The current research aimed to investigating the current situation of the research stations of Desert Research Center and possibility of achieving its roles in the development of the Desert communities, identifying barriers facing and badly affect its role from the viewpoint of its employees, in addition to identifying the current and expected role of these stations from the viewpoints of the surrounded farmers. Thirty six research stations’ employees represent about 32.7% of the total number of employees were selected from the studied research stations. In addition to twenty surrounded farmer were selected belonging to each station with a total number of 80. The research depends on the description approach to achieve its objectives. Frequencies, percentages, average, and weighted average were used for result presentation and analysis.      The main results were   1-   Lack of efforts for employees’ trainings that could affect their role in developing the desert communities they working in. 2-   There are several barriers faced the studied research stations and the employees suggests several points to overcome these barriers. 3-   More than two thirds of respondents (67.5%) were located in low and medium level of the role, that represent the low role of the studied research stations in the development of desert communities 4-   There are several activities and services were expected by the surrounded farmers that could activate the stations’ developmental roles. At the end, based on the research findings, four recommendations were formulated to activation the research stations’ role s in serving and development of desert communities.

Susceptibility of the tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera : Gelechiidae) larvae, pupae and adults to entomopathogenic nematode, Steirnernema carpocapsae and two fungal species; Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae was investigated under laboratory conditions. Applied concentrations against the last instar larvae and different ages of the pupae, using leaf and soil treatments, were 250, 500,1000 IJs/ml for the nematode and 108, 109,1010 spores/ml for the fungi. Soil applications of the nematode and fungi resulted to high mortality (100, 100 and 93.3%) of4thinstar larvae while low pupal mortality (46.7,30and 23.3% ),respectively. In leaf treatment a high level of larval mortality (93.3, 90 and 80%) was recorded revealing S. carpocapsae, B. bassiana and M. anisopliae, respectively. The present study also showed also susceptibility of Tuta absoluta adults to the three pathoens. The results demonstrated suitability of entomopathogenic nematode and fungi for controlling T. absoluta.

The safe re-use of wastewater for agriculture is a desired goal in many arid zone countries. The potential of greywater as alternative irrigation source for vegetable crops was investigated. Tomato, pea and cantaloupe plants were drip irrigated with both fresh Nile water and greywater to access the impact on yield production and associated environmental and health risks. The biological properties of the two different sources of water clearly indicated that greywater was extremely higher in bacterial content compared with fresh Nile water. Pea plants showed significantly higher yield irrigated with fresh Nile water, however, tomato and cantaloupe plants gave significantly higher yield irrigated with greywater. Generally, the coliform populations in untreated greywater irrigated plants were higher than those irrigated with Nile water in all tested vegetables. The percentages of increasing in total coliform in untreated-irrigated greywater vegetables were 27.95%, 34.55% and 41.4% for pea, tomato and cantaloupe (averaged over outer and inner fruit tissues), respectively. Unexpectedly, central part of fruits for pea and tomato had highest coliform counts when compared to the outer surface using both Nile and untreated greywater. Overall, irrigation with greywater increased soil bacterial content by 15% while fresh Nile water increased it by 13% at the end of the experiment. In addition, greywater elevated the content of soil total coliform by 52% where fresh Nile water increased it by 30%. The results of this study indicated that untreated greywater should not consider as an alternative irrigation source for edible crops such as vegetables. In current investigation, the beneficial effects in tomato through giving significantly higher yield with greywater became worthless after the enormous fecal contamination that was detected in fruits. Several considerations must be adopted to minimize the health and environmental risks associated with greywater reuse in irrigation of vegetable crops.

The experiments were conducted at the farm of Al-Alamia located at Nubaria- Egypt, in plastic houses (6m x 45m) where solanaceous crops have been grown as monoculture, and aimed to evaluate the soil solarization in combination with benefit microorganisms for controlling the pepper soil borne pathogens and weeds under plastic-house condition. Supplementation of organic matter in plastic-houses resulted in noticeable increase in fungal, bacterial and nematode counts. However, the population densities of total fungi,Fusaria, total bacteria, spore former bacteria, actinomycetes and nematodes after 15 and 30 days in the solarized plastic-houses were drastically reduced as compared tonon solarized control soil. This reduction was gradually increased depended on the time of sampling (after 15 days of transparent polyethylene mulching or after 30 days). Soil solarization reduced sharply free nitrogen fixers, 30 days after treatment the elimination of the Azotobacter spp. and Azospirillum spp. from soil was recorded. However, the free nitrogen fixers were found to be recolonized after one month from transplanting the seedling pepper plants in non solarized and solarized soil, so artificial inoculation of pepper seedlings with strains of Azotobacter sp. and Azospirillum sp., were resulted great root colonization of plants than in non-solarized soil. Also, all annual weeds have been controlled with soil solarization which gave the best weed control treatment. On the other hand, solarization had pronounced effect on seedling establishment occurred in solarized plastic-houses. Increasing more than 30% in establishment of pepper seedling were recorded between the solarized and non-solarized plastic-houses which mulched with black sheets after three weeks of pepper transplanting.  The percentage of Phytophthora spp. isolated from the infected pepper seedlings were very high compared with other fungi, it was 49% of total isolated fungi after one week of transplanting. However, soil solarization increased pepper plant height and number of branches per plant as compared with non-solarized soil without black mulching or with black mulching. The pepper yield per plastic house up to 7 months increased with soil solarization by about 216 Kg, 18.3% over non solarized with black mulching, and 155 Kg, 12.4% over non solarized without mulching.

