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The alleviating effect of foliar application of both humic acid and chitosan on cucumber plants grown in saline soil were elucidated. A pot experiment was conducted at the greenhouse of Plant Physiology Division, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University. Giza. Egypt during the two successive seasons of 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. Two factors were studied and designed in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in each season. Cucumber seeds were sown on 20 Sept. at both seasons, in four levels saline soil (Control, 2000; 0444, 0444 ppm), and treated foliar with five treatments; 1: control (sprayed by tap water), 2, 3: humic acid at two levels (10 ml/L and 20 ml/L) and 4, 5: chitosan at two levels (0.25g and 0.5 g per liter), all of them applied twice. Tween 20 was used as a wetting agent. The plant growth parameters and biochemical components were recorded in two samples of different ages, at the vegetative and flowering growth stages, as well as fruit quality traits and total yield / plant. Results obtained that increasing salinity level affected the seeds germination in which the 6000 ppm had not recorded any seed germination. In addition, increasing salinity level led to reducing plant growth parameters, on the other side chlorophyll a and b increased, and proline accumulation, sugars, amino acids and phenols. A significant reduction was observed in average fruit weight and yield. In addition, chitosan and humic acid application enhanced the growth and biochemical components of cucumber. These inducers were found to have dose dependent effect. Moreover, chitosan showed superiority, mainly in concentration of 0.25 g. L-1 as compared to all studied treatments in respect of growth characters, dry matter and biochemical response of cucumber as well as yield and fruit length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafting is an effective and environmentally friendly method for combating the negative impacts of biotic and abiotic stressful conditions and increasing the productivity of vegetable crops. Our experiment was conducted for two seasons in net greenhouse during summer seasons of 2020 and 2021 at Vegetable Crops Department Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Egypt. In our study, we investigated the effect of grafting cucumber onto eight rootstocks, which belong to four different species of cucurbits on plant growth, productivity and fruit quality characters. The experiment was performed using a randomized complete block design. The rootstocks included three accessions of squash (PEP 1635, PEP 1636 and PEP 1666), two accessions of pumpkin (PI526246 and PI599586), two accessions of bottle gourd (PI491347 and PI534556) and local cultivar of Luffa and compered with non-grafted cucumber (Hesham F1). The performance of grafted cucumber scions varied according to the used rootstocks. Grafting process was applied by slant cut method which commercially used in cucurbits grafting, the highest survival rate was found for grafting onto bottle gourd rootstock PI491347 in both seasons (67.9% and 69.23%, respectively) while the lowest survival rate value was observed for grafting on squash rootstock PEP1636 in both seasons (37.5% and 31.21%, respectively). Comparing with performance of non-grafted plants, grafting on squash rootstocks PEP 1635, PEP 1636 and PEP 1661 and pumpkin rootstock PI599586 caused a significant enhancement in all most plant growth parameter (plant length, leaf area, internode length and SPAD value), fruit quality (average fruit weight, fruit length and fruit diameter), early and total fruit yield. Pumpkin rootstocks significantly decreased Leaf diffusion resistance and increased Transpiration ratio. Pumpkin PI599586 increased the macro elements (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) in scion leaves. Grafting hybrid cucumber (Hesham F1) on squash rootstocks (PEP1635 and PEP1666) caused a significant enhancement in total yield/m². [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Journal of Agricultural Sciences (SJAS) is the property of Beni Suef University 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.)

Copyright of Egyptian Journal of Botany 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.)

Trials were carried out in plastic greenhouses at a private farm in the Qaha region, Qalubia Governorate, Egypt (30.288 N; 31.198 E), during two consecutive spring seasons (2020 and 2021). The objective was to investigate the impact of nano compounds, spray specifically nano calcium and nano silicon, on the growth characteristics, yield, and quality of cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.) under protected cultivation conditions. The study used two foliar sprays of Lithovit® (nano calcium carbonate 80.2 %) at 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 g/L and nano silicon (SiO2 25 %) at 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mL/L. Nano elements (calcium or silicon) were applied to cucumber seedlings in the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth weeks after transplantation. All monitored attributes increased with both nano-element treatments. Plants receiving nano calcium had higher plant height, fresh and dry weights, and branch counts than those receiving nano silicon. However, growth was best with 1.0 g/L nano calcium. Compared to control, nano elements boosted cucumber plant N, P, K, Ca, and Si. In both, nano calcium and nano silicon treatments, fruit length, diameter, average weight, and total weight increased. Yield increases may outweigh nano nutrient costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are considered one of the most destructive diseases in the world. In Egypt, farmers primarily rely on chemical nematicides, which have become costly to control. Currently, abamectin is a bio-based pesticide used as an alternative