F1 and F2 seeds of four crosses were formed during 2001 and 2002 growing sea-sons. The F2 population’s plants were evaluated during 2003 growing season under the two planting dates (14th May and 29th June) to estimate the phenotypic correla-tion coefficients among eight plants characters and their contributions in the varia-tion of grain yield/ plant at the Agric. Res. Stat. of Fac. of Agric., Ain Shams Univ., Shalakan, Kalubia Governorate, Egypt. Results showed that grain yield/ plant under normal planting date correlated positively and significantly - in most cases - with each of ear diameter, ear length, number of kernels/ row, 100-kernel weight, number of rows/ ear, ear height, plant height and days to silking, while under late planting date, it correlated with each of number of kernels/ row, ear diameter, 100-kernel weight, ear length, number of rows/ ear, ear height and days to silking. Path coeffi-cient analysis estimates indicated that ear diameter; ear length and number of ker-nels/ row can be considered as the most important sources of plant grain yield varia-tion under normal planting date while, under late planting date they were number of kernels/ row, ear diameter, 100-kernel weight and ear length. It was concluded that each of ear diameter, ear length and ear length through its indirect effects via ear di-ameter are considered as the most important sources of plant grain yield variation.

Quality of fried beef steaks coated with sodium alginate, carrageenan and car-boxy methyl cellulose (CMC) at concentrations 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9% as well as oils used for frying were evaluated after several frying times (1, 3, 5 and 7 times). Weight loss, shrinkage, moisture loss and final lipid content of control sample were sharply increased after the first time of frying compared to other treatments. The lower reduction in weight loss was achieved in fried beef steaks coated with CMC at concentration of 0.9%. Samples coated with 0.9% carrageenan caused a considerable decrease especially in shrinkage and moisture loss followed by samples coated with CMC and then those coated by sodium alginate at different concentrations. The same treatment (0.9% CMC) showed the lower value of final lipid content. There were significant (p<0.01) decremental patterns in all of sensory attributes (appear-ance, flavor, color, juiciness, mouth feel, texture and overall acceptability) of fried beef steaks during subsequent frying times for all treatments. Less rates of these de-terioration were appeared in CMC samples with different concentrations followed by samples coated with 0.3% and 0.6% of sodium alginate. Progressive rise in acid value of frying oils was especially found in control sample during different frying times, on the other hand the low rate of increase was appeared in sample coated with 0.3% and 0.6% sodium alginate. The higher values of K232 appeared in control sam-ple followed by 0.9% CMC but lower value recorded by oil used for frying beef steaks coated with 0.3% and 0.6% of sodium alginate after 5 times of frying. The same behavior was appeared in K270 determination except there was decrement pat-tern in this criteria by increasing frying times especially from 5 to 7 times of frying in control and coated samples with 0.3% and 0.6% of carrageenan. The highest val-ue of refractive index of fried oil was in control sample followed by coated sample with 0.9% sodium alginate after 7 times of frying. However, the lower value was in coated sample with 0.6% carrageenan under the same conditions. It is cleared to know that, the viscosity of oil which used for frying control sample was lower than that of other treatments during various frying times. Data revealed that the color in-dex (oil deterioration) increase as the concentration of different edible coatings of beef steaks and number of frying increased.

Identification of specific physiological differences among maize genotypes (six inbred lines, four single crosses and four three-way crosses) to drought would be useful to plant breeders for improving selection criteria. Two field experiments were conducted in optimum and stress moisture conditions at Gemmeiza Agricultural Re-search Station in 2001 and 2003 growing seasons. The treatments were 14 geno-types, (six inbreds and eight hybrids), which were separately established under three irrigation treatments in split plot design with four replications. The genotypes were compared under water-deficit conditions on the basis of certain rapid techniques to determine leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetic efficiency (photo), canopy tempera-ture depression (CTD), stomatal conductance (SC) and chlorophyll (CHL) content which were deleteriously affected by water stress in the sensitive genotypes. Results revealed that values of LAI, photosynthetic efficiency, canopy temperature depres-sion, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll content of maize hybrids surpassed those of inbred lines. This was true at 30, 45 and 60 days after planting (DAP). Dif-ferences among maize hybrids and among inbred lines were significant at different growth stages for the same studied traits, except of the LAI for the inbreds, at 30 DAP and CTD for the hybrids at 30 as well as 60 DAP. Detecting certain physio-logical criteria, i.e. LAI, photosynthetic efficiency (photo), canopy temperature de-pression (CTD), stomatal conductance (SC) and chlorophyll content (Chl) could be used as reliable techniques to explore the physiological activity of maize genotypes at early stages of growth and may be recommended in screening different genotypes in maize breeding programs.

