Two field experiments were carried out in El-Bosaily farm in the Northern coast of Egypt

Cysteine (Cys) and α-lipoic acid (ALA) are naturally occurring antioxidants (sulfur-containing compounds) that can protect plants against a wide spectrum of environmental stresses. However, up to now, there are no conclusive data on their integrative roles in mitigation of drought stress in wheat plants. Here, we studied the influence of ALA at 0.02 mM (grain dipping pre-cultivation treatment) and Cys (25 and 50 ppm as a foliar application) under well watered and deficit irrigation (100% and 70% of recommended dose). The results showed that deficit irrigation markedly caused obvious cellular oxidative damage as indicated by elevating the malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide content (H2O2). Moreover, water stressed plants exhibited multiple changes in physiological metabolism, which affected the quantitative and qualitative variables of grain yield. The enzymatic antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) were improved by Cys application. SOD and APX had the same response when treated with ALA, but CAT and POX did not. Moreover, both studied molecules stimulated chlorophyll (Chl) and osmolytes’ biosynthesis. In contrast, the Chl a/b ratio was decreased, while flavonoids were not affected by either of the examined molecules. Interestingly, all above-mentioned changes were associated with an improvement in the scavenging capacity of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leaf relative water content (RWC), grain number, total grain yield, weight of 1000 kernels, gluten index, falling number, and alveographic parameters (P, W, and P/L values). Furthermore, heatmap plot analysis revealed several significant correlations between different studied parameters, which may explore the importance of applied Cys and ALA as effective compounds in wheat cultivation under water deficit conditions.

Two field experiments were conducted in the experimental station farm, faculty of agriculture, Ain Shams University at Shalakan, Kalubia Governorate, during the two growing seasons, i.e. 2009 and 2010, to investigate the response of growth and forage yield production of pearl millet cv. Shandaweel 1 to nitrogen fertilization rates and cutting height above the soil surface. Four nitrogen rates as ammonium nitrate (33.5%N), 0, 30, 45, and 60 kg N/fed, were arranged in the main plots and two levels of cutting heights (10 and 20 cm above the soil surface) in the subplot with four replicates in split-plot design. In the second season, nitrogen application increased up to 75 kg N/fed. The main results were as follows: Significant increases were appeared in plant height (cm), number of tillers/m 2 , number of leaves/m 2 , and leaf area index during the two growing seasons as nitrogen fertilization rates increased except at the third cut in the first season for plant height (cm) and number of tillers/m 2 , the first and second cuts of the first season for number of leaves/m 2 and at the third cut during the first season of study for leaf area index, while leaf/stem ratio was not affected significantly during the two growing seasons. Green forage yield/fed was significantly increased as nitrogen application rates increased during the two growing seasons except at the third cut of the first season of study. Increasing nitrogen fertilization rates up to 75 kg N/fed caused significant increases in dry forage yield during the three collected cuts in the second season of study and the second cut during the first season of study as well as in the combined results. Plant height (cm) was significantly affected as cutting height above the soil surface increased in the second cut (2009) and the first cut (2010) where plant height increased at 10 cm as cutting height than at 20 cm above the soil surface. Significant differences were appeared in number of tillers/m 2 as cutting height varied from 10 to 20 cm in the two studied seasons. The highest cut of number of tillers/m 2 was scored at 20 cm cutting height than those at 10 cm in the second and third cuts during the two growing seasons. A number of leaves/m 2 as well as leaf area index were influenced significantly as cutting height increased during the two growing seasons except in the second and third cuts during 2009 or the third cut during 2010 for number of leaves/m 2 and in the second cut of the first season (2009) and the third cut during 2010 for leaf area index. Significant effects were noticed in leaf/stem ratio as cutting height differed in the second or third cut in 2009 and in the three collected cuts in combined analysis. Green forage yield, dry forage yield/feddan increase significantly as cutting height differed during the two growing seasons as well as the combined results except in the first cut during the first season of study for dry forage yield. Green forage yield as well as dry forage yield was significantly affected by the interaction between nitrogen ferti...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation and biochar amendment has been reported to improve the growth of several crop plant; however, their role in stress amelioration individually as well as in combination has not been worked out. Limited information is available about the synergistic use of biochar and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF). Here, we investigated the synergistic effect of biochar and AMF on plant development, root architecture, the physiological performance of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), and soil enzymatic activities. Biochar and AMF were shown to have a considerable effect on plant height, according to the data (53.3 and 66.6%, respectively), leaf number (22.5 and 45.1%), total root length (19.8 and 40.1%), root volume (32.1 and 71.4%), chlorophyll a content (26.0 and 17.8%), chlorophyll b content (50.0 and 28.9%), total chlorophyll content (30.0 and 18.1%), and carotenoid content (60.0 and 48.0%) over the control treatment. There was a considerable increase in plant height when biochar and AMF were combined together by 80.9%, total root length by 68.9%, projected area by 48.7%, root surface area by 34.4%, root volume by 78.5%, chlorophyll a content by 34.2%, chlorophyll b content by 68.4%, total chlorophyll content by 44.5%, and carotenoid content by 84.0% compared to the control. Our results recommend that the combination of biochar and AMF is advantageous in fenugreek growth, microbial biomass, and soil enzyme activities.

