Cereals are the foremost necessary foods for growing population of human. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the first important and strategic cereal crop for the majority of world’s populations. It is the most necessary staple food. Although rice (oryzae sativa) has the second place because of planted area but it serves as the most important food source for Asian countries. Wheat and rice production may be severely restricted by biotic and abiotic constraints. Disease is the major biotic stress in several regions.Comparative sequence analysis is a powerful tool to study homologous gene families, define conserved gene functions between orthologs, and identify lineage- and species-specific genes. Most annotations of newly sequenced genomes are based on similarity with sequences for which functional information is available. Apart from conserved sequences, inter-species differences provide important clues about evolutionary history and species-specific adaptations. In our study, two RNA-sequencing data sets of resistant variety of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.,) after infection with leaf rust fungus, Puccinia triticina and resistant variety of rice (Oryza sativa L.,) after infection with blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae were compared. 31768 up-regulated genes in wheat and 3902 up-regulated genes in rice were filtered according to fold change more than 3 and removing variants, 250 upregulated genes of wheat and rice were aligned and phylogenetic tree was generated. The result of phylogenetic tree showed close relationship between ten aligned gene pairs of wheat and rice. Two pairs of aligned gene pairs were selected randomly, super family of these pairs were obtained, the result showed that each aligned pair of proteins shared the same protein family and the same annotation and all pairs participate in plant defense pathways. Then, the gene expression of the two pairs were validated by Real-time PCR after infecting wheat with Puccinia triticina and rice with Magnaporthe grisea. Each aligned pair of the two pairs shared the same manner of expression with few exceptions in rice.

Salinity is one of the major environmental factors limiting crop productivity. For this reason, two greenhouse experiments were conducted in Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Egypt, during the year 2015 using two rice varieties to evaluate the effects of various levels of osmotic stress caused by polyethylene-glycol 6000 (PEG) and NaCl. Furthermore, it was tested whether the inhibitory effect of salinity on growth, sodium and chloride concentration by two different varieties was greater under NaCl or PEG treatment. The first experiment was undertaken to separate osmotic and ionic aspects of salinity damage to rice (Oryza sativa L.).Seedlings of IR28 (salt-sensitive) and Nona Bokra (salt-tolerant) rice varieties were transferred to salinized nutrient solution containing 85 mol m-3NaCl (-3.0 bars) with or without   PEG 6000 (-2.0 bars, 45 gL-1).  Plants were grown up to 30 days in the salinized solutions. The second experiment was designed to determine the effect of salinity (85 mol m-3NaCl) with or without PEG 6000 (-0.5 bar, 11 g L-1)on growth, uptake and transport of sodium and chloride in two rice varieties differing in salt tolerance.  The results indicated that survival of salt-tolerant variety (Nona Bokra) was increased significantly by adding PEG (-2.0 bars). The addition of PEG also reduced the rate of death of rice plants compared with NaCl alone. Also, data showed that PEG 6000 (0.5 bar, 11 gL-1) reduce sodium concentration in root of IR28 and   Nona Bokra but its effect upon sodium concentration in shoot of the two varieties was more pronounced than the reduction of Na+ concentration in root.  Highly significant differences were obtained between zero and 11 gL-1 PEG. The result of this study is strongly indicated that addition of PEG dramatically lessened the toxicity of NaCl to rice seedlings.

Salinity is a stress factor affecting the production of crop in many regions.  Calcium can reduce Na+ transport to shoots in rice. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted in Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Egypt, during 2015 growing season of rice to evaluate the effect of different calcium concentrations on survival percent along with uptake of Na+ and Cl- ions by two varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.) differing in salt-tolerance. The first experiment was undertaken to study the effect of different calcium concentrations on survival percent of IR28 (salt-sensitive) and Nona Bokra (Salt-tolerant) seedlings which were transferred to salinized nutrient solution containing 0.5% NaCl and a variable calcium concentrations at 4, 40, 100 and 200 ppm; plants were grown up to 40 days. The second experiment investigated the effect of different calcium concentrations on growth, uptake and transport of Na+ and Cl- ions in the two rice varieties differing in salt-tolerance. The seedlings were transferred to salinized nutrient solution containing 0.5% NaCl and calcium ion concentrations at two levels, 4 and 40 ppm. Plants were harvested at 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days from salinization. The results indicated that the salt-tolerant variety (Nona Bokra) survived for more than 40 days under exposure to 0.5% NaCl when calcium concentration of the culture solution ranged from 40 to 200 ppm Ca++. The low calcium ion concentration (4 ppm) depressed the growth of plants at 5 and 7 days after salinization.  In Nona Bokra, the shoot had less sodium and Cl than the root. This implies that the salt tolerance of Nona Bokra may be attributed to the restricted translocation of Na+ and Cl- from the root to the shoot. Sodium as well as cloride content in the shoot of IR28 was more than twice that of Nona Bokra.  An adequate amount of Ca+2 tended to lower the salt injury caused by high levels of salinity in rice plants. The effect of calcium ion on salt tolerance varied greatly between Nona Bokra and IR28 varieties.