Laying workers expressed as Workers with Activate Ovaries (WAO) having ma-ture oocytes had been studied in colonies headed with natural mated carnica queens. The results showed that the WAO were affected by the age of the queen, where it reached 0.8, 1.3 and 2.2 % for colonies headed with queens 10, 20 and 30 month old, respectively. The worker ovaries started to activate when the reached 22. 18 and 12 days from emergence for colonies headed with caged mated queens, caged virgin queens and queenless colonies, respectively. Also, when the worker's age reached 30 days, the percentages of WAO occurrence reached 3.3, 7.3 and 14.7 % for the corre-sponding colonies status, respectively. In preparing swarm boxes, when the bee-keepers failed to introduce the queens into the nuclei until two days, one week and two weeks, the WAO recorded 1.4, 4.8 and 9.2 %, respectively. In case of queen rearing, the presence of WAO was not significant until the fifth day, and then in-creased gradually to reach an average of 4.6% in the tenth day.

The toxic effective of wheat grains treated with Egyptian sesban, Sesbania ae-gyptica seed extracts offered to rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae was determined. Chlo-roform extract was found to be the most effective. Reproductive potential of treated weevil were strongly affected as number of laid eggs was reduced and no progeny were obtained when adults were fed on wheat grains treated with either Lc50 or Lc95 . Extracts treatment with Lc95 of extracts gave protection up to 10 weeks for petrole-um ether, and 9 weeks for both chloroform and acetone extracts. All tested extracts reduced grain germination at the end of 14 weeks storage period. Treated wheat grains with Egyptian Sesban seed extracts reduced the weight loss of grains infested with the rice weevil. Biochemical studies show that some enzymes were affected in treated insects. S. aegyptica acetone extract was more effective than the other ex-tracts, in this affect, as it caused a significant reduction in amylase, trehalse and acid phosphatase activity. However, this extract caused an increase in invertase, alkaline phosphatase and cholinestrase activity.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the factors that affect the health of both infants and young mothers. In such a case, 60 young mothers living in the area of Mecca of 14 to 16 years old were considered. The results showed that 53.3% of the mothers have finished their pregnancy with normal weight, while 40% of the mothers got pregnant when they were less than 16 years old, which lead to acquiring a lot of diseases. On the other hand, 60% of the mothers preferred the governmentally runned hospitals to deliver their babies and 83% of the cases delivered normally. Most of the studied cases delivered for the second time with one-year gap between the first pregnancy and the second one (28%). The percent of natural feeding among were screened. The results showed that only 11.65 of the cases breast-feed their children. The miscarriage happened only once in 26% of the cases and twice in 6.6% of the cases. The health of the children was normally good in 73% of the children while 50% of the children suffered from physiological jaundice, vomiting (21%), constipation (13%). In genera, there was direct relationship between the weight of the child and its health. The study of nutritional history of the cases clarified that most of the mothers preferd to have white bread with a level of 66.6% then rice (31.67%), followed by brown bread, potato (31.67), 25% consequently. There was an increase in sugar consumption (71.67%) then chocolate (51.61%). Protein uptake was mainly by eating chicken once a week (75%) with recognizable decrease in the protein milk uptake and therefore this study stressed on the importance of spreading of the health awareness regarding different issues including the nutritional habits.

The agricultural policy in Egypt showed great importance for improving organic agriculture technology to produce clean and safe crops and foods. This will have positive economic and environmental response on human beings, animals, plants and soils. The present study aimed to clarify success opportunities for cultivating cotton, summer potatoes and wormwood under organic system in Egypt. The study made also a comparison between organic and chemical agriculture in sandy soils, by testing investment efficiency for organic agriculture in the sandy soils. The study states that total area of organic agriculture was about 26.3 thousand feddan in 2003, and this area is increasing at about 1941 feddan a year. These areas expected to be nearly 35 thousand feddan in year 2010. The economic production that realize the economic efficiency could not be obtained at least before 5-7 years to gain complete use from adding organic matter to sandy soil. The preference of organic agriculture over chemical agriculture is due to its advantage in enhancing mechanical soil properties and avoiding chemical pollution of agriculture. Another advantage of organic agriculture is to keep environmental balance of living organisms in soil and enhancing vertical agricultural increase in sandy soils to add indirectly new agriculture area to present agricultural land. The two criteria used in the study; net cash flow and cost/ benefit ratio indicated the advantage of organic agriculture over chemical agriculture for cotton, potatoes and wormwood crops. Meanwhile, the internal rate of return in case of chemical cropping was higher than that of organic agriculture for cotton and summer potatoes. This may be due to the great loss of nutrient elements occurred by leakage, and thus decreasing total benefit from adding organic matter in the first years of organic agriculture. The increase of the internal rate of return of the two crops organically cultivated in the sandy soils is an indicator for its economic