Field experiments were conducted in El-Bosaily farm in the Northern Coastal of Egypt during summer seasons of 2015 and 2016 to study the response of the single Cross 10 maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid to three sowing dates (1 st of May, 1 st of June and 1 st of July) and three levels of irrigation; 60%, obtained by the third sowing date (1 st July).

The mechanism by which folic acid (FA) or its derivatives (folates) mediates plant tolerance to sodic-alkaline stress has not been clarified in previous literature. To apply sodic-alkaline stress, maize seedlings were irrigated with 50 mM of a combined solution (1:1) of sodic-alkaline salts (NaHCO3 and Na2CO3; pH 9.7). Maize seedlings under stressed and non-stressed conditions were sprayed with folic acid (FA) at 0 (distilled water as control), 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 mM. Under sodic-alkaline stress, FA applied at 0.2 mM significantly improved shoot fresh weight (95%), chlorophyll (Chl a (41%), Chl b (57%), and total Chl (42%)), and carotenoids (27%) compared to the untreated plants, while root fresh weight was not affected compared to the untreated plants. This improvement was associated with a significant enhancement in the cell-membrane stability index (CMSI), relative water content (RWC), free amino acids (FAA), proline, soluble sugars, K, and Ca. In contrast, Na, Na/K ratio, H2O2, malondialdehyde (MDA), and methylglycoxal (MG) were significantly decreased. Moreover, seedlings treated with FA demonstrated significantly higher activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) compared to the untreated plants. The molecular studies using RT-qPCR demonstrated that FA treatments, specifically at 0.2 mM, enhanced the K+/Na+ selectivity and the performance of photosynthesis under alkaline-stress conditions. These responses were observed through up-regulation of the expression of the high-affinity potassium-transporter protein (ZmHKT1), the major core protein of photosystem II (D2-Protein), and the activity of the first enzyme of carbon fixation cycle in C4 plants (PEP-case) by 74, 248, and 225% over the untreated plants, respectively. Conversely, there was a significant down-regulation in the expression ZmSOS1 and ZmNHX1 by 48.2 and 27.8%, respectively, compared to the untreated plants.

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Two years field study were carried out in El-Noubaria and Sakha research station, Cotton Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center at Giza, Egypt, during 2018 and 2019 seasons. The aim of this study was to study the effects of inoculating some Egyptian cotton genotypes (Giza 97 and Giza 96) grown on clay and calcareous soils with different bio-fertilizers (Bacillus Polymxa, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus circulans, Azotobacter and Azospirillum) on yield components and ginned cotton characteristics. Results showed that when added the bacterial strains to the soil three times at 65, 85 and 105 days after sowing through the irrigation water of cotton plants, the bio treatments improved the absorption and available of NPK leading to reproductive organ, exhibited the result higher significant values due all the treatments with using low amount of mineral fertilizers. There was a significant increase in Sakha region with clay soil for most traits compared to Noubaria region with calcareous soil, while there were no significant differences in Noubaria region for short fiber index and upper half mean. The bio treatments in most traits under study give that highly significant increased. Generally, the application of Biofertilizer improved yield and its components and ginned cotton properties of some Egyptian cotton genotypes in clay and calcareous soils.