The present study was suggested as an attempt to investigate the effects of Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophic Bacteria (PPFM) dipping and foliar spray on vegetative growth and yield of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). Field experiments were carried out during the summer seasons of 2014 and 2015 at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University. The vegetative growth of eggplant responded positively to dipping seedlings in PPFM which gave the highest values of growth parameters, i.e. number of leaves per plant, leaf area, nitrogen & potassium concentration in leaf and total protein in fruit, in the two seasons as compared with control (dipping in water). The application of PPFM as foliar spray, increased significantly plant growth (plant length, leaf number, potassium concentration in leaf, vitamin "C" in fruit and total yield per plant) in the two seasons as compared with the other studied foliar application treatments. The interaction between dipping seedlings in PPFM and PPFM foliar spray with all concentrations gave synergistic effects on growth parameters and yield components of eggplant, during the two growing seasons as compared with either individual foliar application or control plants.

Two experiments were carried out in the experimental farm of Al-Kanater Research Station at ElQalyubia Governorate, during the two consecutive years of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 to investigate the effect of potassium silicate foliar application on growth, productivity and some postharvest treatments on storability of garlic ((Allium sativum L.)" clone sids 40". In the field experiment, the treatments comprised of control(water spray),foliar application of potassium silicate at 4000, 6000 and 8000ppm and plants were sprayed at 30, 60 and 90 days after planting. In the storage experiment, cured bulbs were stored at room temperature conditions and subjected to sixteen postharvest treatments included the previous four treatments (the three potassium silicate levels and control). In addition, three spraying treatments of sodium silicate at 6000 ppm, chitosan at 200 ppm and calcium chloride at 3000 ppm both separately and their combinations with potassium silicate (three treatments in field) were done.   The results revealed that, the highest plant length, number of leaves, fresh, dry weight\plant, neck diameter, bulb diameter and chlorophyll content of garlic were achieved from foliar application of potassium silicate at the 4000ppm after 120 days from planting compared to the control. Foliar spray of potassium silicate at 4000 ppm recorded the highest total yield and bulb quality such as bulb diameter, bulb weight/plant, number of cloves, cloves weight, total soluble solids and dry matter of bulbs. Leaf K percentage significantly increased by spraying of potassium silicate at 6000ppm.Further, all potassium silicate treatments recorded higher silicon percentage over the control.   Postharvest results showed that weight loss and shrinking percentages of the bulbs after 7 months of the storage were the least with the foliar application of potassium silicate at 8000ppm plus chitosan at 200ppm in storage followed by chitosan individually, potassium silicate at 8000 ppm and potassium silicate at 6000 ppm combined with calcium chloride as a postharvest treatment. However, the highest total soluble solids after 7 months of the storage was obtained from foliar spraying of potassium silicate at 4000 ppm combined with either sodium silicate or chitosan. Also, bulbs treated with foliar application of potassium silicate at 6000 or 8000 ppm combined with chitosan at 200 ppm, had the highest values of dry matter after 7 months from storage.  In general, foliar application of potassium silicate at 4000ppm was the superior treatment for enhancing plant growth, yield and quality. Also, foliar application of potassium silicate at 8000ppm and sprayed with chitosan at 200 ppm was the most effective for garlic storability seven months at the room temperature conditions.

Egyptian radish sterilized seeds were sprouted for 3 days using tap and saline water NaCl 2000 ppm to study sprout characters, chemical composition, protein fraction and safety aspects such as microbiological examinations and biogenic amines were investigated at 3 days old. The results indicated that sterilized seeds increased sprout growth compared with non-sterilized. Seeds sprouting increased in protein content, moister, ash and fibers while carbohydrate, lipid content and energy decrease in etiolated sprouts. Using saline water and seeds sterilization for sprouting increased albumin, globulin and glutenin fractionation but decreased prolamin compared with sprouts produced with tap water and without seed sterilization.  Using sterilization by 2% calcium hypochlorite of seeds before sprouting led to decreasing in total bacterial count compared with non-sterile seeds sprouts, the same was in total coliform, total yeast and total fungi counts. The sprouts product which washed with saline water was contain total bacterial count less than which washed by tap water. All sprouts under investigation were free from feacal coliform and all examined pathogenic microorganism under investigation like Staph. aureus, B. cereus and Salmonella spp.  Use sterilized seeds for sprouting caused big decrement on biogenic amines content of radish sprout. Radish sprout contain biogenic amines but it is lower than previous ranges, sprouts can be considered a safe food and germination of seeds either use tap or saline water.

The objective of this study was to follow up the growth performance and gonads development of sex reversed male Nile tilapia. Fish fed commercial diet contained 30% crude protein at a rate of 3% of the biomass and 10 fish were randomly taken biweekly during the experimental period (16 weeks). Growth performance, feed utilization and survival rate were calculated. Histological examination of the gonads was done every two weeks to follow the growth and development of the gonads. Results showed positive interactions between growth parameters and reproductive development during different periods of fish productive cycle. Histological examination illustrated that during early ages, testicular sections of mono sex male’s tilapia had abnormal architecture with deterioration of germinative tissue. Despite abnormal testis texture, fish started spermatogenesis, a step toward puberty when their body weight reached 29.16g. As fish reached 4-5 months, male start to recover their testes normal structures and at age of 5.5-6 months, testicular sections appeared normally as pointed out by firmed testicular lobules, existence of all germ cell types and the intensively stored spermatozoa in testicular lumen and testicular ducts, confirming the full maturity of males. Based on the obtained results, it can clearly conclude that there is a relationship between age, body weight and development of sexual glands. It has also been shown that the hormonal treatment of tilapia seeds in the early stages for production of mono sex (all males) leads to a marked deterioration in the testes structure, continues near the fish enters the sexual maturity. At a later age, males can overcome this deterioration, restore the histological  structure of the testes and achieve full sexual maturity at the age around from 5.5 to 6 months.