tool against Meloidogyne spp. on cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.). During the current research, four tested abamectin formulations were DIVA (1.8% EW), RIOMECTIN (5% ME), AGRIMEC GOLD (8.4% SC) and ZORO (3.6% EC) compared with two reference nematicides namely, CROP NEMA (5% CS) and TERVIGO (2% SC). The main results showed that, in vitro study elucidated that the most effective formulations of abamectin as a larvicidal were EW with LC50 value of 21.66 µg ml−1. However, in the egg hatching test, the formulations of abamectin SC (2%) and EW were the most effective in reducing egg hatching, with LC50 values of 12.83 and 13.57 µg ml−1. The calculated relative potency values showed diversity depending on the two referenced nematicides. On the other hand, in vivo study, the results indicated that, all tested formulations of abamectin recorded general mean reductions in root galls (23.05–75.23%), egg masses (14.46–65.63%). Moreover, the total population density declined by 39.24–87.08%. Furthermore, the influence of abamectin formulations, in the presence of root-knot nematodes, on the growth of cucumber plants parameters, such as root dry weight, root length, root radius, root surface area, shoot dry weight and shoot height, as well as the content of macro-elements (N, P and K) exhibited varying levels of response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide range of soilless cultivation techniques have been developed and introduced for intensive cropping systems and for boosting the crop yield of many vegetables, mainly in greenhouses. Adoption of some local natural byproducts to be utilized as a substrate growing medium to overcome soil-related problems appeared to be a promising project. Therefore, greenhouse experiments were conducted at the Baloza Experimental Station of the Desert Research Center (DRC), North Sinai Governorate, Egypt, during the two consecutive winter growing seasons of 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. These experiments aimed to investigate the effects of seven growing substrate culture treatments of separated or mixed sand obtained from sand dunes and date palm tree residues (Karenna) on plant vegetative growth, flowering, fruit yield and quality traits, and fruit nutritional values of cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.) Filial-1 hybrid 1101. Crop evapotranspiration reference (ETc) and water use efficiency (WUE), as well as treatment feasibility, were also studied. The experiment was set up in a complete randomized block design with three replicates. The obtained results strongly indicated that growing substrate media containing 25% sand (S) from sand dunes mixed with 75% grinded Karenna (Kg) of date palm (1 S + 3 Kg) significantly recorded the superiority of all studied characters of plant vegetative growth, number of flowers, fruit set, yield and its components, as well as fruit N, P and K contents, compared with other growing substrate medium treatments. On the contrary, the worst values of all studied parameters were achieved when sand was used alone (100% S) as a growing media. Furthermore, the highest water use efficiency and net income values were also attained by the 1 S + 3 Kg media treatment relative to the other growing substrate medium treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari:Tetranychidae) is a major pest mite infesting vegetables and horticultural ornamental and agronomic crops in Egypt. In biological control strategies, natural enemies were applied to maintain TSSM population below the level where damage occurs for an extended period of time besides utilizing acaricides in a critical situation as a quick practice to avoid deleterious TSSM damage. This study evaluated the potential of acaricides (Abamectin, Chlorfenapyr, Fenpyroximate and Hexythiazox ) and the pathogenicity of native species of Trichoderma spp.(Trichoderma harzianum and T.album) on different biological developmental stages of females and males of T. urticae and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias- Henriot and their population under greenhouse conditions. Results revealed that the utilization of recommended application rate (RC) of acaricides showed a deleterious effect on the different biological developmental stages including eggs, larvae, protonymh, deutonymph and adults of female and male of TSSM, T. urticae and predaceous mite, P. persimilis under laboratory conditions. Moreover, the effects varied greatly on immature stages, life cycle, adult stage, longevity and life span of TSSM and P. persimilis according to utilized acaricide. Concerning the pathogenicity of the two bio-agents (T.harzianum and T.album and a mixture of them), T.harzianum was more pathogenicity against T. urticae and P. persimilis than T.album. Moreover, Trichoderma species showed a negative effect on the population density of T. urticae than its predaceous mite in vitro treatments and under greenhouse conditions. The results are valuable for producing information on the potential integrated management of two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), T. urticae by using acaricides and bio-agents on cucumber plants and their effect on the associated predaceous mite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to alleviate the shortage of irrigation water in dry regions, refining water use efficiency (WUE) is a key issue in sustainable productivity. Furthermore, glycinebetaine (GlyBet) is a vital osmoprotectant produced in crops for improving drought tolerance; however, little is known about its role in improving plant WUE under field conditions in non-accumulating plants such as cucumber. In order to elucidate the effectiveness of GlyBet concentrations (0, 2000, 4000, and 6000 mg/L) in mitigating the deleterious effects of drought (e.g., well-watered (1250 m3/fed), moderate drought (950 m3/fed), and severe drought (650 m3/fed)), field experiments were conducted at