Jerusalem artichoke (JA) family (Asterceae) is a perennial species known for its tubers rich in inulin, a valuable source of fructose for diabetics.This study aimed to establish an applicable protocol for calli induction and production from different explants of Jerusalem artichoke (Balady, Fuza and Alba) cultivars. For this purpose; leaf, stem and root explants derived from in vitro growing plantlets were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS medium) augmented with different combinations of benzyl adenine (BA) and naphthalenacetic acid (NAA).The highest percentage of calli induction (100%) was recorded with all tested media except MS free growth regulators medium and MS fortified with 1mg L-1 BA. On the other hand, the maximum value of calli fresh weight was obtained by culturing stem explants on MS supplemented with 1 mg L-1 BA + 2 mg L-1 NAA for all cultivars. NAA for all cultivars. Moreover and concerning calli growth dynamic for each cultivar, the recorded data clearly showed that gradually increase in calli fresh weights by week reaching the maximum value at eighth week for all used explants cultured on the best medium for calli initiation. The results proved that Balady cultivar recorded the best results for calli induction and production compared with Fuza and Alba cultivars. In the same context, stem explant was the superior explant when it compared with root and leaf explants for all examined cultivars. Moreover and concerning calli growth dynamic for each cultivar, the recorded data clearly showed that gradually increase in calli fresh weights by week reaching the maximum value at eighth week for all used explants cultured on the best medium for calli initiation. The results proved that Balady cultivar recorded the best results for calli induction and production compared with Fuza and Alba cultivars. In the same context, stem explant was the superior explant when it compared with root and leaf explants for all examined cultivars. MS medium fortified with 1 mg L-1 BA + 2 mg L-1 NAA was the most suitable medium compared to the other tested media for inducing calli and to enhance calli production from stem explant for all cultivars.

This research study was carried out in the plant tissue culture laboratory of the Agricultural Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Shoubra El-khaima, Cairo, Egypt. Experiments were executed for the duration of two consecutive years 2017 and 2018 on chicory plant. Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), which belongs to Asteraceae family, is considered as an important medicinal plant due to the presence of many bioactive substances such flavonoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, including( coumarines, cichoriin, esculetin, inulin, sesquiterpene lactones, chicoric acid, caffeic acid and some vitamins). In this research in vitro experiments were carried out using full strength Murashige and Skoog basal medium (MS) supplemented with different combinations of two plant growth regulators; Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) including two concentrations (0.5 – 2.0 mg/l) and Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) comprising four concentrations (0.5 – 2.0 – 3.0 – 5.0 mg/l). An abaxially (lower side) leaf explants (square pieces 0.5 × 0.5 cm) which were taken from 20 days old aseptic chicory seedlings were inoculated to (MS) surface. Initially, chicory seeds were aseptically germinated on half-strength MS medium, after surface sterilization by 70 % (v/v) ethanol for 60 seconds then soaking in 10 % Clorox (0.5% sodium hypochlorite NaOCl) for 10 min to produce the aseptic chicory seedlings which were the source of true leaf explants used in this research study. Total phenolic compounds and flavonoids content were extracted from six-week C. intybus friable callus produced under both light and dark in vitro culture conditions inside a growth chamber incubation room where temperature was adjusted at 25oC ±1. Total phenolic compounds and flavonoids were determined by spectrophotometric methods. The highest values for their contents were from chicory calli when MS callus induction medium was supplemented with 2 mg/l NAA under total dark condition when compared with the other remaining growth regulator treatment combinations and alternative light regime conditions.

