Drought stress is considered one of the main factors that reduce plant growth, development and production. Therefore, studying plants during drought stress is highly useful to discover the newly gained characteristics of plants. The potato is considered one of the most important crop with economic value in Egypt and over the whole world. The main target is the proline-rich protein extracted from potato plants under drought stress. A stress experiment was applied to two potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars Desiree and Diamante. The stress experiment was conducted by poly-ethylene glycol (PEG) 4000; the used water potentials were: zero (control), (PEG 2%), (PEG 4%) and (PEG 8%), after drought stress, the solutes accumulation in the two potato cultivars were determined. Increasing drought stress through elevating PEG decreased leaf area as well as shoot and root lengths. Incontorary, the chlorophyll and proline contents increased with increasing PEG treatments. The proline-rich protein gene was cloned to the pGEM-T Easy vector and was submitted to the gene bank to be used later for enhancing drought resistance in other cultivars.

Drought stress is considered one of the main factors that reduce plant growth, development and production. Therefore, studying plants during drought stress is highly useful to discover the newly gained characteristics of plants. The potato is considered one of the most important crop with economic value in Egypt and over the whole world. The main target is the proline-rich protein extracted from potato plants under drought stress. A stress experiment was applied to two potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars Desiree and Diamante. The stress experiment was conducted by poly-ethylene glycol (PEG) 4000; the used water potentials were: zero (control), (PEG 2%), (PEG 4%) and (PEG 8%), after drought stress, the solutes accumulation in the two potato cultivars were determined. Increasing drought stress through elevating PEG decreased leaf area as well as shoot and root lengths. Incontorary, the chlorophyll and proline contents increased with increasing PEG treatments. The proline-rich protein gene was cloned to the pGEM-T Easy vector and was submitted to the gene bank to be used later for enhancing drought resistance in other cultivars.

Forty-six bacterial isolates were obtained from seven rhizosphere samples using nutrient agar and glucose agar media. These isolates were morphologically categorized into long rods, short rods, and cocci, comprising 52%, 17%, and 31% of the total count, respectively. The collected isolates from the rhizosphere were assessed for their capability to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The initial qualitative screening revealed diverse abilities among isolates for IAA production, with notable variations in productivity levels. Quantitative analysis of the top ten isolates revealed that cocci-shaped isolates produced the highest IAA levels (4.80 to 6.30 mg/100 mL), with the SS1 isolate achieving the maximum value (6.30 mg/100 mL). Genetic identification of the highest IAA producer (SS1) through 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that it belongs to the genus Kocuria. Phylogenomic analysis confirmed a high similarity to Kocuria rosea, with 98% identity.