Elmia village, Dakahlia, Egypt in the 2020 and 2021 seasons on vegetative growth, some physiological attributes, as well as yield and quality. Drought considerably decreased vegetative growth, yield and its components, leaf relative water content, and photosynthetic pigment concentrations compared with well-watered plants while increasing electrolyte leakage. The most harmful causes were severe drought. However, exogenous spraying with GlyBet substantially boosted the mentioned attributes, but reduced electrolyte leakage within well-watering. Commonly 6000 mg/L contributed to the maximum growth and productivity, preserving cucumber plant water status above other concentrations or untreated plants. Under extreme drought, the application of 6000 mg/L GlyBet had a beneficial effect on moderating the damage of water deficit on cucumber plant growth and productivity. Overall, using GlyBet as a cost-effective and eco-friendly biostimulant six times (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 days from sowing) has the potential to mitigate drought damage while also increasing yield; however, more research is needed to determine the optimal rate and timing of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of pesticides leads to an increase in agricultural production but also causes harmful effects on human health when excessively used. For safe consumption, pesticide residues should be below the maximum residual limits (MRLs). In this study, the residual levels of pesticides in vegetables and fruits collected from farmers' markets in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt were investigated using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS. A total number of 40 pesticides were detected in the tested vegetable and fruit samples. Insecticides were the highest group in detection frequency with 85% and 69% appearance in vegetables and fruits, respectively. Cucumber and apple samples were found to have the highest number of pesticide residues. The mean residue levels ranged from 7 to 951 µg kg−1 (in vegetable samples) and from 8 to 775 µg kg−1 (in fruit samples). It was found that 35 (40.7%) out of 86 pesticide residues detected in vegetables and 35 (38.9%) out of 90 pesticide residues detected in fruits exceeded MRLs. Results for lambda-cyhalothrin, fipronil, dimothoate, and omethoate in spinach, zucchini, kaki, and strawberry, respectively, can cause acute or chronic risks when consumed at 0.1 and 0.2 kg day−1. Therefore, it is necessary for food safety and security to continuously monitor pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables in markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology 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.)

Screening extracts of wild plant species for insecticidal properties might lead to the discovery of new agents of pests management. The aim of this study was to evaluate insecticidal efficiency of five plant extracts in comparing with three synthetic insecticides against white fly, Bemisia tabaci and cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii infesting cucumber plants. The study was conducted at Nobaria district, Beheira Governorate, Egypt during two successive summer seasons of 2020 and 2021 under the open field conditions. The tested botanical extracts included aloe, Aloe barbadensis; oleander, Nerium oleander; ginger, Zingiber officinale; garlic, Allium sativum and chinaberry, Melia azedarach. The results showed that these extracts had potential effects in reducing the population density of B. tabaci and A. gossypii on cucumber plants. The descending order of plant extracts efficacy against B. tabaci nymphs treated with 10 % (w/v) was chinaberry followed by oleander, garlic, aloe and ginger. On the other hand, the efficiency of the tested plant extracts on the cotton aphids could be arranged according to their percentages of reduction in infestation as following: chinaberry, oleander, aloe, garlic and Ginger. According the provided data we can conclude that the tested aqueous extracts have an insecticidal effect against B. tabaci and A. gossypii and can be integrated into their management strategies. However, this inference needs thorough testing before generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-year experiment (2018 and 2019) was conducted to investigate the conjoint effect of applying rice straw as a soil mulch and treating snake cucumber (Cucumis melo var. flexuosus) plants by potassium silicate solution (4 mM) either by soaking seeds or by foliar applications for different periods, on soil fertility, vegetative growth and yield traits, antioxidant activities in plant, nutrient uptake, and total yield under heat stress conditions. The experiment was conducted during summer season (the maximum weekly temperature ranged from 35.8 to 40.6°C) on a clay soil at Dokki field under greenhouse conditions, Giza governorate, Egypt. The treatment of T5 (soaking seeds for 24 h in potassium silicate solution) combined with covering soil with rice straw gave superior effects on enhancing soil fertility and nutrient uptake, increasing chlorophyll content, increasing antioxidant enzymes activity, decreasing proline and other free amino acids (FAA), total soluble salts (TSS), and vitamin C content, and these were probably the reasons that increased the plant tolerance to face the stress. Total yield increased by 13.4 and 8.19% under rice straw soil cover. Also, its highest values were achieved by the treatment of T5 (173 and 200%), during the two tested seasons, respectively. Results of this study suggest that the conjoint effect of using rice straw as a soil cover and treating plants with potassium silicate solution (4 mM) by soaking their seeds for 24 h is beneficial for improving soil fertility, nutrient uptake as well as for crop production under heat stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyridaben, an inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport