMF) and LMF: SMF (2:1 v/v) in the ice cream mixtures. All samples were assessed for their physiochemical and rheological characteristics and the sensory quality of the ice cream mixtures and resulting ice cream. The results clarified that the type of milk fat fraction affected the viscosity of the ice cream mixtures. Also, the whipping ability decreased gradually with the increasing slip melting point of the fraction used. The use of SMF in the ice cream mix decreased the adsorption of protein and fat destabilization, characterized by the slowest melting compared to ice cream with other milk fat sources. The highest and lowest hardness values were found in ice cream mixtures made with SMF and LMF, respectively. In conclusion, ice cream was successfully made by replacing the milk cream fat fractions. Cream substitution with SMF followed by LMF: SMF (2:1 v/v) is recommended in arid and semi-arid regions and improved the whipping ability, overrun, and flavor scores, which were lower when using SMF.

The aim of this work is to examine the quality features of functional camel ice cream (8% fat) prepared by replacing the cream with a solid milk fat fraction (SMF), a liquid milk fat fraction (LMF) and LMF:SMF (2:1 v/v) in the ice cream mixtures. All samples were assessed for their physio-chemical and rheological characteristics and the sensory quality of the ice cream mixtures and resulting ice cream. The results clarified that the type of milk fat fraction affected the viscosity of the ice cream mixtures. Also, the whipping ability decreased gradually with increasing slip melting point of the fraction used. The use of SMF in the ice cream mix decreased the adsorption of protein and fat destabilization, characterized by the slowest melting compared to ice cream with other milk fat sources. The highest and lowest hardness values were found in ice cream mixtures made with SMF and LMF, respectively. In conclusion, ice cream was successfully made by replacing the milk cream fat fractions. Cream substitution with SMF followed by LMF:SMF (2:1 v/v) is recommended in arid and semi-arid regions and improved the whipping ability, overrun, and flavor scores, which were lower when using SMF.

Three years old uniform vines for cv. "Melody syn. Blagratwo" seedless table grape were selected, and three levels of bud load were trimmed, namely 60, 72, and 78 buds/ vine. The findings revealed that vegetative growth traits, characteristics of yield and bunch quality were significantly affected by all different pruning levels of cane length in both seasons of this study. Highest bud load vines (78 buds/vine) produced the greatest yield and cluster number but had a negative effect on the percentage of bud behavior, shoot thickness, shoot length, weight of annual pruning (Kg/vine), cluster and berry quality parameters. In contrast, lowest vine bud load (78 buds/vine) had a better bud behavior, vegetative growth traits, cluster characteristics and berry characteristics but both bunch numbers and yield were reduced. In addition, vines pruned with bud load of 72 buds per vine significantly showed the best outcomes, since it successfully struck a balance be-tween features of vegetative growth, yield, cluster and berry physical and quality attributes in both seasons.

Three years old uniform vines for cv. "Melody syn. Blagratwo" seedless table grape were selected, and three levels of bud load were trimmed, namely 60, 72, and 78 buds/ vine. The findings revealed that vegetative growth traits, characteristics of yield and bunch quality were significantly affected by all different pruning levels of cane length in both seasons of this study. Highest bud load vines (78 buds/vine) produced the greatest yield and cluster number but had a negative effect on the percentage of bud behavior, shoot thickness, shoot length, weight of annual pruning (Kg/vine), cluster and berry quality parameters. In contrast, lowest vine bud load (78 buds/vine) had a better bud behavior, vegetative growth traits, cluster characteristics and berry characteristics but both bunch numbers and yield were reduced. In addition, vines pruned with bud load of 72 buds per vine significantly showed the best outcomes, since it successfully struck a balance be-tween features of vegetative growth, yield, cluster and berry physical and quality attributes in both seasons.

The green bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris) is infested with many insects such as whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci). An investigation was carried out to study the insecticidal activity of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), five pesticides were used, namely Thiamothoxam, Sulfoxaflor, Spirotetramat, Pymetrozine, and Flonicamid, and three commercial natural pesticides, namely Superrego, Topnine, and Bernastar. Pesticides and natural pesticides were sprayed during the two seasons of 2020 and 2021. The obtained results in terms of the reduction rate of the insects' number were as follows: The highest rate of reduction appeared in Thiamothoxam and Sulfoxaflor treatments, where it reached above 80%, while the other pesticides were in the range of 40% to 60%, and the lowest reduction rate was 34.33% and 36.00 % for Bernastar during season 2020 and 2021 respectively. When evaluating the toxicity of these pesticides and natural pesticides against honeybees (Apis mellifera), the pesticides did not reveal any toxicity to honeybees, except for Thiamothoxam, Sulfoxaflor, and Superrego The LC50 and LD50 values against honeybees were 0.2 ppm and 0.000005µg/one honeybee for Thiamothoxam, 4.5 ppm and 0.0001125 µg/one bee for Sulfoxaflor, and 0.95 ppm and 0.00002375 µg /one bee for Superego respectively.