Forty-six bacterial isolates were obtained from seven rhizosphere samples using nutrient agar and glucose agar media. These isolates were morphologically categorized into long rods, short rods, and cocci, comprising 52%, 17%, and 31% of the total count, respectively. The collected isolates from the rhizosphere were assessed for their capability to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The initial qualitative screening revealed diverse abilities among isolates for IAA production, with notable variations in productivity levels. Quantitative analysis of the top ten isolates revealed that cocci-shaped isolates produced the highest IAA levels (4.80 to 6.30 mg/100 mL), with the SS1 isolate achieving the maximum value (6.30 mg/100 mL). Genetic identification of the highest IAA producer (SS1) through 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that it belongs to the genus Kocuria. Phylogenomic analysis confirmed a high similarity to Kocuria rosea, with 98% identity.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of the foliar application of moringa and germinated fenugreek extracts on the growth and biochemical parameters of wheatgrass grown under saline conditions. Aqueous moringa extract (MLE) was used at concentrations of 1.25, 0.83, 0.62 and 0.31%, whereas fenugreek extract (GFE) was used at concentrations of 0.25, 0.20, 0.15 and 0.10%. Optimum germination conditions were investigated under normal and NaCl stress (2000 ppm) conditions. Exposure to saline stress significantly reduced seed germination and grass yield as well as shoot and seedling fresh and dry weights. Ideal germination conditions were MLE 0.31% and GFE 0.15%, resulting in increased growth traits compared with the other concentrations and control. Foliar application of MLE or GFE improved growth traits, total antioxidants, phenols, Ca, Mg, K, Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe in the presence or absence of NaCl. In addition, wheatgrass powder was used to replace wheat flour in developing biscuits at 5, 10 and 15% levels. Wheatgrass showed high feasibility for formulating nutrient-rich biscuits with acceptable sensory qualities. These findings provide useful information for enhancing the nutrients in biscuits, with potential use as a natural source of bioactive compounds in functional food products.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of the foliar application of moringa and germinated fenugreek extracts on the growth and biochemical parameters of wheatgrass grown under saline conditions. Aqueous moringa extract (MLE) was used at concentrations of 1.25, 0.83, 0.62 and 0.31%, whereas fenugreek extract (GFE) was used at concentrations of 0.25, 0.20, 0.15 and 0.10%. Optimum germination conditions were investigated under normal and NaCl stress (2000 ppm) conditions. Exposure to saline stress significantly reduced seed germination and grass yield as well as shoot and seedling fresh and dry weights. Ideal germination conditions were MLE 0.31% and GFE 0.15%, resulting in increased growth traits compared with the other concentrations and control. Foliar application of MLE or GFE improved growth traits, total antioxidants, phenols, Ca, Mg, K, Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe in the presence or absence of NaCl. In addition, wheatgrass powder was used to replace wheat flour in developing biscuits at 5, 10 and 15% levels. Wheatgrass showed high feasibility for formulating nutrient-rich biscuits with acceptable sensory qualities. These findings provide useful information for enhancing the nutrients in biscuits, with potential use as a natural source of bioactive compounds in functional food products.

This study was conducted to determine the impact of sodium chloride (2000 ppm) and salicylic acid (SA) concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm) on the nutritional value and germination of radish microgreens. The experiment was based on a completely random design with three replicates. Results indicated that applying SA at 50 and 100 ppm mitigates the negative effects of salinity, even better than higher concentrations, on the nutritional value and bioactive contents of radish microgreens where SA at 50 ppm lowered the sodium contents from 1.75 to 1.10 ppm in addition to increasing the moisture content. Applying SA at 50 and 100 ppm caused a noticeable increase in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibers and energy under unstressed condition. In addition, SA at 50 ppm caused a significant increase in oxalic and malic acid contents under both normal and salinity conditions while SA at 100 ppm significantly enhanced the levels of total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidants under salinity conditions. This practical study highlights the significant role of salicylic acid, at 50 and 100 ppm, in increasing the levels of phytochemicals and minerals, hence improving the nutritional value of microgreen radishes.

This study was conducted to determine the impact of sodium chloride (2000 ppm) and salicylic acid (SA) concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm) on the nutritional value and germination of radish microgreens. The experiment was based on a completely random design with three replicates. Results indicated that applying SA at 50 and 100 ppm mitigates the negative effects of salinity, even better than higher concentrations, on the nutritional value and bioactive contents of radish microgreens where SA at 50 ppm lowered the sodium contents from 1.75 to 1.10 ppm in addition to increasing the moisture content. Applying SA at 50 and 100 ppm caused a noticeable increase in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibers and energy under unstressed condition. In addition, SA at 50 ppm caused a significant increase in oxalic and malic acid contents under both normal and salinity conditions while SA at 100 ppm significantly enhanced the levels of total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidants under salinity conditions. This practical study highlights the significant role of salicylic acid, at 50 and 100 ppm, in increasing the levels of phytochemicals and minerals, hence improving the nutritional value of microgreen radishes.