at complex I, is authorized in Egypt as an insecticide/acaricide for strawberries and cucumbers; thus the investigation of residues in the final consumed product is essential as to ensure consumer safety and trade barriers. Therefore, residue trials were conducted according to the in force and more critical Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) as to investigate the dissipation rate of the compound on both crops and the terminal residues in the final products. Results showed that the residue decline fits a first-order decay process with calculated half-lives of 1 and 6.4 days for cucumbers and strawberries, respectively. Dietary risk assessment was performed based on the risk quotients (RQ) method and the EFSA PRIMo model demonstrating that the dietary exposure to pyridaben residues from cucumber and strawberry consumption, applied either according to the in force or more critical GAPs, does not pose unacceptable health risk to Egyptian and European consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy as a kind of renewable energy is used to power evaporative cooling system to decrease high temperatures that pose a highly negative effect on agricultural production. Greenhouses can be used to avoid the impact of high temperatures. The main objective here is to study the effect of a solar-assisted evaporative cooling in a cucumber greenhouse integrated with painting the greenhouse cover on the environmental factors to improve production. The study was divided into two experiments (preliminary and field experiment). The preliminary study was a mathematical model by MATLAB program developed to predict the value of environmental factors inside the cooled greenhouse. The field experiment was to validate the solar panel (PV), cooling systems, model results and their effect on cucumber yield and water consumption. Good agreement was found between predicted and measured values. Evaporative cooling which consumed about 8.32 MJ day−1 obtained from solar energy (PV) alongside painting the greenhouse cover decreased the temperature about 10°. The evaporative efficiency was 74%. This system has been applied in the climatic conditions of Egypt and can be used for cooling within most facilities with high efficiency in areas of similar environmental conditions. Schematic diagram of the experimental work setup. [Display omitted] • Greenhouse cooling has a great effect on increasing yield and water use efficiency. • Evaporative cooling and painting the cover are recommended for greenhouse cooling. • Energy produced from PV can suffice the energy consumption in the cooling system. • Solar energy is used to decrease the energy cost by producing electrical energy. • Renewable energy can be the energy source for agricultural production application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has already been well established that long exposure to low doses of pesticides is linked to consumer risks. So, this study purposed to investigate the amounts of pesticide residues and potential health risks associated with them. The risk assessment was determined by two methods: 1. Pesticide toxicity index (PTI) depending on the maximum residue limit (MRL) to calculate the hazard quotient (HQ); 2. Health risk assessment (HR) using acceptable daily intake (ADI) and estimated daily intake (EDI) to calculate the health index (HI). Pesticide residues were estimated in 176 samples of the most popularly consumed vegetables collected from major retailers and markets in Dakahlia, Egypt (during 2018). There were 111 samples contaminated with pesticide residues (63.1%), of which 29 samples (16.48%) were higher than the maximum residue limits (MRL). Residues of 23 compounds were found in the analyzed samples, of which chlorpyrifos was the most frequent in 33 samples (18.75%); while cypermethrin was the lowest (detected in one sample). According to WHO toxicity classification, 12 of the detected pesticides were moderately hazardous (class II), seven pesticides belonged to class III (slightly hazardous), three compounds were found in class U (unlikely to pose an acute hazard with normal use), while carbofuran is a highly toxic compound (class Ib). Also, the obtained data revealed that, the HI's for the individual pesticides ranged from 0.0018 to 64.0% of ADI indicates no risk of adverse effects following exposure to the individual pesticides. The cumulative exposure amounts (PTI values) ranged from 1.58 in snake cucumber to 128.44 in potato tubers, indicating that, the combined risk index of pesticide residues was a significant health risk for consumers according to the individual risk index. It can be concluded that there is a need for strict regulation and regular monitoring of pesticide residues in foodstuff for consumers' health protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology 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.)

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the most devastating viral pathogens that cause severe problems for several plants in Egypt and worldwide. In the current study, the electron microscopic observation of spherical with a diameter between 27.49 to 30.53 nm and the yield of the purified virus was 1.4 mg/100 g infected leaves. Results of the mechanical inoculation revealed severe mosaic and chlorotic symptoms and were observed on Cucurbita pepo after ten days, while no signs appeared on the mock inoculated plant. The ultra-thin sections of CMV-infected C. pepo leave judged by I-ELISA revealed the presentence of CMV-like particles using transmission electron microscopy. In addition, accumulation of starch grain was observed as cytopathological effects of C. pepo leaf affected by CMV-infection. Moreover, the formation of double-membrane bodies in the parenchyma and chloroplast malformation was also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology 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.)