Two field experiments were conducted during the two successive seasons of 2007 and 2008 at the Agricultural Experimental Station of Agricultural Research Center, at EL-Serw, Damietta Gover-norate Egypt, to study the effect of the bio horm and weed control treatments (Bentazon, Py-razosoulfuron, Fenoxaprop, Penoxsulam, Bentazon + Fenoxaprop, Bentazon + Penoxsulam, Pyrazosoulfuron + Fenoxaprop, Pyrazosoulfuron + Penoxsulam, twice hand weeding and un- weeded check ) on growth, yield, its components and NPK percentage in grains of direct seeded rice as well as associated weeds in salinity soil. Results illustrated that appli-cation of bio horm increased fresh and dry weight of total weeds. Spraying bio horm after 50 days from sowing (DFS) markedly increased rice growth characters (plant height, number of productive till-ers, fresh and dry weight of rice plants), yield and yield components (panicle length, number of pani-cles/m2, weight of 1000 grain, grain and straw yield) and N, P and K% of grain rice, as compared with untreated treatment. All weed control treat-ments caused significant reduction on number, fresh and dry weight of total weeds/m2 after 60 DFS in both seasons. Pyrazosoulfuron treatment gave the highest decrease in total number of weeds followed by Pyrazosoulfuron + Penoxsulam and Pyrazosoulfuron + Fenoxaprop treatments. Pyrazosoulfuron + Fenoxaprop treatment gave the highest decrease in total fresh weight of weeds followed by Bentazon + Penoxsulam, Pyrazosoul-furon and Pyrazosoulfuron + Penoxsulam, respec-tively in the first season. While, in the second sea-son Pyrazosoulfuron treatment gave the lowest values of total fresh weight of weeds. Meanwhile, Bentazon + Penoxsulam was more effective than other treatments in reducing the dry weight of total weeds in both seasons. All herbicidal treatments and hand weeding increased significantly growth, yield, yield components and chemical composition of grain rice. Bentazon + Penoxsulam was superior treatment for increasing number of productive tillers, number of panicles / m2, 1000- grain weight and grain and straw yield as well as NPK percent-age of rice grains in both seasons. While, the same treatment Bentazon + Penoxsulam recorded the highest values of plant height, fresh and dry weight of whole plant and panical length in the first season. While, Pyrazosoulfuron + Penoxsulam gave the highest increment in plant height, fresh and dry weight of whole plant and straw yield in the second season. The interaction between bio horm and weed management treatments had significant effect on total fresh and dry weight of weeds, num-ber of productive tillers and 1000 grain weight. Pyrazosoulfuron produced the maximum values of number of productive tillers when bio horm was used in the second season, while, application of Bentazon + Penoxsulam gave the highest values of 1000 grain weight when bio horm was used in the second season. It could be concluded that using the bioregulator (bio horm) resulted in incre-ment of growth and productivity of rice crop under salinity soils. Using the combinations of herbicides caused more reduction of weeds and increased rice grain yield.