Two field trials were conducted at Giza Research Station, with split plot design with three replicates during the two successive summer seasons in 2012 and 2013. The aim of this study was to find out the effect of cotingen for covering seed by four treatments (zero, 7.5, 15 and 22.5 g kg-1 grain) and six nitrogen fertilizer levels (control, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 kg fed.-1) on maize yield and yield attributes of single cross 10 cultivar. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the importance of yield components and to predict the yield under different levels of nitrogen and cotingen rates. Nitrogen levels exhibited significant effect for all studied traits, while cotingen were significant for100-kernels weight; shelling% and grain yield traits only. The interaction between cotingen and Nitrogen was significant for row per ear, shelling% and grain yield. Meanwhile, stepwise linear regression analysis showed that 100-kernels weight, number of kernels per row and shelling% were the most important contributing traits to yield (R2 = 82.11%). The nitrogen rates for maximum yield derived from the four statistical models (linear, logarithmic, quadratic, and exponential) describing the response of yield, using the R2statistic to select a model, which shows how each of the models fits the data. The quadratic model best described the yield responses observed in this study. Further confirms the role of nitrogen and cotingen fertilizers in increasing yield production in maize. The 5th N rate under 3rdcotingen (120 Kg fed-1 + 22.5 and 15g kg-1 grain) produced the highest yield being 34.70 and 34.65 ard. fed-1 over all treatments. This is very close to recommendations. The 4th N (90Kg fed-1) rate under any cotingen level produced higher yield than any nitrogen rate only. Economically, considering optimum N fertilization rate, 105.18 Kg fed-1 nitrogen and 22.5 g kg-1 grain cotingen was the most reasonable level. This is considerably below the current recommendation. Therefore, results confirmed that higher cotingen treatment decreased the optimal nitrogen and increased the yield.

Ninety nine yeast isolates were isolated from surface of apple, grape, orange and tomato fruits. The isolates were tested in vivo in preliminary study for biocontrol potential against green mould of navel orange fruit. According to primary screening, twenty two isolates were selected to continue the secondary screening (phase one) using different concentrations of the washed yeast cells in water suspension to evaluate their biocontrol efficacy at 21±1°C. Among twelve yeast isolates were passed to the secondary screening (phase two) at 7±1°C, washed cells of yeast isolates CT 503, CT 507, CT 508, CT 512 and CT 550 at 1x109, 2x108 and 1x108 CFU/ml produced complete protection for 21 days to wounded navel orange fruits inoculated with spore suspension of Penicillium degitatum  (1x104 conidia /ml).  Meantime, no lesions developed on the navel orange fruits treated with the yeast isolates CT 503, CT 507 (Debaryomyces hansenii var. hansenii strain C) and CT 512 (Endomycopsella vivi) at 6.6x107CFU/ml, while the percentage of rot reduction of the isolate CT 550 (Candida edax) was 99.81%. Culture filtrate of twenty two different yeast isolates used in secondary screening (phase one) did not prevent decay of wounded navel orange fruits but had an inhibitory effect on rot development. The relative abilities of the promising yeast isolates (CT 503, CT 507, CT 512 and CT 550) to induce disease resistance against P. digitatum on navel orange fruits were studied. Inoculation of promising yeast isolates significantly triggered induction of resistance in navel orange fruits. The lesion diameters of green mould 66 hours later after inoculation by spore suspension of P. digitatum  in a neighbouring wound that was made approximately 6 mm away from the initial woundwhich inoculated withthe isolates CT 512, CT 550, CT 507 and CT 503 were reduced by 25.5%, 20.5%, 16.7% and 14.1%, respectively. In this respect, there were no significant differences among the three different isolates CT 503, CT 507 and CT 550.

