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.

The recent study aims to: identify the degree of knowledge of farmers using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, in addition, identifying the sources of knowledge of the farmers on the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and determine the relationship between the independent variables studied and knowledge of farmers using pesticides and chemical fertilizers degree and to identify the most important problems facing the respondents in study area.           The study was conducted in Qalioubia governorate.                                                                       Data were collected through the personal interview with asystemtic random sample of 350 far- mers in Qalioubia governorate using aquestionnaire. Frequencies, percentages and simple correlation coefficient (Pearson) were utilized to present and analyze data.                 The most important findings were: 50.6% of the respondents had alow level knowledge. The fending also indicated significant correlation at 0.01% level between the area of agricultural holdings, and the degree of attiude towerds agricultural extension, and the degree of attiude towerds inovations. There were significant correlations at 0.05% level between the degree of leader ship and the degree of awareness of demage excessive use of pesticides, and the knowledge of the respondents level using pesticides and chemical fertilizers. There were non significant correlations between dependent variable and: age and the respondent's education level and the degree of social participation.

This research amid at studying the most important productivity and economic indicators for maize crop in the reclaimed during the period (2001- 2012), the geographical distribution of areas, productivity and production of maize in the reclaimed, the most important production problems facing farmers of maize in the reclaimed and suggestions of producers to solve them, identify the most important factors affecting maize production crop and estimate the cost function with determining the minimization of costs that achieve the highest productivity of maize crop were also made the study is based on random field sample with a size of 110 farmers from county of Al-Dakhla, Al-khrga, Farafra, Paris, Balat of New Valley Governorate during 2014 year . When estimating size of productivity per feddan for maize crop which may minimizes   productivity costs to the lowest level in the New Valley Governorate, it was showed    that this size is estimated at 2.04 tons/feddan in the season of  2014. The number of farmers who have reached this volume of production amounted to 20 farmers of the total sample size of 110 farmers with ratio of 18.18%. The study showed that most important quantitative variables affecting average production per feddan of maize crop in the New Valley Governorate using stepwise multiple regression procedure were the amount of nitrogen fertilizer, amount of phosphate fertilizers, number of workers as there was significant correlation between independent variables and the dependent variable. These three factors explain about 82 % of the total influencing factors affecting the production of the crop. So, the study recommends focusing on nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers due to the nature of the soil. The study recommends that price fertilizer may be decreased, provision of fertilizers in cultivating areas to avoid transportation costs, The need to provide specialized technical labor by the State and public agencies on training skilled technical labor, and support agricultural production and reduce agricultural machinery prices all these chains shall lead to reduce Egypt's imports of maize needed to develop   livestock sector and to reduce the burden of foreign currencies.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of solar UV radiation on defensive enzymes activities in lettuce seedlings. Seeds of lettuce were grown in high tunnels for 35 days, exposed to three different levels of solar UV, created by using three different types of plastic films. Each plastic film transmits different levels of solar UV (0% in UV-B, 4% in UV-L and 83% in UV-T). The obtained results indicated that solar UV radiation has led to significant decrease in seedling fresh weight. UV-B treatment resulted the highest shoot and root length while UV-T treatments exhibited the highest shoot: root ratio. Solar UV radiations have no effect on peroxidase activity in shoots. While ascorbate peroxidase was activated and catalase was inhibited in shoot by UV-T treatments. In lettuce roots, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase activities were increased by increasing the level of solar UV radiation. In case of UV-T, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity in both shoots and roots of lettuce seedlings was higher than those of other treatments. In addition, Phenols are accumulated in lettuce shoots as a result of UV radiation in UV-L and UV-T treatments. Also, phenols in roots increased by increasing solar UV dose. The study concluded that solar UV radiation induced some antioxidant enzymes, increased the accumulation and biosynthesis of phenolic compounds and reduced lettuce seedlings growth.

The main objective of this paper was to analyze the impact of government policies on fruit and vegetable sector  in 2003 and 2009 in terms of profitability, protection, efficiency, competitiveness and comparative advantages. The study depended on secondary data and information collected from relevant sources and references. The policy analysis matrix (PAM) adopted as an analytical model to achieve the study objective. Private profitability, social profitability, nominal protection coefficient on outputs, nominal protection coefficient on inputs, effective protection coefficient, domestic resources coefficient private cost ratio and subsidy ratio to producer were calculated for the crops under study. The study results show that fruit and vegetable sector was taxed for outputs and subsidized for inputs, the net effect of outputs taxation and inputs subsidies resulted in a net taxation on value added at varying degrees. Consequently, it could be concluded that, although the overall impact was negative and tending to be worse, but the study results indicate that there are still comparative advantages in fruit and vegetable crops production. The study recommended further vertical and horizontal expansion of fruits and vegetables, strengthening production infrastructures, and government should enact efficient policies that correct the distorting tradable - outputs policy.

