Different agents were tested as inducing re-sistance factors in tomato plants against root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. These agents include ethyl salicylic acid, (0.125 ml/l) jassmonic acid (0.125 ml/L) sincocin solution, (0.1%) agrispon solution (0.1%) water extract of mango malformed inflorescence (7.5%), coconut milk solution (2%) as root dipping during transplanting and spraying after one month from transplanting. Data obtained clearly indicated that sincocin solu-tion, extract of mango malformed inflorescence, agrispon solution and jassmonic acid led to a great reduction in disease severity, number of galls/ root, number of females/ root and number of egg masses/ root, followed by ethyl salicylic acid and coconut milk descending order. All tested agents did not affect juvenile's viability except mango malformed inflorescence extract and coco-nut milk solution which led to slight effect on juvenile viability. All tested agents increased plant growth in the presence of nematode inocula in comparison to untreated plants. In this respect coconut milk solution had the superior effect. Data indicated that the tested agents induced resistance in treated plant and the mechanisms of their mode of action needs further studies.

This work conducted on the research farm of Mallawi Agricultural Research Station, El-Minia Province, Egypt, during two successive seasons of 2004 and 2005 to study the role of the late plant-ings on the productivity of soybean. Three out of four genotypes selected to achieve that goal were new released cultivars, Giza-22; Giza-35; and Gi-za-111, and the commercial one, Crawford, the common parent of the three genotypes, as control. Three planting dates started on June 1st, June 15th for the second date of sowing and ended on June 30th for the third sowing date in both seasons. The package of the recommendations of soybean cul-ture carefully applied to get the best results of each sowing date. The results showed that all of the morphological, yield and productivity traits highly significantly affected by genotype and three out of five morphological traits, number of days to both flowering and maturity and plant height, also high-ly significantly affected by late sowing date. The other two traits, number of branches and leaf area at 75 days just significantly affected by late sow-ing date. In terms of yield and its components traits, only seed index highly significantly affected by late sowing date and yield per plot significantly affected by sowing time. All productivity traits were significantly affected by late sowing date specially the content of both oil and protein. Alt-hough yield per plot was significantly affected by late sowing date, the yield per plant was not af-fected by late sowing date indicating that the fac-tor of time of sowing may affect the rate of the germination and control the stand of the plots. Number of active nodules considered as produc-tivity trait because of the residual nitrogen that remain in the soil after harvest for the next crop. This number was significantly affected by sowing time and reached the highest values in the second date of June 15th that may due to the high tempera-ture at this time which lead to increasing the inter-action between soybean roots and the nodule bac-teria.

Soil solarization in combination with fungal antagonists and soil amendments has been sub-jected to evaluation as a potential disease man-agement strategy for the control of charcoal rot of sesame caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. Solarization alone or in combination with Trichoderma pseudokoningii and Emericella nidulans singly or in mixed inocula reduces dis-ease incidence from 30 % (control) to 80%, 91 %, 82 % and 85% respectively. It is noted that while pairing improved the biocontrols potentiality of E. nidulans by increasing the number of healthy plants in both unsolarized and solarized soils it leads to decrease in the biocontrol potentiality of T. pseudokoningii. On the other hand the combina-tion of solarization with soil amendment with Eu-calyptus powdered leaves showed a synergistic effect by increasing number of healthy plants from 65 % in amended unsolarized soil to 77 % in amended solarized soil.