Background: In this study, the potential of extracts and powders of green seaweeds, Ulva fasciata, and Enteromorpha flexuosa was evaluated as biocontrol against the pathogenic soil-borne fungi, Macrophomina phaseolina and Fusarium solani, infecting cucumber plants in Egypt. The antifungal activity of the algal extracts was evaluated in vitro against the pathogens mycelial fungal growth using five organic solvents. Results: Obtained results indicated that mycelial growth inhibition was noticed with F. solani in all algal extracts tested. In M. phaseolina, all algal extracts did not inhibit the fungal growth but affected microsclerotia formation (the main source of the second infection). In the case of F. solani, the highest reduction (68.6%) was noticed, while the chloroform extract of U. fasciata inhibited the radial growth of F. solani to 2.5 cm when E. flexuosa inhibited the radial growth to 4.3 cm as compared with the control (8.0 cm). The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the infrared spectroscopy analyses revealed that iron-monocarbonyl, cyclononasiloxane, and their functional groups, including amine, ether, etc., might play a core role in the anti-fungal activity of the seaweed extracts used. Conclusion: This work concluded that the macroalgae species with many unique antifungal properties components had an inhibitory effect against soil-borne cucumber diseases. The antimicrobial activity might be explored in the future in numerous diverse applications in agriculture and plant disease control, revealing their actions to control some plant fungal pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal abundance of the two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Koch) (Acari) infesting cucumber plants in Upper Egypt was studied during three seasons of 2014, 2015 and 2016 in Assiut Governorate. The obtained results showed that the spider mite, T. urtica population during spring plantations fluctuated in relatively high densities during whole season with a peak during the middle of May when the plant age was 43 day-old and the presence of an average level of temperature and relative humidity. In addition, the data indicated that the number of predators was not significantly correlated with pest populations during the spring plantations of 2015 and 2016 seasons, probably because of the lowest numbers of predators recorded in the studied area. The present study showed that the cucumber plants severely affected by the two spotted spider mite, T. urticae. In addition to the scarce numbers of predators recorded during spring and/or summer plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Production 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.)

This study was conducted at the Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center in Egypt during the period from 2017 to 2019 to develop cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) inbred lines and hybrids tolerant to high temperature to reduce losses in quality and yield and evaluate them under greenhouse conditions. Twenty two inbred lines and twenty hybrids were evaluated in the two successive summer plantings of 2017/18 and 2018/19 under greenhouse conditions along with the hybrid Lamar as a control. Total yield reflected great variation among the inbred lines and ranged from 5.50 to 0.53 kg m-1. P10 gave the greatest total yield and it was at par with P19. Narrow range (3.20 to 2.50 cm) was observed among hybrids for fruit diameter. The highest value was recorded in P2×P5. Fruit weight reflected great variation among the hybrids and the hybrid, P2×P5 gave the heaviest fruit weight. Data showed significant differences among hybrids for total yield and hybrid P1×P3 gave the highest value of total yield and was at par with hybrid Lamar (control). The cross P1×P4 achieved high specific combining ability (SCA) effects for all traits in this study which means comparing the general combining ability effects (GCA) of the parents to their corresponding crosses' SCA indicate that the GCA effects of the parents were reflected in the SCA effects of the crosses for the most studied traits. The reciprocal effects in F1 diallel crosses were significant for most of the traits studied and the cross P5×P1 achieved high SCA effects for all traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted during 2017 and 2018 at Kaha Vegetable Research Farm, Horticulture Research Institute, Qalyubia Governorate to develop promising hybrids of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) for yield and fruit quality characters under fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum) infection stress in Egypt using diallel mating design. The pathogenicity and host range experiment revealed that Fusarium oxysporum isolate No.3 was the most virulent one to the susceptible cucumber cultivar "Beta alpha" and cucumber was the only infected host. The prevalence of the non-additive variance suggested heterosis breeding approach is effective way for improvement of these traits. Most of the traits exhibited significant hybrid vigor for some of crosses based on the better-parent. The analysis of variance showed that all the studied traits were highly significant indicating that both of the parents and hybrids had high variability. Significant general and specific combining ability variances were obtained in all studied traits implying that both additive and non-additive gene effects control genetic expression of these traits. The study showed that lines P2, P4 and P5 had significant positive GCA effects for total yield trait under fusarium wilt stress. Thus, these parents could be successfully used in future breeding programs. Among all the crosses, P1×P3, P1×P4, P1×P5, P2×P4 and P2×P5 exhibited significant SCA effects for both early and total yield characters under fusarium wilt stress. So, these hybrids can be used in future breeding program. The genotypes Kaha1×Dokky2 and Kaha1×Kaha2 followed by Kaha2×Dokky3 as well as Kaha1×Dokky3 were the most resistant genotypes decreasing disease severity correlated with increase in total phenol contents and activities of polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase and catalase as compared to susceptible genotypes, i.e., Dokky3, Kaha1×Dokky1 and Dokky1. The scavenging activity was higher in susceptible genotypes as compared with resistant genotypes. Furthermore, there was a high correlation between the total phenol content and the scavenging activity. Results also revealed a noticeable significant correlation between disease severity, total yield and early yield traits. Cluster analysis classified the fifteen genotypes into five clusters with different number of genotypes. Further improvement of fruit yield could be possible through the hybridization and selection in transgressive segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Soil Sciences & Agricultural Engineering 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Plant Production 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.)