Karish cheese was made by fermentation of skim milk with yoghurt starter culture (Y) or by direct acidification with concentrated juice from orange (O), grapefruit (G) or lemon (L). In a combination of fermentation and direct acidification, the different juices were used to give the treatments of YO, YG and YL. The highest yield (29.17%) of the fresh cheese was recorded from YL treatment. This was followed by values of 27.93, 27.51 and 26.13% from L, YO, and O treatments in order, whereas cheese from Y had the lowest yield being 21.26%. Such yield values were accompanied by the corresponding vitamin C contents of 6.5, 7.33, 6.35, 7.50 and 0.33 mg/100 g, respectively. The use of different juices gave more acidic fresh cheese than cheese made using Y with them or Y alone which caused the lowest acidity content.        The rheological properties of the fresh cheese including hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess and adhesiveness were also affected by the applied treatments. During storage of all cheese samples in the refrigerator, TS, acidity, total protein, SN/TN and FRI gradually increased with different rates, whereas only vitamin C content decreased. Evaluation of the organolptic properties revealed that the use of orange or lemon juice with yoghurt starter gave the best quality of fresh cheese with the higher scores for body and texture as well as the flavour of the cheese.

Three experiments for to pot ond one field experiment were carried out at Agric. Res. Station, Fac. Agric., Al-Azhar Univ. Nasr City and El-Aklag region, Kaliobia Governorate, Egypt, during 2011/2012, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 to investigate the influence of mineral nitrogen fertilizer and biological ones i.e. Cerialen and Biogen under foliar spraying with Cysteine on the productivity of three wheat varieties (Sakha-93. Masry-1 and Banisweif). The studied treatments were recommended dose of N (75 kg N/fed., F1), recommended dose of N. fertilizer + Cysteine at the rate of 150 ppm (F2) 50% recommended dose of N fertilizer + Cerialine + Cysteine (F3) and 50% recommended dose of N fertilizer + biogen + Cysteine (F4). Complete randomized design was applied for the pot experiments, whereas split plot design was conducted for the experimental field. The results revealed that the difference between the investigated varieties due to plant height (cm) and flag leaf area (cm2) was substantial. Sakha-93 var. pronounced its superiority due to the both studied growth characters during the pot and field experiment. F2 treatment located the first order and gave the tallest wheat plants, whereas F4 treatment awarded the largest area of flag leaf, during the three experimental seasons. Yield and yield components parameters (No of grains/spike, 1000-grain weight (g), grain yield (g/plant in pots and ardab/fed. in field), straw yield (g/plant and ton/fed. in field) and biological yield (g/plant in pots and ton/fed. in field ) differed significantly between varieties. the maximum value were obtained from Sakha-93 and Masry-1, while the minimum ones associated with Baniswif variety, through the three experimental seasons. With the exception of straw yield either pot experiments or the field one, F2 and F4 treatments resulted in the heighest data for the previous yield and yield components parameters. The effect for the first order interaction (Var. x Fert.) on the studied characters differed with the characters difference (significant or non-significant) as shown from the obtained results during the three experimental seasons.

The purpose of this study was to 1) assess the linkages in the New Valley’s Agricultural Innovation System (NVAIS) and 2) characterize the information structure underlying the system. Data were collected from 50 respondents represent the nine components of the studied system during the period from Feb. to Mar. 2015 using in-depth interviews. The graph theoretical technique (GTT) was used to assess the linkages and information structures in the studied system. The obtained results showed that NVAIS was not fully identified; however, 44 of a total 72 linkages only were identified, and have a density of 0.61. Only 14 linkages are established through specific linkage mechanisms so density declines to 0.19. The component "Observatory of Development and cooperatives (O)" is by far the main sender of information, followed by the component "Extension (E)" and "Higher Education (H)". The main receivers of information, is the component of "Farmers (F)". Components of "Research (R)" and "Policy (P)" have a special position in this system, being the most interactive components as it sends as much information as it receives from others. Components of Secondary agricultural schools (S) and Agricultural Credit (C) are candidates to reform because of they interacts other components at a low tone. The component of private input supply, marketing and processing (M) is isolated is needs to deal efforts on enhancing its interaction within other components of the system. Any interventions on the components of O or F will be reflected in all over the system because the first one is a dominant component while the second is subordinate. The intermediary institutions, O and E, should play a more active role in bringing together other components. Specifically, links between these components could be strengthened through policy dialogues where the O and E could pass information from S, F, M, and C to P, H and R; such transmission of information should help P, R and H reassess agricultural policy, research and education priorities