Despite the role of the agricultural sector in the Egyptian national economy, the agricultural production falls short of total consumption needs in Egypt, which led to start thinking to intensify the production of food by vertical expansion beside conventional agriculture through the use of modern technologies, such as aquaponics as soilless agriculture, which the Egyptian farmers are not familiar with, so the paper aims to evaluate the proposed  aquaponics projects in terms of economic assessment, financial assessment, SWOT analysis and to identify the level of technology adoption of the  aquaponics agriculture and from which information sources they obtain their knowledge and to identify the requirements of dissemination of aquaponics technology and the most important problems  facing them and proposals to solve. The research methodology used for achieving our objective was based on some statistical and financial tools, such as percentages, correlation, and regression model, as well as the feasibility study for the aquaponics agriculture, where the paper concluded the following results: - The main source of information for the aquaponics derived from the Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate at the Ministry of Agriculture. -  Most of the respondents belong to the low adoption category with the impact of the exposure degree to information sources and the risk willingness on the degree of adoption of the Aquaponics technology. - The results showed that the payback period of the second category projects is shorter than the first and third category projects. - By comparing the IRR with the alternative opportunity to invest at a discount rate of 23% and 25% showed the project's ability to bear the adverse changes.  - By comparing the return on investment (ROI), the internal rate of return (IRR) and the Payback period (PBP) between the three categories, the second category projects has been proved and better results achieved at the level of the financial measures used. - Comparison of break-even analysis of the three categories shows that the second category achieves the common break-even point in terms of quantity and value before the first and third categories. - The most important problems faced the adopters of aquaponics were the interruption of electricity and high-risk rate significantly when implement the aquaponics project and the lack of funding for the implementation of the aquaponics project and the lack of knowledge of responders about who can resort to them to design and supervision of the aquaponics units. - The most important proposals to overcome such problems are raising farmers awareness of the need to provide generators in sufficient numbers to use in the event of power outages and the interest of the authorities responsible for training courses for farmers on the aquaponics and to inform them of the schedule of these courses and provide brochures and booklets on the aquaponic technology and offer Facilitator loans to farmers to finance aquaponics projects and educating farmers about the most important entities where they can resort to them to designing and supervising aquaponic units.

The current investigation was planned to apply some biotic and abiotic treatments singlely and/or combined to control bacterial soft rot diseases of lettuce under field conditions in Qaha region, Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt. The application of resistance inducers (jasmonic acid and salicylic acid), antibiotics (norfloxacin and tetracycline) and bio-agents (isolates of B. subtilis and Ps. fluorescens) significantly reduced the disease severity as a single treatment compared to the control treatment. Obtained results indicated that resistance inducers appeared to be most effective against bacterial soft rot disease of lettuce compared with other treatments, while antibiotics were less effective at controlling the disease. However, the interaction between bio-agents as soil drench treatment, antibiotics, or resistance inducers as foliar treatment significantly reduced the severity of lettuce bacterial soft rot disease compared with the control treatment. Furthermore, the interaction between disease severity was more reducted with interaction treatments between Ps. fluorescens isolate rather than interact with treatments between B. subtilis isolate and other treatments. However, the interaction between the isolate of Ps. fluorescens as bio-agent treatment or norfloxacin as antibiotic or salicylic acid as a plant resistance inducer, were the most effective methods to control the disease compared with other treatments. Meanwhile, the interaction between resistance inducers and antibiotics as foliar treatments were significantly reduced from the severity of lettuce bacterial soft rot disease compared with the control treatment. Disease severity was more reduced with the application of interaction between norfloxacin and resistance inducers than the interaction between tetracycline and resistance inducers. Meanwhile, the severity of the disease decreased more with the application of interaction between salicylic acid and antibiotics than the interaction between jasmonic acid and antibiotics. Generally, all combination treatments were more efficient than single treatments alone to significantly manage the spread and the infection of the disease compared to the untreated control.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici attacks tomato plants and causes wilt disease. Fusarium Pathogenicity is including pectinases enzymes which enable the Fungal penetration into host cell wall. The present study is focused on using Computational tools such as Auto-Dock program for screening of inhibitors of endo and exopolygalacturonase enzymes. It based on Lamarckian Genetic Algorithm (LGA) that estimate the binding energy and inhibition constant as parameters to select the best binding. The binding energy and amino acids interactions for the selected inhibitors were compared with that of the enzyme substrate (polygalacturonic acid) Allium species such as onion plant have been used widely as antimicrobial and antifungal plants. It contains  ranged  between 1 and 5 %  of non-protein sulfur amino-acids, including SE-Prop-1-enyl-L-cysteine S-oxide, S-3Allylsulphinyl-L-alanine and S-Methylcysteine sulfoxide have satisfactory binding interactions and inhibition constant with endo and exopolygalacturonase. In the present study, these compounds were extracted from white onion bulb Giza 20 and detected in the onion extract LC/MS analysis. The Inhibitory effect of these compounds for exopolygalacturonase enzyme was confirmed experimentally by determination of the enzyme activity in the presence and the absence of these compounds. White onion extract 45% inhibition percentage of the exopolygalacturonase activity. The enzyme kinetic study showed increase in the Km value with  stable V-max value in presence of 7µg/µL of  the onion extract. Also, In-vitro experiment of inhibition of F. oxysporum growth in presence 20% and 40% of onion extract showed inhibition percentages of 47% and 53% respectively. The results concluded that onion extract inhibits Fusarium growth through inhibition of exo and endo polygalacturonase. The inhibitory effect of onion extract could be due to its contents of S-E-Prop-1enyl-L-cysteine S-oxide, S-3-Allylsulphinyl-Lalanine and S-Methylcysteinesulphoxide, these compounds have excellent binding interactions and inhibition effects on both exo- and endopolygalacturonases enzymes of Fusarium   oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersici

This study was carried out to evaluate the efficiency of mixed algal cultures for wastewater treatment. Free and alginate-immobilized forms of mixed algal culture were used. The highest removal percentages of biological oxygen demand (BOD) were 86.4% and 71.2 % after 32hrs and 48 hrs. in case of free and immobilized cells, respectively. Moreover, the highest values of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal were 83.74% and 59.71% after 32hrs and 48 hrs for free and immobilized cells, respectively. Treatment with free cells showed removal values for total dissolved salts (TDS), phosphorus and NH3-N were 20.5%, 34.6% and 43.8% respectively after 32 hours. While in case of immobilized cells the highest removal values 18.4%, 34% and 58.5%, for TDS, Phosphorus and NH3-N, respectively were recorded after 48 hrs. Generally, concentration of heavy metals decreased due to treatment with algal free and immobilized cells. As a result of treatment with algal free and immobilized cells, 100% and 95.9% of Cu wastewater content was removed after 8 hrs and 48 hrs, respectively. Moreover, 96.2% and 98.1% of Fe was removed after 32 and 48 hours due to application of free and immobilized cells, respectively. As a result of inoculation with the mixed algal cultures in free cells 99.4% of Mn and 84.2% of Zn content were removed after 32 hours. Whereas, 98.6% of Pb content was removed after only 8 hrs. In case of using the immobilized cells the highest removal percentages of the three heavy metals recorded after 48 hours as follow 97.8% of Mn, 89.0% of Pb and 97.37% of Zn. Accordingly, treatment of wastewater with mixed algal free or immobilized cells is a fruitful method to produce an effluent of high quality to be used for irrigation. Whereas, the algal free cells were found to be more efficient than the immobilized ones.

This research attempts generally to discuss the readiness for using social media in agricultural extension in Assiut governorate, and it endeavors particularly to reach the following aims: (1) Measuring readiness of the extension organization in Assiut governorate to start providing agricultural extension services using social media from the viewpoint of extension employees; (2) Exploring the willingness of farmers in some villages in Assiut governorate to obtain agricultural extension services using social media, and to identify the most significant determinants of the willingness to use social media; (3) Knowing about the respondents’ views about the advantages, disadvantages and suggestions of using social media in agricultural extension. The study was conducted on two groups of respondents who use at least one of social media tools; the first was comprised of 86 extension employees in Assiut governorate, and the second was a sample of 120 farmers selected from four villages in Assiut governorate. Data were collected using questionnaire form during the   period from November to December 2018. Frequencies, percentages, arithmetic mean, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used for data presentation and analysis. The results indicated a decrease in the extension organization’s readiness for using social media from the viewpoint of extension employees, while farmers have a high willingness to use social media to obtain extension services. Therefore, it is necessary to use the recommendations of improving the extension organization’s reediness to use social media, in order to exploit the high willingness of farmers, and start using social media to provide extension services in Assiut governorate through implementing an initial initiative through farmers who use social media, and then the initiative can be expanded to include non-users through their family members who are using social media, taking into account the respondents’ suggestions for the successful use of social media in the provision of agricultural extension services.