The green bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris) is infested with many insects such as whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci). An investigation was carried out to study the insecticidal activity of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), five pesticides were used, namely Thiamothoxam, Sulfoxaflor, Spirotetramat, Pymetrozine, and Flonicamid, and three commercial natural pesticides, namely Superrego, Topnine, and Bernastar. Pesticides and natural pesticides were sprayed during the two seasons of 2020 and 2021. The obtained results in terms of the reduction rate of the insects' number were as follows: The highest rate of reduction appeared in Thiamothoxam and Sulfoxaflor treatments, where it reached above 80%, while the other pesticides were in the range of 40% to 60%, and the lowest reduction rate was 34.33% and 36.00 % for Bernastar during season 2020 and 2021 respectively. When evaluating the toxicity of these pesticides and natural pesticides against honeybees (Apis mellifera), the pesticides did not reveal any toxicity to honeybees, except for Thiamothoxam, Sulfoxaflor, and Superrego The LC50 and LD50 values against honeybees were 0.2 ppm and 0.000005µg/one honeybee for Thiamothoxam, 4.5 ppm and 0.0001125 µg/one bee for Sulfoxaflor, and 0.95 ppm and 0.00002375 µg /one bee for Superego respectively.

The purpose of the research was to illustrate the effects of feeding Nile tilapia fingerlings (Oreochromis niloticus) with low doses of aflatoxins (AFs) with and without vitamin C supplementation to investigate the capacity of vitamin C in detoxification. Ten experimental diets were formulated and divided into three categories. The first category included: T1, T4 and T7 feedings included 20, 40 and 80 μg AFs kg−1 feed respectively, while both the second category T2, T5 and T8 and the third category T3, T6 and T9 were treated with contaminated feed with AFs for 57days then both categories shifted to different regime till the conclusion of the experimentation. The second category was fed uncontaminated feed while the third category was fed a supplemented diet with 100 mg Kg-1 of vitamin C. For 113 days the experiment was conducted. The results showed that shifting from a contaminated diet to an uncontaminated diet (category 2) or adding vitamin C to the contaminated diet (category 3) improved the deterioration that occurred in the values of growth performance, biochemical parameters and histological disorders caused by AFs. Furthermore, the results from the control group were superior to all the treatments.

The purpose of the research was to illustrate the effects of feeding Nile tilapia fingerlings (Oreochromis niloticus) with low doses of aflatoxins (AFs) with and without vitamin C supplementation to investigate the capacity of vitamin C in detoxification. Ten experimental diets were formulated and divided into three categories. The first category included: T1, T4 and T7 feedings included 20, 40 and 80 μg AFs kg−1 feed respectively, while both the second category T2, T5 and T8 and the third category T3, T6 and T9 were treated with contaminated feed with AFs for 57days then both categories shifted to different regime till the conclusion of the experimentation. The second category was fed uncontaminated feed while the third category was fed a supplemented diet with 100 mg Kg-1 of vitamin C. For 113 days the experiment was conducted. The results showed that shifting from a contaminated diet to an uncontaminated diet (category 2) or adding vitamin C to the contaminated diet (category 3) improved the deterioration that occurred in the values of growth performance, biochemical parameters and histological disorders caused by AFs. Furthermore, the results from the control group were superior to all the treatments.

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.

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.

Nine Penicillium digitatum isolates were isolated from citrus fruits and tested for their pathogenicity on Navel orange fruit (Citrus sinensis L.). In this regard, the isolates exhibited three different levels of virulence. The isolates were identified morphologically using malt extract agar (MEA) and Czapek yeast extract agar (CYA) for colony characteristics, and MEA for microscopic features. Each one of the isolates has the unique features of P. digitatum, especially the largest conidia (6.1-11.9 µm long X 3.2-8 µm width), and phialides (10.1-21.4 µm long X 4-5.1 µm width). In addition, the isolates were identified on a molecular basis using ITS1 and ITS4 primers to confirm morphological identification. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that there was high variance among the isolates, and there were different relations between some of our isolates and other P. digitatum registered strains originating from different countries all over the world. The sequences were submitted to respective GenBank nucleotide databases with accession No. OR198852, OR198853, OR198854, OR198855, OR198856, OR198857, OR198858, OR198859 and OR198860. We also isolated a new P. digitatum (OB15: OR198859) strain with high virulence and rapid sporulation

Nine Penicillium digitatum isolates were isolated from citrus fruits and tested for their pathogenicity on Navel orange fruit (Citrus sinensis L.). In this regard, the isolates exhibited three different levels of virulence. The isolates were identified morphologically using malt extract agar (MEA) and Czapek yeast extract agar (CYA) for colony characteristics, and MEA for microscopic features. Each one of the isolates has the unique features of P. digitatum, especially the largest conidia (6.1-11.9 µm long X 3.2-8 µm width), and phialides (10.1-21.4 µm long X 4-5.1 µm width). In addition, the isolates were identified on a molecular basis using ITS1 and ITS4 primers to confirm morphological identification. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that there was high variance among the isolates, and there were different relations between some of our isolates and other P. digitatum registered strains originating from different countries all over the world. The sequences were submitted to respective GenBank nucleotide databases with accession No. OR198852, OR198853, OR198854, OR198855, OR198856, OR198857, OR198858, OR198859 and OR198860. We also isolated a new P. digitatum (OB15: OR198859) strain with high virulence and rapid sporulation