Sixteen flax genotypes {13 promising lines This study aimed at: (1) knowing about farmers’ views about advantages, disadvantages of mobile extension service and their suggestions to make this prospective initiative succeed; (2) discovering farmers’ behavioral intentions to use mobile extension service in Assiut governorate; (3) determining the kind of information that farmers will need by using mobile extension service; (4) examining the effect of the six antecedents proposed by Nysveen et al(2005a) on farmers’ behavioral intentions to use mobile extension service. Data were collected by questionnaire from 233 farmers randomly selected from two villages in Assiut governorate. The results showed the advantages, disadvantages of mobile extension service from the viewpoint of the respondents and their suggestions to make this prospective initiative succeed. It came out that the respondents have positive intentions to use mobile extension, and their prospective behavior proceeds to use mobile extension service if it comes into existence. It cleared up that the information needs of farmers by using mobile extension were related to market information (prices, and demand indicators) and know-how information (what to plant and which seed varieties to use). It became clear that the model of Nysveen et al (2005a) was overall significant and the six antecedents of behavioral intentions significantly explains 71% of variance in farmers’ behavioral intentions to use mobile extension service. Finally, based on the results of this study, major recommendations are derived for the potential producers when developing the prospective mobile extension service

Dairy is considered one of the most completed and balanced healthy food needed by human as it contains many important elements and vitamins as well as it protects the body from many diseases. This research aims to identify the current situation of the dairy production and consumption in Egypt in order to know how far is the gap between them. In addition , it studies all factors that affects the production and consumption processes in order to set some recommendations that help in reducing this gap in Egypt. The research refers to the value of dairy production in Egypt that reached about 2.425 billion pounds in 2013, which represent about 8.53% of the agricultural production and 5.24%of the animal production. The annual growth rate for this value during the study period (1995–2013) was about 4.23%.Buffaloes and cows contribute more than 97% of the total dairy production in Egypt, while the goats contribute the remaining. The total dairy production in Egypt reached about 5.554 thousand tons in 2013. This production takes a growing trend with a statistically significance rate of 119.10 thousand tons which represents 4.01%of the annual average of the total dairy production during the period of the research. The research also indicates that there are many factors affecting the quantity produced from dairy in Egypt; the most important of which were the quantity produced from clover, the produced quantity from dry feed, the wholesale price of milk, and the value of loans granted for livestock. The results of the research indicate that there is a proportional effect and statistically significant between each of the quantity produced from clover, the wholesale price of milk ,and the value of loans granted for livestock upon the quantity produced from dairy in Egypt during (1995-2013). The total national consumption of dairy in Egypt was about 6.516 thousand tons in 2013. This consumption takes a growing trend with a statistically significance rate of 156.24 thousands tons which represent 2.68% of the annual average of the quantities consumed during the period of the research. Due to the inability of the local production of dairy in confronting the amount of consumption , a gap between the production and consumption milk has emerged in Egypt estimated at about 962 thousands tons in 2013, which indicates that the self-sufficiency rate did not even exceeded 85.24 % in that year. The research also refers to the factors that affected the quantities consumed of dairy in Egypt which represented in the population, average per capita dairy, average personal income, the average retail price of milk, and the average retail price of eggs . By using the multiple demand function of dairy in Egypt, it was found out that there is a directly relationship and statistically significant between the required quantity and income, while there is an inverse relationship and statistically significant between the required quantity and the retail price of milk. But it did not demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between the required quantity and each of population and the retail price of eggs.   The research recommended the following   1- The need for attention to cultivate clover and dry feed as it is one of the most important factor responsible for increasing the dairy production in Egypt. 2- There must be an interest in raising Buffaloes and cows to increase its production as they contribute over 97% from the total dairy production in Egypt. 3- Reducing the marketing costs of dairy as much as possible to raise the marketing efficiency 4- Reducing the interest rates on cash loans that specified for developing livestock in the field of dairy production. 5- Providing veterinary care at suitable prices