Weeds represent the most serious problem in wheat in Egypt. For their control, two field exper-iments were carried out during two winter seasons (2004/2005) and (2005/2006) at National Re-search Centre experimental station at Shalakan, Kalubia Governorate. Some groups of herbicides (Dirby, Harmony extra, Granstar, Ecopart, Illoxan, Topic and Arelon) as well as hand weeding and unweeded treatments were evaluated in wheat. In addition, herbicide combinations were also as-sessed. Harmony extra at 24 g / fed. provided ac-ceptable control for broad leaved weeds but failed to control completely narrow-leaved weeds. Topic at 140 g / fed. provided great control of narrow weeds (97.68% reduction in dry weight after 90 days from sowing). Mixtures of both Harmony extra +Topic at rates (18 g / fed. +105 g / fed.) were better than Harmony extra alone for weed control (99.19 % control, 90 days after sowing) and grain yield. Concerning the other herbicides, Granstar + Topic were effective in controlling both broad and narrow weeds. The efficacy of Harmony extra + Illoxan was lower (91.2% con-trol). Overall, Arelon or mixture of Harmony extra +Topic were the most effective treatments with regard to weed control and wheat growth, yield and its attributes. However, no carryover damage with all used herbicides was observed on wheat. Estimating individual amino acids in the yielded grain revealed increase in essential and nonessen-tial amino acids due to single or combined appli-cation of herbicides. Pronounced increase was recorded with Harmony extra and Topic

A field experiment was carried out in sandy soil to elucidate the possibility of using chloride form as a partial source for potassium in fertiga-tion of banana plants grown on a sandy soil. Growth, fruit yield and quality as well as plant nutritional status and Cl accumulation within both plant leaves and rhizosphere beside an economical elucidation were taken in to consideration to ac-complish such evaluation. Eleven gradual increas-ing KCl: KNO3 (0:100 - 100:0) ratios were applied with maintaining the concentration of all macro and micro nutrients except Cl constant. Obtained data indicated that increasing Cl existence didn’t adversely affect plant growth under this experi-ment. Treatments of 10:90 followed by 50:50 as well as 70:30 followed by 80:20 and either 90:10 or 10:90 (KCl:KNO3) were most stimulating treatments for increasing pseudo stem diameter and leaves number, respectively. Although total fruit yield bunch as well as number and length of fingers are less sensitive to increasing KCl:KNO3 ratio, number of hands/bunch and diameters of fingers were significantly and positively affected by increasing KCl existence. Treatment of 80:20 KCl:KNO3 was the most significant superior one for all measured fruit yield parameters. Although Cl content increased significantly in banana leaves and root surrounding area with increasing Cl ex-istence in the fertigation solutions, recorded con-tents seemed to be in safe ranges whereas no chlo-ride necroses symptoms were appeared at banana leaves. Contents of N, P and K as well as Cl in plant leaves were significantly, although in fluctu-ating manner, affected by increasing chloride oc-currence in fertigation solution. The encountered response of N, P and K contents seemed to be not only a resultant of increasing Cl occurrence in the root media but also as a reflection to changing the N form (NH4 and urea) compensating N-NO3 de-cline in the fertigation solutions having high Cl concentrations. The relatively high supplements of Cl (80:20 followed by 70:30 KCl: KNO3) recorded the highest economical net return. It could be con-cluded that KCl can be perfectly used in fertigat-ing banana plants grown on sandy soils. To in-crease safety of using chloride under such condi-tions, more work could be suggested particularly what concerns with calculating irrigation and leaching water requirements to prevent chloride accumulation in the root zone.

Two field experiments were carried out during the two successive seasons of 2005 and 2006 at Banha (Qalubia Governorate) to study the effect of three rates of poultry manures (50, 75 and 100 N unit/fed.) and the biofertilizer nitrogen (nitroben) on growth, yield, quality and chemical composi-tion of squash. Obtained data showed that using 100 N unit/fed. from poultry manure gave the highest vegetative growth characters, yield and quality. Application 100 N unit/fed. from poultry manure also increased the nitrogen percentage and heavy metals in squash tissues. In addition, using nitroben biofertilizer gave the highest vegetative growth characters, yield, quality and nitrogen per-centage. On the contrary, nitroben biofertilizer reduced the heavy metals in squash tissues

