Soil water budgets are essential in determining the proper timing and amount of irrigation. Organic fertilizers can be substituted for commercial fertilizers; however, information is sparse on the interaction of irrigation management and nutrient source on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) production. Th is study evaluated nutrient source and irrigation management on growth and yield of cucumber grown in the arid area of Egypt. A fi eld experiment was conducted using cucumber grown in northern Egypt at Shibin El-Kom in 2006 and 2007 to evaluate water use and fertilizer rate and type. Th ree irrigation defi cits and seven fertilization types were arranged in a randomized split-plot design with irrigation rates as main plots and fertilizer treatments within irrigation rates. Irrigation treatments were a ratio of crop evapotranspiration (ET) as: 1.0 ET, 0.84 ET, and 0.64 ET. Fertilizer treatments were applied at the recommended rate of N either as a commercial fertilizer or with organic manure. Chlorophyll a and b, leaf area index, and yield were greatest with the lowest ratios of male to female fl owers when adequate water and high N were used (1.0 ET with chicken manure at 7 Mg/ha). Seasonal water use was 498 and 471 mm for 1.0 ET in 2006 and 2007 plantings over the 125 d growing season, respectively. Th e yield reduction coeffi cient averaged 0.77. An optimal scheduling was statistically developed based on crop response in defi cit irrigation to achieve maximum yield for diff erent uniformity coeffi cient variation values. Cucumber performance was signifi cantly aff ected by both irrigation and nutrient defi ciencies.

Two successive field experiments during two seasons of 2008 and 2009, were carried out to evaluate some safety treatments including: mulching, tunnels, natural yeast extract, antioxidant and two rhizobacteria Serratia marcescens and Pseudomonas fluorescens towards root-knot nematode Meloidogyne spp. on strawberry plant grown in naturally infested soil and consequently their probable effects on growth parameters, chemical components and yield of strawberry compared to untreated control. Results of this study confirmed that all used treatments, significantly reduced all related nematode parameters i.e. number of galls/root system; number of egg masses/root system as well as number of juveniles/250 g soil ﴾either after 2 or 4 months﴿ when compared to plants grown in the naturally infested soil only. The highest percentage of reduction in all related nematode parameters were noticed after 4 months. Mulching, S. marcescens, P. fluorescens and tunnels, played an important role in reducing the percentage of nematode parameters. Mulching and S. marcescens reduced the percentage of gall numbers/root system by 77%, followed by tunnels by 75% and P. fluorescens by 70%. S. marcescens reduced the percentage of egg masses/root system by 80% followed by P. fluorescens by 78% and mulching by 76%. Results indicated that the soil treated with mulching, also significantly reduced the percentage of juvenile numbers/250 g soil by 79% followed by S. marcescens by 73%. Results confirmed also that all used treatments significantly increased all related plant growth characters viz. leaves, stems, root fresh and dry weight; plant height, leaves number, root length as well as false stem length. Moreover, these treatments significantly increased the activity of some oxidative enzymes e.g. peroxidase and phenoloxidase as well as some other chemical components i.e. total soluble solids (T.S.S %) and vitamin C (V.C). Results revealed that all previous treatments significantly increased the early and total yield. Our results confirmed that, the rhizobacterium S. marcescens came in the first rank as a promoter of all related plant growth characters, followed by tunnels and mulching treatments. Results confirmed that also the antioxidants, are considered the effective one in enhancing the activities of peroxidase and phenoloxidase as well as T.S.S% and V.C followed by the natural yeast extract.

A pot experiment was carried out in two summer seasons of 2020 and 2021, to study the effect of organic {compost (COM) and humic acid (HA)} and biological {arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and plant growth promotion rizobacteria (PGPB)} fertilization on mitigation salinity hazard of tomato plants. Saline solutions were prepared by using NaCl to induce an EC of 3 and 6 dSm -1 , in addition to tap water (0.56 dSm -1 ) as a control. Data on plant growth and development, and leaf water, mineral and chemical contents, and fruit yield and quality were determined. Comparable to un-saline treatment (tap water), salinity (at 3.00 and 6.00 dSm -1 ) decreased plant growth, fruit set (%), water, and mineral nutrition contents in leaves, as well as fruit yield. However, salinity increased water use efficiency, leaf proline content, electrolyte leakage in leaves, and fruit contents of TSS and Vit.C. Also, salinity enhanced Na and Cl contents in all leaves, particularly old ones. Treatments of alleviation salinity all mitigated salinity detrimental effect as they enhanced growth, fruit set (%), water, N, P, K and Ca contents in leaves as well as fruit yield. Also, these treatments reduced Na and Cl contents in both young and old leaves particularly in former ones, beside leaf proline content and leaf electrolyte leakage. The combined treatments i.e., AM+PGPR and COM+HA both seems to be of a synergistic effect as they were the most effective treatments in terms of alleviation salinity hazards on plants followed by AM and COM applied alone.

Effects of five different non-traditional treatments i.e. magnetic water, humic acid, seaweeds extracts, mycorrhzyia fungi and organic fertilizers in addition to the traditional mineral recommended fertilizer were determined in aspect to different growth characteristics within onion plants grown in two subsequent seasons under open field conditions in station of faculty of agricultural at minufiya university. The correlation between of the tested treatments and the accumulation of different biochemical active compounds within treated onion such as ploy phenols, and peroxidases substrates were investigated through using HPLC apparatus. The results showed that the highest recorded growth and vegetative criteria were observed on plants treated with mycorrhyza fungi followed by magnetized water. On contrary, the lowest growth and vegetative values were recorded by organic fertilizers and traditional recommend fertilizers. Biochemical analysis using HPLC revealed that cinamic acid substrate was detected only within treated plants by sea weeds extracts, humic acid and recommended mineral fertilizers. The highest accumulation of peroxidase enzyme was observed with mycorrhyza and sea weeds treatments. The results showed also that Mycorrhyza fungi, sea weeds extracts, organic fertilizers in addition to recommend mono fertilizers increased the accumulation of poly phenols substrates more than all other tested treatments.

Two experiments were carried out in private farm (Khatatba Minufiya Governorate) in winter of field 2016/ 2017and 2017/ 2018 seasons to evaluate the alteration of physiological and biochemical processes as well as yield and its quality of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) grown under chilling stress ((5-10°C at night). The nanobiostimulators used in this study were, NB compound contains (CPPU, BR and proline) used by two concentrations (NB1: 0.5 and NB2: 1.0 ml\ L), nano jasmonic acid (JA1: 5 and JA2: 10 ppm), and finally nano silicon (Si1: 2 and Si2: 3 mM) beside the control plants which sprayed with tap water. The treatments applied as foliar on tomato seedlings grown under low temperature at 45, 60 and 90 day after transplanting. The results were as following:-low temperature caused significant reductions in plant height, fresh and dry weight of leaves and branches as well as leaf area, chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzymes (PPO, PO and CAT), also reduced proline content and total sugars. Moreover significant reduction in early and total yield and firmness, TSS and Vit C, meanwhile increased chilling injury index (CI) %. Spraying NB1 and Si1 at low concentration caused a significant reduction in chilling injury index (CI) and increased significantly chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzymes (PPO, PO and CAT), proline content and total sugars. Meanwhile significantly reduced chilling injury index (CI). Moreover, nanobiodtimulators at low concentration caused a good performance for tomato plants with highly early yield (57, 48%) and (43, 40%) for NB1 & Si1 beside total yield (30, 37%) and (20, 23%) for NB1 & Si1, in both seasons respectively, also the same treatments had induction in firmness, TSS and Vit. C compared to the control plants.