Several field trials and laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of the implementation of the activities and processes of the development of the field irrigation systems at ElMahmoudia area, El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt, during the successful growing seasons winter 2016/17 and summer 2017 to investigate the effect of irrigation systems improvement projects on water productivity. The measurements were conducted in a tertiary canal (Mesqa) at the head of Nekla canal (Arafa Mousa Mesqa). Water consumption values for different crops were calcaulated, and water application was calculated through calibrating the capacities of the pumps and recording the operation hours. The most important results were as follows: Applied irrigation water decreased after irrigation improvement. Applied irrigation water for wheat, rice, maize, sweet potatoes and watermelon before irrigation improvement were higher than the corresponding values after irrigation improvement by 9.0%, 15%, 11%, 15% and 10% respectively. The productivity of wheat, rice, maize, sweet potatoes and watermelon increased after irrigation improvement by 7.0%, 4.0%, 3.0%, 8.0% and 9.0% respectively. Water productivity increased after irrigation improvement, and the increase ratios for wheat, rice, maize, sweet potatoes were 14.0%, 16.0%, 13.0%, 20.0%, and 18.0% respectively.

It is estimated that the rice cultivated area in Egypt is estimated at about 1.4 million feddans producing about 3 million tons of rice straw. The same estimates indicate that the cultivated area of summer maize is estimated at 2.1 million feddans, which produces about 5.5 million tons of woodland (in 2013), Most of which are burned and not the maximum benefit. The problem of research is to increase the amount of agricultural waste, especially for rice and maize crops, and not to achieve the economic efficiency of these quantities of agricultural, And the study of the development of the area cultivated for each of the maize, cotton, sesame, sorghum, lupine, black beans, sugar beet, rice and the total of these crops in Egypt during the period (2000-2016) the annual average of about 324.44, 460.06, 72.66, 354.76, 4.07, 1471.2, 298.88, 1452.41, 3114.4 and the total area of the maize crop during the study period. The statistical significance of these equations was proved, while the sesame yield was not substantiated. The development of the production capacity of the most important plant waste was studied in Egypt during the period 2000-2016. The average annual production capacity of the maize, cotton, sesame,  sorghum, lupine, peanut, sugar beet, rice straw, These crops are 5586.12, 871.06, 94.47, 4.53, 235.65, 1711.65, 3217.06, 3217.06 and 2634.6 tons respectively during the study period. The  general trend equations showed a decrease in the production capacity of cotton, sorghum and thermos. While the production capacity of each of the sesame, peanut bean and sugar beet was increasing. The statistical significance of these equations was not proved, nor was the statistical significance of the production of maize, rice straw and total production capacity of these crops. The cost of feeding was about 13505.1 pounds, representing about 78.3% of the total average cost of the head, representing about 96.1% of the total average variable costs of the head of about 14049.2 pounds, and amounted to about 17574.8 pounds without the use of silage, which Indicates that the use of silage in nutrition leads to a reduction in feeding costs by about 4069.7 pounds per year, This is due to the lower daily costs of feeding the head of cows when using silage in feeding. The cost of producing a ton of milk for dairy cows that used silage was about 3849 pounds, while the cost of producing milk for the head of dairy cows that did not use silage for about 13715.1 pounds, The production of milk is about 2805.4 kg, and thus the cost of producing a ton of milk for dairy mixtures that did not use silage about 4888 pounds, due to lower feeding costs for animals that used silage than not used silage in feeding.

Paddy rice was sampled from El-Sharkia, El-Gharbia, El-Dakahlia and Kafr El-Sheikh governorates, Egypt. Of the 29 samples taken, ten were contaminated with the mycotoxin citrinin. An average of 6.79 x 104 fungal spores per gram rice was found. The isolated fungi represented 47 species belong to 28 genera. The predomi-nant genera were Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium. Aspergilli were represented by 22 species; Aspergillus niger and A. flavus had the highest occur-rence. Penicillium viridicatum produced the highest amount of citrinin on glucose ammonium nitrate salts broth and rice grains and hence, this isolate was selected as a good producer of citrinin in this study. The presence of Trichoderma hamatum re-duced the amount of citrinin produced by P. viridicatum compared with its respec-tive control. The excessive growth of T. hamatum on P. viridicatum was increased with time. Viability of P. viridicatum conidia decreased by T. hamatum with an in-crease in the incubation period. Chitinases and 1,3-B-glucanase enzyme activity of T. hamatum increased with extending the incubation period on P. viridicatum cell walls up to maximum values at 72 and 84 h, respectively. T. hamatum led to a de-crease in the production of citrinin by P. viridicatum on rice grains compared with the respective control values.