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Copyright of Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Applications of modern micro-irrigation methods are inevitable for optimum water use due to the limitations imposed by irrigation water resource scarcity. Regardless of water shortages and associated challenges in dry areas, the irrigation of date palm trees consumes an excessive quantity of water annually using conventional irrigation methods. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the effects of modern surface and subsurface micro-irrigation systems, i.e., subsurface drip irrigation (SSDI), controlled surface irrigation (CSI), and surface drip-irrigation methods (SDI), with different irrigation water regimes, i.e., 50%, 75%, and 100% irrigation water requirements (IWRs), on the yield and fruit quality of date palms (cv. Khalas) and water conservation in the dryland region of Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. The effects of three irrigation methods and IWRs were studied on macronutrients and soil chemical properties at three depths (0–30, 30–60, and 60–90 cm), as well as on water productivity, yield, and the fruit quality of date palms. The study was carried out over two years and was designed using a two-factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with nine replications. The results indicated that electrical conductivity (EC) increased as the depth of the soil increased. The soil chemical properties did not change much in all experimental treatments, while soil pH values decreased with the soil depth from 0–30 to 60–90 cm. Although the maximum fruit yield (96.62 kg palm−1) was recorded when 100% irrigation water was applied in the SSDI system, other treatment combinations, such as SDI at 100% IWR (84.86 kg palm−1), SSDI at 75% IWR (84.84 kg palm−1), and CSI at 100% IWR (83.86 kg palm−1) behaved alike and showed promising results. Similarly, the highest irrigation water productivity (2.11 kg m−3) was observed in the SSDI system at 50% IWR, followed by the SSDI at 75% IWR (1.64 kg m−3) and 100% IWR (1.40 kg m−3). Fruit quality attributes were also promoted with the SSDI system at 75% IWR. Hence, the SSDI method at 75% IWR appeared to be an optimal choice for date palm irrigation in arid areas due to its positive impact on water conservation and fruit characteristics without affecting soil chemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palm date pits as a source of bioactive chemicals have received only a limited amount of attention. This study was conducted to determine the bioactive components of Ajwa date pits, as well as their antibacterial and antimutagenic activities. Therefore, chromatographic techniques were used to extract and isolate the phenolic compounds in date pits, which were further elucidated by using spectroscopic techniques (FTIR and NMR) for identification of most abundant bioactive metabolites. Data showed that the methanolic extract of date pits contained high levels of total phenols (17.38 mg GA/g) and flavonoids (5.324 mg QE/g). The HPLC analysis of date pits' extract showed the presence of six phenolic compounds. Interestingly, there was a significant amount of gallic acid (11.85 mg GA/gFW), which was isolated via chromatography (thin layer chromatography) and identified by spectroscopic investigation (FTIR, MS, 1H, and 13C NMR). An inhibitory effect on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was observed for date pit gallic acid purified. S. aureus cell viability was completely inhibited at 200 µg/mL of acid for 6 h. Moreover, gallic acid was found to have a significant antimutagenic activity against Salmonella typhimurium at all tested concentrations, with a decrease in percent mutagenicity from 52 to 32 in the case of test substance TA98, and from 39 to 15 for test substance TA100 in terms of percent antimutagenicity. Gallic acid at a dose of 3000 g/plate had the greatest antimutagenic effect on S. typhimurium TA98, with the lowest toxicity. Overall, the bioactive properties of date pits' extracts were investigated, with a particular attention to their chemical composition, biological activity, and pharmaceutical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Actinobacteria have received much attention due to their capacity for plant growth promotion, a promising approach in sustainable development of agriculture. Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an important crop, particularly in semi-arid regions of the world, due to the high nutritional and health-promoting values of its fruits. The present study was conducted to investigate the utilization of actinobacteria as an approach to support soil fertility and enhance production and functional food value of date palm fruits in a semi-arid environment. To achieve this purpose, actinobacterial strains were isolated from palm rhizosphere, characterized and screened for bioactivity. Then the potent isolates, based on plant growth promoting assays, were inoculated into the soil rhizosphere of five-target palms (Ajwa, Sokary, Khodry, Rashodia and Saffawy) before flowering and during fruiting stages in two successive seasons. Interestingly, the actinobacterial inoculants increased soil fertility and improved fruit yield of the tested palms. The treated date fruits accumulated higher levels of valuable phytochemicals such as sugars, organic acids, essential amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals, as compared with the untreated ones. Moreover, actinobacterial treatment induced the biological activities (antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer) of the produce dates. Conclusively, results presented herein suggest the promising application of actinobacteria for supporting the production and functional food value of date palms in semi-arid regions. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Utilization of actinobacteria resulted in improved soil fertility and yield of date palms. • Treated palm fruits showed enhanced nutritive and health-promoting values. • Major phenolics, flavonoids, vitamins, EAA and PUFA have significantly improved. • Actinobacteria are a promising approach for supporting functional food value of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]