The present study aims to use microwave pow-er to facilitate the extraction of pectin from dried mango peels, and also to explore the effect of power on some quality parameters of the resultant pectin. Chemical composition of dried mango peels ascertained a high percent of total pectin, being 16.01 % (on dry weight basis). With respect to microwave heating, the optimal experimented power was 600W, and 6 minutes as the best short holding time, which gave 12.80 % yield, 86.54% recovery and 77.20% anhydrogalacturonic acid (AGA) of extracted pectin. Comparing to the commercial pectin, the results of some physico–chemical characterstics of isolated pectin, revealed that the pectin isolated by microwave heating from mango peels, being to some extent analogous to the commercial pectin with respect to its qualities, such as high methoxyl pectin, high degree of estri-fication (DE), and high percent of AGA besides its high viscosity, followed by the pectin isolated using the conventional method. Statistical analysis of organoleptic data showed no significant differ-ences between strawberry jam prepared by using commercial pectin and that treated with pectin isolated by microwave heating as affecting their texture, color, taste and preference. Besides, high significant differences were detected between var-ious concentrations of added pectin, with respect to the texture alone. Generally, the utilization of pectin isolated from mango peels using microwave heating in jam processing gave high quality attrib-utes resembling that of the commercial pectin when added to strawberry jam and this would also lead to gain economical benefits.

Sixteen yeast isolates from various sources in-cluding molasses, foodstuffs, concentrated juices and soils were identified using simplified API 20 C AUX yeast identification system and random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). The isolates were found to belong to 11 species; Candida famata, C. glabra-ta, C. krusei / inconspicua, C. norvegensis, C. col-liculosa, Cryptococcus humicolus, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Kloeckera spp., Geotrichum capita-tum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. API and RAPD-PCR proved to be useful and convenient taxonomic tools for rapid identification at the spe-cies level, proving that at least two techniques are needed for precise identification. RAPD-PCR pro-cedure is faster than traditional characterization techniques; the identification of a single colony was typically achieved in less than 10 hr.

Bacterial angular leaf spot disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. lachrymans is one of the most important foliage disease of cucumber. The present work was planned to control the dis-ease using six inducers i.e. salicylic acid, cobalt sulphate, di-basic potassium phosphate, lithium chloride, potassium silicate and tri-potassium phosphate, in addition two bioagents named Pseu-domonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis were applied as foliar treatments to induce systemic resistance in cucumber plants against bacterial angular leaf spot disease. The most effective in-ducers were salicylic acid, dibasic potassium phosphate and lithium chloride, respectively. On the other hand, Bacillus subtilis was least effective one followed by potassium silicate and Ps. fluo-rescens, respectively. While, tri-potassium phos-phate, cobalt sulphate were moderate in this re-spect. Efficacy of used inducers prolonged about till six weeks after treatment.The inducers were shown to increase phenolic compounds of cucumber leaves, whereas after two weeks of treatment up to six weeks, free and total phenol in the treated plants showed higher amounts than those in the untreated ones. Another trend was obtained with conjugated phenol. A positive correlation had been noticed between ef-ficacy of inducers and accumulated amounts of free and total phenol in cucumber leaves, i.e. the higher inducer efficacy the higher free and total phenol accumulation.

The effects of planting date on the evapotran-spiration (ETC) were studied for Tomato, Egg-plant, Squash, Cucumber, Carrot, Potato, Onion, and Watermelon, in Riyadh, Makkah, Njran, Al-Qassim, Eastern region, Tabuk, Al-Jouf, Aseeir, Al-Madenah, Hail and Jazan Regions based on the crop pattern in each region. The ETC of each crop was estimated based on Penman-Monteith Equa-tion. The results showed that the ETC for crops planted in January, February, March, April or Maywere higher than those crops planed in September, October, November, or December. The average ETC was higher when planting date was closer to summer months (June, July and August). Also, the results showed differences in ETC among the dif-ferent regions. The ETC in Al-Madenah region was higher than the other regions for Tomato and Eggplant. While, Riyadh region had the highest ETC values compared with the other regions for Squash, Cucumber, Carrot, Potato, Onion, and Water melon