This study was carried out during the two successive seasons (2017 and 2018) on the first and second ratoon of healthy uniform banana cv. Williams (Musa spp.) Plants grown in sandy soil under drip irrigation system in a private orchard located at El-Tahadi region, Cairo Alexandria desert road, Behaira governorate, Egypt. The investigation aimed to study the effect of different slow release potassium fertilizer (SRKF) (50% K2O) rates (100%, 75% and 50%) were added as soil drench during mid March, mid June and mid September while, potassium sulphate dose used in control treatment was added at monthly intervals as soil application from mid March until mid October on vegetative growth, productivity, total yield income and net return/feddan of banana plants. The obtained results showed that, all treatments had a significant effect on enhancing the vegetative growth parameters, i.e. number of green leaves /plant, plant total assimilation area (m2/plant), leaf total chlorophyll content (CCI) and leaf macro element content (N, P and K) as (%) as well as leaf micro element content (Fe, Zn and Mn) as (ppm). Also, improving yield (ton/feddan), bunch weight (kg), number of hands/bunch, hand weight (kg), number of fingers/hand, finger weight (g), finger length (cm), finger circumference (cm), finger pulp weight (g), finger pulp/peel (ratio), TSS (%), TSS/TA (ratio), total sugars (%). In addition, the total yield income (1000 LE) and net return/feddan (1000 LE) in both seasons. Moreover, all treatments had no significant effect on plant pseudostem height (cm), pseudostem circumferences (cm) and leaf area (m2) of plant in both seasons and bunch length (cm) in the first season only. Treatment of: slow release potassium at 100% gave the highest values of physical and chemical properties of banana plants cv. Williams in both seasons compared to, control treatment (100% potassium sulphate) and slow release potassium at 50% gave the lowest values.

Environmental heat stress is one of the most challenging conditions in the world which have adverse impact on the industry of poultry. Broiler chicken strains are delicate to heat stress primarily due to not having sweat glands. The current study was aimed to investigate the effects of heat stress exposed on growth performance and Bio-physiological characteristics for (Cobb, Hubbard and Arbor Acres broiler hybrids) under the summer season when environmental conditions of Egypt were revealed. A total of three hundred one day old (one hundred birds from each hybrid) at one day of age were brooding under the same conditions of water, diet consumed, breeding system, vaccines and medications used during the period birds life even slaughtering age. The three strains were randomly divided into twelve groups (three strains "Cobb, Hubbard and Arbor Acres" X two treatments "control group and heat exposed group" X two replicates X twenty five chicks).The degrees of environmental temperature and relative humidity during housing are (Environmental temperature = 32°±2 Celsius degree, Relative humidity =50±5 percentage) for control group and (Environmental temperature =40°±2 Celsius degree, Relative humidity= 20±5 percentage) for the heat stressed group. The body weight, body weight gain, edible parts of carcass (carcass, thigh, drum, breast muscles and giblets weight) and inedible parts of carcass (blood, feathers, head and legs weight) were recorded to heat stressed group and control group. Lymphatic organs such as spleen, thymus and bursa weight were measured also. The last results concluded that the Cobb strain showed the best growth performance and carcass characteristics under heat stress condition, while the Arbor Acres strain considered the best strain which didn't effected a lot in their rectal temperature such another strains with heat exposure. The Arbor Acres strain for each group (control and treated) have the highest viability. The control group and Hubbard strain showed an increase in bursa weight compared to heat exposed group and another strains. It was concluded that the Cobb strain has the best performance under heat stress comparing to the other strains broiler chicken.

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.

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.