Worldwide, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most essential agro-economically food crops. To ensure its presence throughout the year for food processors and to extend its shelf life, it should be stored in cold temperatures. Despite the benefits of storage at low temperatures, it causes undesirable phenomena; one of them is cold-induced sweetening, which reduces the quality and the commercial value of the potato tubers. In this study, the CRISPR technology ″Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats″ has been used in potato cultivar Desiree via Agrobacterium mediated transformation to edit starch phosphorylase gene that is responsible for starch degradation in cold temperature storage, after regeneration steps. The regenerated plants were used in the screening of genome editing by Sanger sequencing and the ICE program. Screening results showed that Desiree 2 (DE2), Desiree 7 (DE7) and Desiree 27 (DE27) lines have mutations in sgRNA sequence that indicated a significant reduction in reduced sugar contents of tubers after cold storage for 90 and 120 days. The reduction mean values were 29.224, 35.078 and 35.862 in DE2, DE7 and DE27 respectively after 90 days and 83.212, 56.674 and 34.109 after 120 days without visible differences in plant morphology and tubers

Worldwide, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most essential agro-economically food crops. To ensure its presence throughout the year for food processors and to extend its shelf life, it should be stored in cold temperatures. Despite the benefits of storage at low temperatures, it causes undesirable phenomena; one of them is cold-induced sweetening, which reduces the quality and the commercial value of the potato tubers. In this study, the CRISPR technology ″Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats″ has been used in potato cultivar Desiree via Agrobacterium mediated transformation to edit starch phosphorylase gene that is responsible for starch degradation in cold temperature storage, after regeneration steps. The regenerated plants were used in the screening of genome editing by Sanger sequencing and the ICE program. Screening results showed that Desiree 2 (DE2), Desiree 7 (DE7) and Desiree 27 (DE27) lines have mutations in sgRNA sequence that indicated a significant reduction in reduced sugar contents of tubers after cold storage for 90 and 120 days. The reduction mean values were 29.224, 35.078 and 35.862 in DE2, DE7 and DE27 respectively after 90 days and 83.212, 56.674 and 34.109 after 120 days without visible differences in plant morphology and tubers

This study aimed to use the organic polymer, chitosan, as a flocculant for harvesting microalgae Chlorella. sp. Various polymer concentrations were tested. Within three min, 50 mg/L of chitosan showed the highest efficiency (98.9±0.5%), at pH 6.3, while the lowest efficiency (86.7±0.5%) was observed at pH 7.5. Harvesting efficiency in this study was chitosan concentration dependent. The present study showed that chitosan can be a promising and sustainable solution as an organic source and environmentally friendly flocculant. Additionally, it has excellent harvest productivity and requires minimum effort for quick outcomes.

This study aimed to use the organic polymer, chitosan, as a flocculant for harvesting microalgae Chlorella. sp. Various polymer concentrations were tested. Within three min, 50 mg/L of chitosan showed the highest efficiency (98.9±0.5%), at pH 6.3, while the lowest efficiency (86.7±0.5%) was observed at pH 7.5. Harvesting efficiency in this study was chitosan concentration dependent. The present study showed that chitosan can be a promising and sustainable solution as an organic source and environmentally friendly flocculant. Additionally, it has excellent harvest productivity and requires minimum effort for quick outcomes.

Dairy cattle in Sudan are traditionally fed on separate concentrate and roughage diets. Because of the high cost of forages, feeding strategies should be attempted to reduce feeding costs. A traditional dairy ration (As-fed), composed of 49% sorghum grains (SG), 29.4% groundnut seed cake (GSC), 19.6% wheat bran (WB), 1% limestone (LS) and 1% salt (NaCl), was used as a control. The test ration was a total mixed ration (TMR) composed of 40% SG, 23% groundnut seed hulls (GSH), 20% GSC, 15% WB, 1% LS and 1 % NaCl. The control traditional ration was fed at 10 Kg/cow/day together with 7 Kg sorghum chaff. Two levels of TMR were used with alfalfa hay (AH); (17 Kg TMR + 1 Kg   AH/cow/day and 15 Kg TMR + 2 Kg AH. Three cross-bred dairy cows (European x Local) were used with the feeding regimes in a 3x3 Latin square design.  Cows consumed similar amounts of DM, CP and ME and produced similar quantities of milk (P > 0.05).  TMR had no effects (P > 0.05) on the composition of milk. The cost for TMR was decreased by 19%.TMR was thus effective in reducing feeding costs without affecting milk production and composition.

