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

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 beneficial effects of boron, zinc and active dry yeast on yield and fruit quality of Zaghloul date palm grown at the Experimental Orchard, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Egypt was studied during 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons. The experiment was set up in a complete randomized block design with ten replicates each of one bunch. All treatments were sprayed two times after fruit set and one month later. The obtained results could be summarized as follow: -       Boron, zinc and active dry yeast sprays significantly increased the fruit retention percentage and bunch weight compared to the untreated ones. Yeast application was more effective compared with boron or zinc application. -       Spraying either yeast, boron or zinc at any studied concentration was accompanied with improving fruit quality in terms of significant increase in fruit weight, total soluble solids and sugar contents. No significant differences were detected between spraying with yeast at 250 or 500 ppm, 500 or 1000 ppm zinc, as well as, boron at 1000 or 2000 ppm. Moreover, active dry yeast spraying revealed the highest improvement in palm yield and fruit quality. However, it can be concluded that spraying either boric acid, zinc sulphate or active dry yeast twice after fruit set and one month later increased the palm yield and improved the fruit quality of Zaghloul date palm. Meanwhile, using dry yeast as more effective than both boric acid and zinc sulphate.

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.

Pot trials were conducted under plastic house condition during two successive seasons of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, at the experimental site of Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate (CLAC), Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt. The present study aims to determine the partial replacement of mineral nitrogen fertilization of tomato by nitrogen fixing bacteria with or without adding compost in sandy soil. Tomato seedlings (Lora F1Hybrid) were transplanted during the first week of October into plastic pots (30 cm diameter) filled with 10 kg of sandy soil. Three rates 25, 50 and 75% of the recommended mineral nitrogen in the nutrient solution for tomato with adding compostat 2% and nitrogen fixing bacteria (Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillium brasilense) at 20 ml/plant either individually or in combinationswere investigated on growth, mineral composition and yield of tomato plants compared to 100% of recommended nitrogen only (control). The plants were irrigated daily by drip irrigation and received 200 ml/plant of nutrient solution twice a weekly. The results showed that using 50 or 75% of N-mineral fertilizer + compost + nitrogen fixing bacteria gave the highest values of growth, mineral composition and yield of tomato. It is recommended that 50% of nitrogen mineral fertilizers for tomato plants could be replaced by nitrogen fixing bacteria in presence of compost, which in earn, reduce environment pollution caused by extensive application of mineral nitrogen fertilizers.