The study examines factors affecting sprinkler irrigation system distribution uniformity, including sprinkler type, operating pressure and computer software design. The pressures used were 1.5, 2.1, and 2.5 bar for spray nozzles 4A and 17A, and 1.7, 2, 2.5, and 3 bar for rotor nozzles 1 and 3. The results showed a strong correlation, with (R2) values of 0.996 and 0.973, between SIDUL-Program (Sprinkler Irrigation Distribution Uniformity for Landscape–Program) and Excel program with respect to coefficient of uniformity (CU) and distribution uniformity (DU) respectively, suggesting a strong correlation between the two programs. The HEDIA program validated the SIDUL–Program, revealing a 0.42% difference in CU values between the two programs for rotor nozzle 3, indicating also a strong correlation (R2 = 0.953) between the two programs. The results showed that DU for spray 4A at a pressure of 2.1 bar was 7.4%, higher than DU at a pressure of 1.5 bar; the CU for spray 17A was 11.9% higher, as supported by manufacturer specifications. The study concluded that calculating CU and DU using the SIDUL–Program is critical for assessing sprinkler performance in irrigation systems since it considers factors such as soil type, irrigation 1methods and location; in addition to being easy to use and accurate com-pared to other programs.

Heat stress is an environmental problem that can negatively impact tomato productivity by reducing fruit setting and disrupting pollen development. The present study aims to understand the molecular mechanism of heat tolerance induced by L-ascorbic acid. Plants were grown in the summer of 2022 (day and night temperatures were 34.4°C and 25.2°C respectively). The plants were divided into two groups: one was sprayed with L-ascorbic acid (0.5 mM) and the other served as a control. Growth parameters, antioxidant enzymes, proline, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde levels in the leaves were determined. Additionally, a molecular docking allowed understanding the interaction between the antioxidant enzymes and L-ascorbic acid. Results indicated that L-ascorbic acid increased antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase), proline content, fruit setting and growth indicators (shoot and root fresh and dry weight). It also reduced hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde levels in tomato leaves. Furthermore, the in-silico analysis revealed that L-ascorbic acid binding energies toward antioxidant enzymes were similar to those of known activators. In conclusion, foliar application of L-ascorbic acid (0.5 mM) effectively mitigated heat stress effects, activating antioxidant enzymes and eliminating reactive oxygen species, ultimately resulting in increased fruit setting.

Drought stress is considered one of the main factors that reduce plant growth, development and production. Therefore, studying plants during drought stress is highly useful to discover the newly gained characteristics of plants. The potato is considered one of the most important crop with economic value in Egypt and over the whole world. The main target is the proline-rich protein extracted from potato plants under drought stress. A stress experiment was applied to two potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars Desiree and Diamante. The stress experiment was conducted by poly-ethylene glycol (PEG) 4000; the used water potentials were: zero (control), (PEG 2%), (PEG 4%) and (PEG 8%), after drought stress, the solutes accumulation in the two potato cultivars were determined. Increasing drought stress through elevating PEG decreased leaf area as well as shoot and root lengths. Incontorary, the chlorophyll and proline contents increased with increasing PEG treatments. The proline-rich protein gene was cloned to the pGEM-T Easy vector and was submitted to the gene bank to be used later for enhancing drought resistance in other cultivars.

Using integrated in silico and in vitro experiments, the antiviral capabilities of green tea and licorice extracts were evaluated against the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). It was noted that the number of induced necrotic local lesions of TMV decreased by increasing extract concentrations and thus it is considered concentration dependent on the extracts’ active compounds. Properties of eleven compounds belonging to licorice and green tea were obtained from databases to examine their activities in silico. A molecular docking simulation was performed between these agents and the protein coat of the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). The highest effective compounds were glycyrrhetic acid, liquiritin and EGCG. ADMET studies revealed good overall properties of nine non-toxic compounds based on their predicted pharmacokinetic, physicochemical, drug-likeness and toxic properties. Based on docking energy and mode of interaction, these compounds showed strong binding with the protein coat of TMV. The antiviral effect may be due to the most effective compounds with the highest affinity namely glycyr-rhetic acid, liquiritin and isoliquiritin. As a conclusion, the promising value of our titled extracts is the anti-TMV activity and pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties of their active constituents.