Acetone and petroleum ether seed extracts of fennel [Foeniclum vulgare, Apiaceae] and arugula seeds [Eruca vesicaria, Brassicaceae] were tested for their contact and stomach poison activity on adults the granary weevil Sitophilus granarius Linnaeus. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica Fabricius. (Coleoptera: Bostrochidae). The results revealed that, percentage of mortality increased with increasing the concentration of different extracts and exposure time. Extracts of arugula seeds of petroleum ether and acetone gave higher mortality percent compared with the extracts from fennel seeds. Petroleum ether and acetone extract of arugula seeds was founded to be the higher effect on the two species insect than the fennel seeds extracts. The LC50 of arugula seed extracts of petroleum ether and acetone ranged from 0.722, 0.620, 0.622 and 0.475 ml/ kg after 5 days treatment against R. dominica and S. granarius, respectively. On the other hand, these values of fennel seeds extract ranged from 1.331, 0.798, 1.093 and 0.662 for R. dominica and S. granarius, Respectively. While the higher concentration 1.5 and 2 % (W/V) give complete mortality at two extracts against two insects. The petroleum ether of fennel seeds extract with R. dominica give 73.3 and 83.3 % after 14 days treatment. The inhibition rates in the reduction of the first generation (F1-progeny) of R. dominica and S. granarius adults in grains treated with various extracts were higher than mortality at all concentrations to all extract.

No abstract

A field experiments were conducted during two successive growing seasons summer (2011) and winter (2011/2012) at Meet El-Deeba Farm, Kafr El-Shiek Governorate, Egypt to evaluate the using of some field wastes as mole drain filling materials to improve some physical and chemical properties and soil productivity as well as some water relations under maize and wheat crops. The experimental treatments were six treatments (control, unfilled moles and moles filled with sand, shredded rice straw, maize stalk or cotton stalk) arranged in a complete randomized block design with four replicates. The obtained results could be summarized as follow: 1-Soil bulk density (ℓb) and penetration resistance (PR) were decreased with different treatments as compared to control. The lowest values of these parameters were obtained under shredded cotton stalk filled moles. At the same time, soil porosity (E), basic infiltration rate (IR) and the rate of soil salinity (ECe) decrement were increased with different treatments, where shredded cotton stalk filled mole gave the highest values. 2-The total yield of both crops were highly significantly increased with different treatments, where the unfilled moles produced the highest maize yield increment rate, while cotton stalk moles gave the highest wheat yield increment rate, relative to the control. 3-The amounts of water applied, water consumptive use, crop and field water use efficiencies of both crops were increased with different treatments. 4-The net return for both crops were increased as a result of applying different treatments, where the highest net return value for maize was achieved with unfilled moles. While for wheat, the highest value was obtained with cotton stalk moles.It could be concluded that the field wastes could be safely disposed through injection into the soil in moles with proper depth (50-60 cm). These moles seemed to be more effective in improving soil permeability and hence ameliorate saline clay soil and consequently increase crop productivity and helping for reducing pollution factors.

A study was carried out to test and evaluate a portable mechanical date dryer using butanegas as heat energy source. The temperature of drying air was adjusted to be approximately constant during the experiment of period at 40 , 50 , 60 and 70C and air velocity of 1 ,1.5 and 2 m/s. Two empirical models (Exponential and Page) were examined to describe the drying behaviour of date. The change in date moisture content during the drying process, thermal efficiency of the drying process and the total and reducing sugars of the dried date were also determined. The obtained results showed that, both of the examined models could satisfactory describe the change in date moisture content during the drying process. While the Page's model could predict the change in moisture content of date more adequately than the simple model. The dryer thermal efficiency increased with the increase of drying air temperature and air velocity, and it ranged from 32.23 to 69.84 % for the unpeeled date, from 33.82 to 71.63% for the un-peeled treated date and from 35.42 to 75.13% for the peeled date. Also, the total and reducing sugars percentages decreased with the decrease of drying air temperature and air velocity and the reducing sugar ranged from 44.85 to 51.38 % while the total soluble sugar ranged from 55.95 to 65.14 % .