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.

The purposes of this study are to: i) assess the agricultural extension middle level managers’ willingness to use cell phones in extension services, and ii) investigate the factors affecting their willingness to change and their change- related behavior. The DINAMO scale developed by Metselaar (1997) was used to assess their willingness to use cell phones in extension. Data were collected from 19 agricultural extension middle level managers representing 67.86% of the total number of middle level managers (28 mid-managers) by questionnaire during their annual meeting that was held on May 2015. Mean scores, percentages, and Chi-square test were used for data presentation and analysis. The results showed that the respondents’ overall willingness to change is 220.2 which represents 72.2% of the total score; this implies that extension middle level managers are entirely have positive willingness to use cell phones in agricultural extension services. There are seven variables have significant relationships with extension middle managers’ willingness to change namely: Managers' affective orientation towards the use cell phones in extension (ᵡ2 =38), The value of use cell phones for the agricultural extension organization (ᵡ2 =37.07), Collegial attitudes towards use cell phones in extension (ᵡ2 =38.22), Self-control factors (ᵡ2 =38), External control factors (ᵡ2 =36.24), Control over and contentment with use cell phones in extension (ᵡ2 =24.7), and Perceived complexity of use cell phones in extension (ᵡ2 =31.16). On the other hand there are five variables affecting the change- related behavior of the middle managers as follows: Managers' affective orientation towards the use cell phones in extension (ᵡ2 =51.19), Collegial attitudes towards use cell phones in extension (ᵡ2 =51.12), External control factors (ᵡ2 =50.34), Control over and contentment with use cell phones in extension (ᵡ2 =25.82), and The middle manager's willingness to use cell phones in extension (ᵡ2 =24.61). It could be concluded that there is a strong opportunity for using cell phones in extension services, and the respondents are ready for the beginning of such initiative.

The study aims at researching the possibility of vertical expansion of wheat crop by increasing the total production of the crop from the same cultivated area by re-distributing the area of crop in different zones of the Republic according to its productivity and show the importance of feddan productivity in increasing total production of this crop.  The study showed that the increase in feddan productivity has an effect in increasing the total production, but its impact in increasing feddan revenue and the value of crop production was weak. It has been shown there is a possibility to increase the total production of wheat crop   by maximizing the economic efficiency of productive resources used in cultivating the crop about 2.09 % of the increase in the total production. The increase in the production of the crop estimated by 1118 thousand ardabs that valued at 99 million LE and save about 53 million cubic meters of irrigation water despite the stability of the cultivated area of wheat crop all over the Republic.  The study recommends reconsideration of the current area of wheat crop by expanding the areas of wheat crop in the governorates or the regions characterized by high productivity to achieve the economic efficiency in the use of the production agricultural resources dedicated for wheat planting, so that they can provide areas for wheat in low productive regions to other crops of high productivity in these regions and then relatively reduce wheat gap in Egypt.

Plectranthus barbatus Andrew (Coleus forskolii) is one of the important species of the genus Plectranthus (Coleus) belonging to family Lamiaceae, with a many of traditional medicinal uses in India. C. forskolii is only known source of forskolin; a compound with a many uses in pharmaceutical industries. C. forskolii was lack in Egyptian flora. Moreover, there were no previously studies on this plant in Egypt. Therefore, the present study used tool of biotechnology to conserve the stocks of this plant by micropropagation. C. forskolii seedlings came from its native Thailand at June 2013 and were put in the greenhouse in Desert Research Center for creating an efficient micropropagation protocol. The study was carried out on the effect of growth regulators (cytokinins and auxins) on different micropropagation stages of the explants. In multiplication stage, initiated shoots were cultured on MS medium supplemented with various concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg/L) of cytokinins (6-benzylaminopurine (BA), Kinetin ( KIN) and Thidiazuron (TDZ). The mean number of axillary shoots per explant of C. forskolii reached the highest value 6.19 ±0.573 on MS medium containing 2.0mg/L TDZ. Where, the highest value of mean length was 6.44± 0.310 cm on MS medium containing 1.0 mg/L KIN. The mean number of roots / explant of C. forskolii reached the highest value and the mean length were 30.00 ± 0.577 and 11.8±0.860 cm respectively, on 1/2 MS medium containing 0.5mg/L indole-3-butyric acid(IBA). While, the highest value of shoot length was 11.8±0.860 cm on 1/2 MS medium containing  2.0mg/L naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). A percentage of 83% of rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized after four weeks and grown normally in the greenhouse in sterile soil mixture of garden soil,  vermiculate and sand (2:1:1/v/v/v). The protocol could be cost effective and useful in germplasm conservation and delivery of tissue cultured Coleus plants.