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The main objective of the present study was to find out a simple on-farm irrigation strategy that might enable farmers to increase water productivity under furrow irrigation systems. Therefore, two field experiments were carried out during the two successive seasons of 2007 and 2008, at a private farm, Kaha District, Kalyoubia Governorate, to investigate the efficiency of two improved furrow irrigation techniques as compared with the conventional furrow irrigation system (CFI), which means irrigating all furrows. The examined furrow irrigation techniques were: exchangeable alternate furrow irrigation (EAFI), which means that neighboring two furrows are alternatively watered, and fixed alternate furrow irrigation (FAFI), which means that fixed one of every two furrows is watered. Two antioxidant substances; salicylic acid (in the form of Na-salicylate), and ascorbic acid were foliarly sprayed to find out their prospective effect on mitigating the moderate water stress, which could be happen with using alternate furrow irrigation techniques as compared with water spraying as the control treatment. The used experimental design was split plot with three replicates. Furrow irrigation techniques were presented in the main treatments, and antioxidant substances were allocated in the sup treatments. The obtained results showed that alternate furrow irrigation techniques saved substantial amounts of irrigation water, and EAFI was the superior. There was a significant increase in cabbage fresh yield with using of EAFI. However, a slight decrease was recorded in FAFI as compared with CFI. Crop water use efficiency in alternate furrow irrigation techniques was higher than those of CFI. Antioxidants spraying led to an increase in fresh weight yield and crop water use efficiency. Nitrogen concentration in cabbage was enhanced with alternate furrow irrigation techniques, and EAFI was more efficient in this concern. Meanwhile, these techniques were associated with a decrease in phosphorus and potassium concentrations in plant as compared with CFI. In addition, Antioxidants spraying stimulated the nutritional status of cabbage, and ascorbic acid was the superior. The remained nitrogen in soil was enhanced with alternate furrow irrigation techniques, although a slight increase in soil salinity was observed. In conclusion, it can be recommended that the use of EAFI technique is the most superior to maintain crop water use efficiency in the Egyptian Nile Delta, especially under water scarcity.

Two field experiments were conducted at the Experimental Farm of Horticultural Research Institute (Qaha Farm) during the two successive winter seasons of 2005 and 2006 to elucidate the effect of some soil amendments application such as farmyard manure at 20m 3 /fed, in addition gypsum at 2 ton/fed, sulphur at 500 kg/fed and their combination besides to the check treatment on vegetative growth, heavy metal uptake (lead and cadmium) by edible parts of lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L) "cv dark green" and radish (Raphanus sativus L.) "cv white radish" which grown near the Cairo -Alexandria Agriculture road. Traffic densities on the examined road were about 120960 vehicles/day.The obtained results show that applying farmyard manure, gypsum and/or sulphur reflected the highest values of vegetative growth parameters expressed as fresh and dry weight per plant as well as number of leaves /plant with high significant differences compared with the control treatment (without application). Using soil amendments especially in a mixture form exhibited the highest values of vegetative growth aspects and total yield as well as ascorbic acid content. Heavy metal uptake by edible parts were depressed with the addition of single or mixer application of farmyard manure and gypsum compared with sulphur treatment and the control.Generally, farmyard manure and gypsum in a single or mixer application gave the best results and are recommended for increasing productivity and improving the quality of lettuce and radish grown near the high densities traffic roads by reduction the heavy metal contents.

With increasing nitrogen unit price, the growers are begining to search about new methods for increasing nitrogen use efficiency. Consequently, this study was carried out to evaluate the efficiency of slow release nitrogen fertilizers on yield quantity and quality of two consecutive crops i.e., lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and jew's mallow (Corchorus olitorus L.) under furrow irrigation system. Two filed experiments were conducted at Kaha Hort. Res. Station, Kalyoubia Governorate, during two consecutive growing seasons (winter and summer seasons) 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. Results showed that sulfur coated urea (SCU) caused an increase in plant fresh weight and dry weight, yield as well as nitrogen and nitrate content of lettuce plants as compared with Ureaformaldehyde (UF) and traditional urea. The residual effect for Ureaformaldehyde increased the plant growth parameters, yield, nitrogen and nitrate content for jew's mallow. But, nitrate content in both crops did not exceed the critical concentration tolerated for human. On the other hand, the results show generally that increasing N-level from 30 to 90 kg/ fed. caused a marked increase in parameters under study for the two crops It can be concluded to use sulfur coated urea at 90 kg N/fed. is recommended to obtain the optimum yield with highest quality for lettuce plant. Also, the residual effect for this fertilizer was sufficient to obtain the optimum yield and quality of jew's mallow.

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