T HIS study aimed to establish an efficient micropropagation protocol for blackberry.For shoot multiplication, shoots tips-derived plantlets were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 or 1.5 mg l -1 BA individual or in combined with 0.5 mg l -1 GA 3 . The highest number of shoots/cluster, shoot height, shoot fresh weight and number of leaves were observed on MS+1.5 mg l -1 BA+0.5 mg l -1 GA 3 . In a second proliferation experiment, explants were subjected to in vitro auxin pretreatments (0.5 and 1.0 mg l -1 IBA or NAA) for two weeks with presence of 1.5 mg l -1 BA. Results indicated significant increase in shoot fresh weight, shoots cluster height (9.75) of explants pretreated with 0.5 mg l -1 IBA under dark incubation condition but the roots number significantly increased (4 roots/cluster) under light incubation and MS+1.0 mg l -1 NAA. Rooting and growth were examined under dark versus light pretreatments, followed by further growth for four weeks on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations (0.5 and 1.0 mg l -1 ) of auxin types (IBA and NAA). All auxins concentrations maximized the root length under light incubation condition with no significant difference among all values under light condition. Anyway, the highest root length (77.6.mm) was obtained on MS +0.5 mg l -1 IBA. While, the highest roots number (7.2 roots/plantlet) was recorded on MS+1.0 mg l -1 NAA, under light condition. On MS medium without auxin under dark pretreatment, plantlets possessed the highest shoot/root ratio. The effects of in vitro auxin treatments on subsequent ex vitro growth were studied. Plantlets previously grown on MS medium+1.0 mg l -1 NAA or IBA recorded the highest root fresh and dry weight and root number.

P EACHES is one of the favorite fruit, but these fruits are sensitive through postharvest handling and it has a great loss in the crop and the fruit quality through its approach to the consumers. In the study, Salicylic acid (SA) and aspirin (AS) drugs have been used to reduce fruit losses and preserve quality of the fruit. In the current study, peach fruit cv. Tropical Snow was treated with: water (control treatment), two concentrations of aspirin as 0.5 and 1 mM and two concentrations of salicylic acid as 0.5 and 1 mM under two storage conditions (23±1 °C, 85 % ± 5 % RH and 1 °C, 85 % ± 5 % %RH) during two seasons (2020 and 2021). The results indicated that the fruit under room temperature conditions at all treatments could not be stored for more than 3 weeks while fruit under cold storage continued to 9 weeks with acceptable fruit quality. Under the room temperature, treatments did not significantly affect the firmness while SA and AS with high concentrations delayed the reduction in acidity and vitamin C and the increase of SSC and SSC/ Acid ratio. Under cold storage, SA treatments followed by AS treatments significantly preserved fruit quality via reducing weight loss, saving firmness , delaying the decline of acidity and vitamin C and the increase of SSC, SSC/ Acid ratio and antioxidant enzymes activity especially in the last 3 weeks. AS or SA resulted in improving the income by 156.5 US$/ton on the room temperature storage and by 761.5 US$/ton on cold storage conditions.

Chicken manure and farmyard manure are relatively rich in content of nitrogen and has T HE present study was carried out as a pot experiment during the 2017 and 2018 seasons at the fruit nursery in Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt to assess the mixing of two types of organic fertilizers (chicken manure and farmyard manure) with sandy soil at 10% by weight on growth and the physical and chemical characteristics of seedlings of sixmonth-old for three citrus rootstocks are Sour orange, Volkamer lemon and Troyer citrange to reach the suitable size of grafting in the shortest possible time. The results revealed that the highest values of leaf area and leaf fresh and dry weights were recorded for Sour orange seedlings, while the number of leaves/ plant, shoot numbers/plant and stem diameter gained by Vokamer lemon, followed by Troyer citrange. Seedlings treated with chicken manure achieved the largest leaf area, total number of leaves/ plant, leaf fresh and dry weights, stem height and diameter, photosynthetic pigments and N, Fe, Zn and Mn but shoot numbers/plant, P and K came by farmyard manure.