Downy mildew of cucumber is caused by the fungus-like pathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis (Berk and Curtis), which causes loss in the yield in Egypt especially under protected cultivation where low temperature and high humidity are prevalent. The efficiency of two Bio-control agents i.e. T34 (Trichoderma asperellum, 109 spore/cm3) and Bio-Cure-B (Pseudomonas fluorescens, 108 spore/cm3) as well as three resistance inducing chemicals (RICs), i.e. potassium dihydrogenphosphate (K2HPO4), salicylic acid (C7H6O3), and potassium nitrate (KNO3) were evaluated for controlling cucumber downy mildew under greenhouse and plastic house conditions. Greenhouse experiment data revealed that, spraying cucumber plants with either biocontrol agent or tested RICs two times i.e. 5 days before and/or nine days after artificially inoculated by the P. cubensis significantly reduced percentage of disease severity, meanwhile plant length and foliage fresh weight were increased in comparison with control treatments. The treatments increased the activity of peroxidase, β-1,3- glucanase, beside increase in total carbohydrates and total phenolic contents. Under plastic house, all tested biocides and/or RICs either alone or double combinations caused significant reduction in disease severity associated with significant increment in some growth parameter of cucumber plants (plant length and fruit yield) when compared with control treatments in both seasons. However, application of tested RICs mixture with tested biocides was more effective in this regard than the only application of them individually. In this respect, tested biocides were also more efficient than resistance inducing chemicals (RICs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments were carried out in Egypt to investigate the infestation rates of cotton whitefly Bemisia tabaci on five cultivars of cucumbers Cucumis sativus during two consecutive late summer seasons from 11 August to 28 October 2015 and 2016. The susceptibilities of the cultivars to infestation by this pest were examined. The five cultivars – Hayl, Nems, Beit Alpha Zena, Bahi and Wafier – were cultivated on a private farm in Mansheyet Saqqara village, Giza. The results showed that whitefly infestation peaks were high in September and October, but low in November in both seasons. The population densities of Bemisia tabaci eggs, nymphs and adults on all the cultivars were slightly higher in 2015 than in 2016. Numbers of B. tabaci eggs, nymphs and adults rose with increasing the temperatures in both seasons, and mean numbers of nymphs and adults also increased with decreasing RH% on all the cultivars. The combination of temperature and humidity was an important regulatory factor affecting B. tabaci development. The results of this study showed that high infestation peaks of B. tabaci occurred in September and October of both seasons. The present results were used to classify the degrees of susceptibility of these cucumber cultivars to B. tabaci infestation as susceptible (S), low resistant (LR) and moderately resistant (MR). It is important that these degrees of susceptibility be referred to the degree of resistance of each cultivar to insect infestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology 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.)

The present study aimed to investigate the potential of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to improve the salt stress and alleviate its impact on Stevia crop plant under different levels of salt concentration. Two Streptomyces spp. isolated from the rhizosphere of halophytic plants (Cucumis sativus L. and Salicornia europaea L.) have shown potential for plant growth promotion in Stevia plant. The streptomycetes isolates were identified by classical microbiological techniques and partial sequencing of 16S rRNA gene as Streptomyces variabilis (4NC) and S. fradiae (8PK). The results have shown that inoculation of Stevia plant by these isolates has enhanced plant growth parameters under applied salt stress. Moreover, total cellular proteins were extracted from the two Streptomyces isolates and SDS-PAGE technique was conducted. Mass spectrometric analysis has identified unique polypeptide of the elongation factor thermos unstable (EF-Tu) indicating the elevation of ribosomal RNA and ribosomal protein genes transcription. On the same context, alleviation of salt stress in Stevia plants inoculated with the two Streptomyces isolates has potentially promoted the accumulation of the major pronounced RuBisCO large subunit protein band detected approximately at 53 kDa. These results may give novel insights and accretion our understanding of salinity tolerance mechanisms using PGP streptomycetes to develop resistant sugar crops of highly important economic value. This study has presented the integration of microbiological, biochemical, and molecular techniques to evaluate the effect of salt stress and to assess the level of stress amelioration using PGPR on proteostasis of sugar crops in Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Plant Production 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.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of site and temperature on the percentage of leaves infested by the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, and on the density of the spider mite and its predators on three crop species of economic importance. From February 2014 to January 2015, a survey was conducted on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) (plots situated at Abu-sawyer and Sarabium regions, Ismailia, Egypt) and moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) (plots situated on the east side of the Suez Canal and El Koraim regions, Ismailia, Egypt). Results showed that there were monthly variations on the percentage of infested leaves, and on the density of the adults of T. urticae and its predators. The significant highest density of T. urticae adults was recorded in April on cucumber and eggplant, and in December on moringa. The highest density of T. urticae was recorded in Sarabium region for cucumber and eggplant, and in El-Koraim region for moringa. Three predator species were detected on cucumber and eggplant: Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, Scolothrips longicornis Priesner and Stethorus gilvifrons Punctillum. No predator was recorded on moringa. The density of predators was affected by site and temperature. In conclusion, sites and monthly variations of the temperature apparently were key factors affecting spider mite and its predator's population, and their effects were host plant dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Plant Production 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Plant Production 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.)