A sample of wheat grain var. Research-32, cultivated locally in the Republic of Yemen was treated and milled into flour of 72% extraction.  Main chemical components of the flour were determined, then the flour was portioned out to three sets.  Each set was made into dough with similar constituents except the type of fat, where Al-Kamaria ghee, Al-Mumtaz butter and Crude sesame oil were added to the first, the second and the third sets respectively. Three samples of each set with levels of 15, 25 and 35 % were prepared.  Rheological properties of the dough were tested and compared with those of dough samples made of SNABLE wheat flour, which were prepared and treated under similar conditions.  Physical and organoleptic characteristics of cookies made of both Research-32 and SNABLE flours were evaluated also.  Results indicated that concentrations of total protein and wet gluten in Research 32 wheat flour were found to be significantly (0.05=α) higher than those of SNABEL flour.  Though of their high values of water absorption and degree of stability, Research 32 dough samples were characterized with moderately low calculated proportional number, which indicates the suitability of Research 32 wheat flour for use in making cookies of good quality.  Statistical analyses of data obtained through testing physical and organoleptic properties of cookies made of Research 32 dough mix with 35% fat showed that cookies were found to be of high and acceptable quality among Yemeni consumers at 0.05 level of significance.

A pot experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation timing on growth and flowering of Chrysanthemum morifolium cuttings. AMF inocula were either directly applied to cutting (AMFC), or applied at transplanting stage (AMFT). The data showed: a significant difference in plant growth of AMF treatment compared with non-inoculated treatment at transplanting stage. Rooting rate in AMF treatment was 99% whereas it was 77% in non-mycorrhizal inoculated. The colonization rate was 53.9% in AMF treatment, while no in non-AMF treatment. Tap root length and number of lateral roots in AMF treatments were twice of those recorded for non-AMF treatments. Inoculation of AMF significantly increased shoot and root growth at transplanting stage. After transplantation, chrysanthemum plants in AMFC and AMFT treatments had 76.42 and 64.24% colonization rate, respectively. Plant height, leaf area, root length, fresh and dry weight of shoots, stems and roots in AMF inoculation treatments (AMFC and AMFT) increased significantly than those of control plants. AMF inoculation significantly shortened flowering time compared with non-AMF plants. Fresh weight, width and length of flowers in AMFC and AMFT treatments were generally higher than those in control. However, a significant increase in fresh weight, width and length of flowers was found in AMFC compared with AMFT treatment. A significant increase of macronutrient concentrations in leaves was observed for AMFC treatment compared with control. Mn concentration in AMFC and AMFT was more than double of that in control. In roots, macro and micronutrient concentrations were generally higher in AMFC than AMFT or control treatments

Flusilazole and triflumizole residues in apple fruits were chemically determined at different periods after spraying of these fungicides under field conditions. The obtained results indicated that, seven days after flusilazole application, unwashed apple fruits were found contained higher residues (0.322 ppm) than the allowed tolerance level (0.2 ppm), while washed and peeled fruits were contained lower residues (0.149 and 0.087 ppm, respectively) after the same period from experiment. These residues were rapidly decreased by elapse of time, so unwashed, washed and peeled apple fruits were contained levels below the allowed MRL i.e. 0.092, 0.008 and <0 ppm, respectively after fourteen days of flusilazole application Accordingly, unwashed apple fruits could be marketed safely 14 days after flusilazole application, while washed and peeled fruits could be used safely after seven days. In the case of triflumizole, unwashed apple fruits were contained 2.030 ppm after five days of application. Such residue is higher than the tolerance value (2.0 ppm), while washed and peeled fruits were contained residues below the tolerance permissive values i.e. 1.010 and 1.970 ppm after three and one days of application, respectively. These values were rapidly decreased by time prolongation, so, unwashed, washed, and peeled apple fruits were contained residues below the allowed tolerance of 1.280, 0.490 and 0.160 ppm at seven days after triflumizole application, respectively. Accordingly, unwashed apple fruits could be marketed safely seven days after triflumizole application, while washed and peeled fruits could used safely three and one days after application, respectively.