Dairy cattle in Sudan are traditionally fed on separate concentrate and roughage diets. Because of the high cost of forages, feeding strategies should be attempted to reduce feeding costs. A traditional dairy ration (As-fed), composed of 49% sorghum grains (SG), 29.4% groundnut seed cake (GSC), 19.6% wheat bran (WB), 1% limestone (LS) and 1% salt (NaCl), was used as a control. The test ration was a total mixed ration (TMR) composed of 40% SG, 23% groundnut seed hulls (GSH), 20% GSC, 15% WB, 1% LS and 1 % NaCl. The control traditional ration was fed at 10 Kg/cow/day together with 7 Kg sorghum chaff. Two levels of TMR were used with alfalfa hay (AH); (17 Kg TMR + 1 Kg   AH/cow/day and 15 Kg TMR + 2 Kg AH. Three cross-bred dairy cows (European x Local) were used with the feeding regimes in a 3x3 Latin square design.  Cows consumed similar amounts of DM, CP and ME and produced similar quantities of milk (P > 0.05).  TMR had no effects (P > 0.05) on the composition of milk. The cost for TMR was decreased by 19%.TMR was thus effective in reducing feeding costs without affecting milk production and composition.

The experiment was carried out on three different vegetable crops, Cucumber Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitaceae), eggplant Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae) and okra Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Malvaceae), during summer 2021, to investigate the effect of vegetation type on spider density and diversity. For this study, the pitfall trap method was used to collect spiders from the soil surface to ensure a comprehensive representation of all spider guilds. During this study, 20 species belonging to 6 families were collected. The results showed that a total of 374, 285 and 194 individuals belonging to 18, 17 and 15 species were recorded in okra, cucumber and eggplant fields respectively. Species diversity was greater in okra cultivation. Results also indicated that the Lycosidae family was the most abundant and dominant, representing 71.75%, followed by the Linyphiidae family of 90 individuals representing 10.55% of the whole obtained population. The most dominant species were Wadicosa fidelis 152, 98 and 67 individuals and Pardosa injucunda 111, 69 and 52 individuals in okra, cucumber and eggplant respectively. It is inferred from this study that the type of plant can have an impact on spider communities.

The experiment was carried out on three different vegetable crops, Cucumber Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitaceae), eggplant Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae) and okra Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Malvaceae), during summer 2021, to investigate the effect of vegetation type on spider density and diversity. For this study, the pitfall trap method was used to collect spiders from the soil surface to ensure a comprehensive representation of all spider guilds. During this study, 20 species belonging to 6 families were collected. The results showed that a total of 374, 285 and 194 individuals belonging to 18, 17 and 15 species were recorded in okra, cucumber and eggplant fields respectively. Species diversity was greater in okra cultivation. Results also indicated that the Lycosidae family was the most abundant and dominant, representing 71.75%, followed by the Linyphiidae family of 90 individuals representing 10.55% of the whole obtained population. The most dominant species were Wadicosa fidelis 152, 98 and 67 individuals and Pardosa injucunda 111, 69 and 52 individuals in okra, cucumber and eggplant respectively. It is inferred from this study that the type of plant can have an impact on spider communities.

The green bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris) is infested with many insects such as whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci). An investigation was carried out to study the insecticidal activity of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), five pesticides were used, namely Thiamothoxam, Sulfoxaflor, Spirotetramat, Pymetrozine, and Flonicamid, and three commercial natural pesticides, namely Superrego, Topnine, and Bernastar. Pesticides and natural pesticides were sprayed during the two seasons of 2020 and 2021. The obtained results in terms of the reduction rate of the insects' number were as follows: The highest rate of reduction appeared in Thiamothoxam and Sulfoxaflor treatments, where it reached above 80%, while the other pesticides were in the range of 40% to 60%, and the lowest reduction rate was 34.33% and 36.00 % for Bernastar during season 2020 and 2021 respectively. When evaluating the toxicity of these pesticides and natural pesticides against honeybees (Apis mellifera), the pesticides did not reveal any toxicity to honeybees, except for Thiamothoxam, Sulfoxaflor, and Superrego The LC50 and LD50 values against honeybees were 0.2 ppm and 0.000005µg/one honeybee for Thiamothoxam, 4.5 ppm and 0.0001125 µg/one bee for Sulfoxaflor, and 0.95 ppm and 0.00002375 µg /one bee for Superego respectively.