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of sweet sorghum and sugarcane syrups as antioxidants on oxidative stress biomarkers and the lipid profile i.e. serum total triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C)) in male rats. Cadmium was received orally to rats daily at a dose of 10mg/L in drinking water. Rats were divided into four groups,-eight rats for each- as follow: (I) control group, (II) cadmium treated group, (III) sweet sorghum syrup solution (500 ppm) once daily at a dose of 1 ml/kg body weight of cadmium acetate solution, (IV) sugarcane syrup solution (500 ppm) and cadmium acetate solution. Bioactive compounds of syrups under investigation were identified, total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined as well. Results cleared that the effect of variation in varieties on total phenol (mg GAE/ml sample) and antioxidant activity determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay of syrup was significant (P≤0.05) while it was not significant (P˃0.05) on total flavonoid (mg CE/ml sample).The highest total phenolic content was recorded by sweet sorghum syrup (1.87 mg GAE/ml sample) meanwhile, total flavonoid content varied between (1.09 and 1.36 mg CE/ml sample). Results also cleared that G.T.54-9 sugarcane and Rex sweet sorghum syrup samples exhibited significant (P≤0.05) scavenging activity compared to commercial sugarcane sample that gave lower scavenging activity (97.16, 96.07 and 74.22, respectively).Sweet sorghum and sugarcane syrups significantly affected (P≤0.05) absolute weight of organs and relative weight of both heart and kidney, while the effect on relative weight of liver was not significant (P>0.05). The treatment of sweet sorghum and sugarcane syrups during cadmium acetate administration in rats led to reduction in alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), antioxidant enzymes, urea, creatinine and biomarkers in rat livers, like reduced glutathione , catalase ,malondialdehyde ,serum total triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoproteins cholesterol back near to normal when compared to control rats. In general, the treatment with sugarcane syrup reduced the cadmium acetate induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Thirty six entries of flax (Linum usitatissmum, L.) involving eight parental genotypes and their twenty eight hybrids were evaluated for straw yield and its related traits in the F1 during (2015/2016) and F2 populations during (2016/2017) under early (F2D1) and late (F2D2) sowing dates (two environments) in the Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams Univ., Shalakan, Kalubia Governorate. Mean squares due to genotypes, parents and crosses were highly significant for straw yield, plant height, technical stem length, fiber yield/plant, fiber percentage, fiber length and fiber fineness in the F1 and F2 generations (at early and late sowing dates), indicating that parental genotypes as well as their F1 and F2 generations exhibited reasonable degree of variability for all studied traits. Highly significant variations mean performance were found for parental genotypes and hybrids for straw yield/plant and its related traits in the F1, F2D1and F2D2, indicating presence of wide genetic variability among studied genotypes. The highest mean values were recorded under all studied environments, for straw yield/plant, fiber yield/plant and fiber fineness were found by S. 402/1 genotype, while Sakha 5 gave the highest mean values for plant height, technical stem length and fiber length.  General and specific combining ability mean squares were highly significant for all studied traits in F1, F2D1 and F2D2 with the exception of a few cases, indicating the importance of both additive and non-additive gene effects in the expression of  straw yield and its components. The additive effects were more important than non-additive effects under all studied environments for straw yield/plant (except at F2D2), plant height (except at F1), fiber percentage and fineness. On the other hand, the non- additive effects were more effective than additive effects for technical stem length, fiber yield/plant and fiber length. Results showed that the parents; Giza 11and Giza 12 for straw yield/plant, Sakha 5 for plant height and fiber length, Sakha 6 for fiber yield/plant, Jowhar  for fiber percentage and S. 402/1, Sakha 2, Giza 12 and Sakha 5 for fiber fineness, these parents appeared to be the best general combiners for these traits. Some of the crosses exhibited highly significant and positive SCA effects included high x high and high x low general combiner parents, suggesting that the breeding procedure which utilize both additive and non-additive genetic variances would be more useful for improvement of straw yield and its components of flax.

Accurately estimation of actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa) as a parameter of irrigation scheduling is very critical for efficient use of limited irrigation water resources. The objectives of this study were to (1) build, verify and validate an expert system for managing on-farm irrigation water of some soils under Egyptian conditions, (2) study the effect of coefficient of uniformity (CU) and distribution uniformity for center pivot irrigation system, (3) study the effect of the precise estimation of daily actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa) on maximizing yield and improved water use efficiency. A rule-based program named CPISM-ES (Center Pivot Irrigation System Management- Expert System) was codes and compiled using python3.7.2 language. The program was verified using ready-to-use software programs (cropwat-8 and climwat 2) for estimating the daily reference evapotranspiration and a spreadsheet named the (FAO56Ax8.xls) introduced by FAO-56 for estimating the irrigation water management parameters. It also was validated by carrying out a field experiment at site :-El Salhyia(11.2 m above sea level, 30,35°N,30,26°E), was obtained from several different sources. The irrigation expert system aims to provide the farmers by the irrigation expertise to determine the exact water needed at exact time according to the crop requirements and the environmental factors which effect factors. The experiment included the following factors: a) obtaining climatic data from a weather station b) estimation crop evapotranspiration) coefficient of uniformity (CU) and distribution uniformity for center pivot irrigation system.  1- The estimation of actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa) using crop coefficient. 2- The seasonal cumulative ETa estimated by single-kc approach of El Salhyia (1875 m3 f.1season-1). 3- Yield: the highest of crop potatoes for El Salhyia (16.2 t.fed-1). 4- Water use efficiency: the maximum value of water use efficiency for El Salhyia (0.75 kg m-3).