World countries are highly involved in securing food for their citizens. With the rising world population, the world has increased the demand on fisheries as one of the protein supplements. The economic importance of fisheries comes from the fact that it is a renewable natural resource that can generate high economic revenues. This paper thus aims to address the main factors that contribute to increasing the fishery production in Egypt. The main findings are as follows: The feed ranked the first in terms of relative importance of total costs in civil farms. It accounted for around 59.9% and 65.23% respectively in the first and second groups. In the second rank came the farm rent constituting around 14.05% and 13.34% of total costs for the first and second group respectively. The findings revealed that average productivity per Acre estimated around 3.711 tons, 4.63 tons/acre for the first and second group respectively. The net investment revenue estimated around L.E. 0.49, 0.79 for the first and second group. The estimated optimum production point that minimizes costs is around 7.09 tons, 5.21 tons for the first and second groups respectively. The revenue/cost ratio estimated around 1.49, 1.79 times for the first and second group respectively. This is a higher-than-one number; thus revealing the feasibility of investing in these projects.   Policy recommendations   In light of the findings and in order to achieve inclusive development in this vital sector in Egypt, the study recommends directing more investments to the sector and constructing more farms in light of their high economic significance. It is important to provide preferential loans with flexible terms for farmers in this sector Enhancing the use of production and manufacturing technology in this sector. Disseminating the problems faced by the sector to universities and research centers to be studies and to find out practical solutions.

This research reviews the distribution of some old species of the Egyptian flora in different phytogeographical regions. Results are compared with the suggestions given by Täckholm (1974), El-Hadidi and Fayed (1994/95), El-Khanagry and Mohamed (2004), and Boulos (2009). The research includes new distribution of 38 species belong to 34 genera and 22 families.

Two field experiments were carried out during two summer seasons of 2013 and 2014 years at the Experimental Farm of Kaha Station, Qalubia Governorate to study the effect of using three irrigation intervals (7, 15 or 21 day) and five treatments of water absorbent substrates as adding to soil before transplanting ,i.e. (without substrates (control), SAP at 15 kg/fed., SAP at 20 kg/fed., compost at 5 t/fed. and compost at 10t/fed.) on sweet  pepper plants c.v. Mohanad and the effect of that on growth, yield, physical and chemical characters of sweet  pepper fruits. The results indicated that, the highest values of all vegetative growth parameters, yield and yield components were registered by the treatment of 7 days or 15 day irrigation intervals. Concerning of using water absorbent substrates, it was found that, pepper plants grown in the soil fertilized at 10 t/fed. or treated with super absorbent polymer (SAP) 20 kg/fed., respectively gave the highest values of vegetative growth parameters, yield and yield components.It is obvious that the plants fertilized at 10 t/fed. and irrigated every 7 days gave the highest values of fruit length, fruit diameter, fresh fruit weight and total yield. While, plants treated with SAP at 20 kg/fed. and irrigated every 15 day gave the highest values of fruit diameter and fresh fruit weight, but the differences did not reach to significance level for fruit length and early yield in both growing seasons. On the other hand, compost at 10 t/fed., compost at 5 t/fed. and SAP at 20 kg/fed. with irrigation every 21 day were the best treatments for yield and yield components of pepper plants. Generally, it can recommend by using compost at 5 t/fed., or super absorbent polymer (SAP) at 20 kg/fed. with irrigation every 15 days and this mean that increased the irrigation period without any injury or statistical effect on the fruit crop to obtain high pepper fruit yield  with height quality and height net income to the growers.

This study was conducted through the seasons of 2013 and 2014 to determine the optimum bud loads/ vine for Autumn Royal seedless "grapevines. Three years old uniform vines were uniform chosen and pruned to four levels of bud load, namely (32, 42, 52 and 60 buds/ vine). With fruiting spur at 2, 3 and 4 buds per spur The results showed that the percentage of bursted buds was decreased significantly by increasing bud load /vine in the two seasons of the study. Data also indicated that 42 buds/ vine were more suitable for Autumn Royal seedlessgrapevines to produce good yield and fruit quality. On the other hand, 32 buds/vine or 60 buds/vine were unfavorable science it produced rather clusters. In addition, pruning Autumn Royal seedless "grapevines to 42buds /vine by leaving 21 spur  with 2 eyes/spur or leaving 14 spur with 3 eyes per spur resulted a high yield and good quality, reduced cluster compactness and reduced shoot berries %,  gave the greatest cluster weight, berry firmness, adherence, T.S.S and anthocyanin content. Increasing bud load increased number of cluster/vine and yield but reduced cluster weight. Vines pruned to 32 buds / vine gave the greatest C/N ratio of the canes. Whereas vines pruned to 60 buds / vine showed higher percent of T.A than the other levels of bud load and cane length.