This research aimed to identify the role of agriculture in greenhouses in raising the efficiency of some agricultural resources. The study used descriptive and quantitative analysis methods. The objectives of the research were mainly based on preliminary data for a randomly selected field samples from vegetable producers in the Nubaria region its size (120) farmers, for the agricultural season 2016/2017. The results showed that the number of greenhouses in Egypt increased during the period (2003-2016) at a statistical annual average of about 2814 greenhouse, representing about 6.5% of the average number of greenhouses in the Republic during that period. Total vegetable production of greenhouses increased at a statistically significant annual rate of about 11.54 thousand tons. The seasonal fluctuations of the monthly labor of vegetable crops studied, it was found that the average working days fluctuated between periods of decline and height, which is due to the different needs of the monthly crops of working days as well as the area cultivated. The monthly seasonal fluctuations of agricultural labor for the study crops were found to be lower than the general average in January, February, May, June, and December. The results of the statistical estimation of the cost functions in the short run showed that the average total cost of the cucumber crop in the sample amounted to about 2360.4 LE per ton, the marginal costs of about 2609.0 LE per ton, and the elasticity of the costs of 1.11. Production which maximizes profit is about 20.6 tons. The total cost of the tomato crop was about LE 1464.2 per ton. The marginal costs are about LE 1470.3 per ton. The elasticity of the costs is 1.004. The production, which maximizes profit, is about 19.4 tons. The pepper crop has a total average cost of about 2441.5 LE per ton, marginal costs of about 2915.3 LE per ton, and elasticity of costs 1.19. The production, which maximizes profit, is about 34.9 tons of pepper. In general, the results showed that by increasing the production of vegetable crops by 10%, the total costs increased by 11.1%, 10.04% and 11.9% for cucumbers, tomatoes and pepper, respectively. This means that production is at an economic production stage, which means that it is possible to increase production by adding units of the productive elements used. It has also been shown that farmers in the vegetable crops under study still have the opportunity to increase their production to maximize their profits by vertical expansion in the production of those crops.The economic efficiency criteria showed a positive effect on the productivity of land (m2) and irrigation water (m3) units in the greenhouses compared to agriculture in the open field, where the productivity of (m2) of land in greenhouses increase than in the case of agriculture in the open field by 435%, 223% and 388%, and the productivity of (m3) of irrigation water increase by 508.8%, 403.1% and 240.0% for cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers, respectively. The results indicated that there are many problems facing the producers of greenhouses, which were divided into three main groups: structural problems, behavioral problems and technical problems. The results of the statistical analysis showed that the technical problems were the most influential with an average weight of 77.8%, followed by structural problems with an average of about 71.4%, and last ranked behavioral problems with an average of 61.5%. The research recommended supporting the idea of the national program of the "Thousand Greenhouses" project, and encouraging research institutes and colleges of agriculture in universities to hold training courses on greenhouses and the economic feasibility of young graduates to expand the production of greenhouses. Activate the role of agricultural cooperatives to contribute to the marketing of agricultural products, and work to provide soft loans for young people interested in investment in the greenhouses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology 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.)

This work was carried out during two successive seasons (2016 and 2017) on cucumber fruits from a plastic greenhouse and from open field cultivation in El Gharbeia and El Giza Governorates, Egypt. Isolation trials from spoilage fruit samples of plastic greenhouse cultivation recorded high frequency of Alternaria tenusinium, Fusarium spp. and Pleospora alli. The most common fungi of rotten cucumber fruits from an open field were Galactomyces spp. and Fusarium spp. Pathogenicity tests proved that, Fusarium solani from El-Gharbeia followed by A. tenusinium from El-Giza were the most frequent isolates responsible for rot of cucumber fruits from plastic greenhouse cultivation. Moreover, the most frequent isolates causing postharvest disease of cucumber fruits of the open field were Galactomyces candidium from El-Giza followed by Geotrichum sp. and F. fujikuroi from El-Gharbeia Governorates, respectively. This is the first report of several fungi causing postharvest fruit rot disease of cucumber i.e., G. candidium, Geotrichum sp., A. tenusinium, P. alli and Fusarium spp. (F. fujikuroi, F. verticiolides, F. solani, F. geraminearium and Fusarium incarnatum). Fungal isolates were identified according to cultural, morphological and molecular characterization based on sequencing of internal transcribed spacer1 (ITS1). All the ITS nucleotide sequences of fungi were applied and conserved in GenBank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diseases induced by Fusarium, like damping-off and wilt on cucumber, are serious problems around the world. Samples of cucumber seeds were collected from commercial markets in Egypt and tested for seed-borne fungi. In order to detect the maximum number of internal and external seed-borne fungi, agar plate examination of disinfected and non-disinfected seeds were used. Two species of Fusarium were the most frequent and predominant fungi. Facultative parasites of the genera Alternaria, Rhizoctonia, Helminthosporium and Penicillium were also found. A total 33 isolates of Fusarium spp. were obtained using Komada's selective medium. Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani were highly frequent. Pathogenicity test indicated that, F. oxysporum isolate (Fem8) was the main causal organism of pre- and post-emergence damping off. Furthermore, it occurred in all seed parts tested. Some infected seeds germinate, but they were either rapidly overgrown by F. oxysporum or they developed into a diseased seedling. The water extract of garlic, peppermint and rheum completely inhibited the conidiospore germination and mycelial growth of F. oxysporum at tested conc. 3, 2 and 3%, respectively. Soaked seeds in 2% peppermint extract and evaporated seeds by vapor of peppermint oil caused a highly reduction in the infection and reduced transmission of the referred fungi from seeds to the growing seedlings. The vigor of cucumber seedlings raised from the treated seeds was better than that developed from untreated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 216kg of cucumber samples, representing three different types of farming production [e.g., conventional (C), greenhouse (G) and organic (O)], were collected from different locations in Giza governorate (Egypt), and subjected to pesticide residue and heavy metal analyses. Residues of some organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), such as hexachlorobenzene (HCB), heptachlor, aldrin, endrin, dieldrin and o,p′-DDT, as well as organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), such as chlorpyrifos-methyl, thiometon and phorate were found in a number of samples at concentrations exceeding their MRLs. Lindane was detected in 33.3%, 50.0% and 25.0% of samples from C, G and O cucumber, respectively, without violation. The insecticide methamidophos showed high frequency in the analyzed samples of C, G and O cucumber accounting to 66.7%, 41.7% and 50.0%, respectively, without violation. The majority of the analyzed samples contained detectable concentrations of Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni and Co. Only, Pb and Cd were found in a number of samples at concentrations exceeding their MLs. Contamination among the three types of cucumber either by pesticides or heavy metals varied from a season to another. Generally, the greenhouse cucumber contained the highest value of total pesticide residues (1.016mgkg−1), followed by organic (0.442mgkg−1) and then conventional (0.415mgkg−1) cucumbers. Heavy metal contamination in the three cucumber types accounted to 4.968, 5.350 and 6.248mgkg−1, respectively. The study shed light to the problem of multi toxicants in a food commodity such as cucumber; a common element in the daily human diet. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Nanoemulsions of some natural oils i.e., clove, black seed, orange and lemon and their fungicidal activity against postharvest fruit rot of cucumber were prepared and studied. • Nanoformulations of clove and black seed essential oils (2:1) reduced mycelial linear growth, andcompletely inhibited (100%) conidia sporulation of fungal isolates. • Nanoformulation of clove and black seed essential oils (2:1) respectively is a promising safe alternative fungicide for application against postharvest rot of cucumber fruits management. There are growing concerns about the extensive use of synthetic fungicides worldwide due to their negative health effect on humans, ecosystem, and the development of fungal resistance. Therefore, developing new and safe eco-friendly antifungal agents such as plant-based oils is of major interest. This study was conducted for the first time to develop and evaluate the efficiency of eco-friendly nanoemulsions of some natural oils and evaluating of its efficiency against postharvest fruit rot of cucumber caused by the following fungal isolates: Galactomyces candidum (MF373433), Alternaria tenuissima (MF 373440) and Fusarium solani (MF373443). Nanoemulsions of clove, black seed, lemon, and orange oils were formulated by using ultrasound and subjected to physicochemical and stability studies. The efficiency of these nanoemulsions was evaluated against the postharvest fruit rot fungi of cucumber. The oils of promising nanoemulsions have been analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (GC/MS). The acute toxicity study was conducted on rats and on the luminescence emitted of Vibrio fischeri bacteriausing Microtox®. The smaller droplet size of nanoemulsions was found after 10 min of sonication with an oil to Tween 80 ratio of 1:1 and 1:2 for clove and black seed oils, respectively. Nanoemulsion of black seed and clove oils from Egypt at 5000 ppm showed a significantly high reduction in the linear mycelial growth of fungal isolates. The mixture formula (2:1 v/v) of nanoemulsions of clove and black seed oils showed a significantly high reduction in linear mycelial growth, completely inhibited (100%) conidia sporulation of fungal isolates, and highly reduced the percentage of the rot of germinated seeds as well mortality of cucumber developed seedlings. Nanoemulsion formulation of clove and black seed (2:1) at concentration 2.0 % as soaking treatment of cucumber fruits before artificial infestation by inocula of fungal pathogens caused completely (100%) suppress postharvest fruit rot of cucumber. Both clove and black seed oils nanoemulsions and their combination showed no signs of toxicity or mortality in rats and no toxic effects on the luminescence emitted of Vibrio fischeri bacteria using Microtox® assay. Therefore, it can be concluded that the nanoformulation of clove and black seed oils at the ratio of 2:1 is a promising green and safe alternative to synthetic fungicide for application against postharvest rot of cucumber fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]