The green bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris) is infested with many insects such as whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci). An investigation was carried out to study the insecticidal activity of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), five pesticides were used, namely Thiamothoxam, Sulfoxaflor, Spirotetramat, Pymetrozine, and Flonicamid, and three commercial natural pesticides, namely Superrego, Topnine, and Bernastar. Pesticides and natural pesticides were sprayed during the two seasons of 2020 and 2021. The obtained results in terms of the reduction rate of the insects' number were as follows: The highest rate of reduction appeared in Thiamothoxam and Sulfoxaflor treatments, where it reached above 80%, while the other pesticides were in the range of 40% to 60%, and the lowest reduction rate was 34.33% and 36.00 % for Bernastar during season 2020 and 2021 respectively. When evaluating the toxicity of these pesticides and natural pesticides against honeybees (Apis mellifera), the pesticides did not reveal any toxicity to honeybees, except for Thiamothoxam, Sulfoxaflor, and Superrego The LC50 and LD50 values against honeybees were 0.2 ppm and 0.000005µg/one honeybee for Thiamothoxam, 4.5 ppm and 0.0001125 µg/one bee for Sulfoxaflor, and 0.95 ppm and 0.00002375 µg /one bee for Superego respectively.

This study evaluated the use of biologically treated olive mill wastewater (OMWW) for irrigation of pea plants, rather than discharging this nutrient-rich liquid and polluting the environment. Pea seeds were planted in pots containing soil irrigated with tap water (control), untreated (crude) OMWW, or OMWW treated with the fungus, Pleurotus columbinus, or algae Spirulina platensis or Wollea sp., with two NPK rates. Plant length shoot and root dry weight, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, chlorophyll, and carotene contents were measured, along with to nitrogenase and dehydrogenase activity. The highest shoots N and P content were recorded in plants irrigated with Sp. Platensis-treated OMWW + 100% NPK; while the highest K content was in plants irrigated with crude OMWW + 100% NPK. The highest dehydrogenase activity, 59.01 μg TPF/100 g soils, was recorded in plants irrigated with P. columbinus-treated OMWW supported with 75% NPK, while maximum nitrogenase activity (261.82 μmol/100g soil/day) occurred in plants irrigated with Wollea sp.-treated OMWW with 75% NPK. The highest content of chlorophylls a & b and carotene (0.838, 0.276, 0.252 mg/g dry weight, respectively) were found in plants irrigated with OMWW treated with Wollea sp. and 100% NPK. Thus, biologically treated OMWW showed promising impacts on plant growth parameters.

This study evaluated the use of biologically treated olive mill wastewater (OMWW) for irrigation of pea plants, rather than discharging this nutrient-rich liquid and polluting the environment. Pea seeds were planted in pots containing soil irrigated with tap water (control), untreated (crude) OMWW, or OMWW treated with the fungus, Pleurotus columbinus, or algae Spirulina platensis or Wollea sp., with two NPK rates. Plant length shoot and root dry weight, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, chlorophyll, and carotene contents were measured, along with to nitrogenase and dehydrogenase activity. The highest shoots' N and P contents were recorded in plants irrigated with Sp. platensis- treated OMWW + 100% NPK; while the highest K content was in plants irrigated with crude OMWW + 100% NPK. The highest dehydrogenase activity, 59.01 μg TPF/100 g soils, was recorded in plants irrigated with P. columbinus-treated OMWW supported with 75% NPK, while maximum nitrogenase activity (261.82 μmol/100g soil/day) occurred in plants irrigated with Wollea sp.-treated OMWW with 75% NPK. The highest content of chlorophylls a & b and carotene (0.838, 0.276, 0.252 mg/g dry weight, respectively) were found in plants irrigated with OMWW treated with Wollea sp. and 100% NPK. Thus, biologically-treated OMWW showed promising impacts on plant growth parameters.