An efficient protocol for both development of aseptic tissue cultures and shoots regeneration for Cynara scolymus L. cv. Herious was established by using in vitro micropropagation technique. Meristem tips of good young offshoots from selected globe artichoke plants were used as explants. Dipping shoot tips (1-2 cm length) in 70% ethanol for 5-10 seconds followed by 0.1% HgCl2 (W/v) for 2 minutes and then in 3% sodium hypochlorite for 20 minutes was the most effective sterilizing and disinfectant treatment for surviving the majority of meristem tip cultures after 5 weeks of culturing. In the establishment stage, adding 0.5 mg thidiazuron (TDZ) /l to MS basal medium gave the best values for both shoots and leaves number but registered middle values for average shoots length compared to the other treatments. Concerning the multiplication stage, among the different cytokinin types and concentrations used such as 2iP, BA and Kin (at 0.5, 2.5 and 5.0 mg /l for each) and TDZ (at 0.05, 0.5 and 1.0 mg /l) in addition to control treatment (hormone-free MS medium), 2iP with all concentrations recorded the highest values in this respect in terms of shoots and leaves number and average shoots length. The multiplication rate of proliferated globe artichoke shoots and average shoots length were markedly increased with increasing subcultures number on MS basal medium augmented with 5.0 mg 2iP /l + 1.0 mg IAA /l till the fourth subculture then declined thereafter during the fifth one.

Onion seeds rapidly lose its viability and vigor after short time of harvest, and therefore its germinability largely decline. Consequently, the present investigation was carried out during the period from 2010-2012 in both Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, Vegetables & Ornamentals Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University and greenhouse of a private nursery in production of vegetable transplants, Qlabasho village, El-Dakahlia Governorate to study the effect of Moist-chilling (cold stratification) treatment for four periods (0, 5, 10 and 15 days) at 5 ± 1 0 C on improvement of the germination parameters in the laboratory (germination percentage, seedling length, fresh and dry weight and vigor index) of onion seeds cv. "Red Beheri" stored for one or two years and enhancing growth characters (bulblet diameter, transplant length, fresh and dry weights and vigor index) of the subsequent transplants. The obtained results clearly indicated that all germination parameters of onion seeds stored for one or two years (except mean germination time) and also all obtained transplant characters except leaves number were significantly increased in all moist-chilling treatments than control one. The best treatment in this regard was moist-chilling for 15 days whereas the lowest one was control (non chilled seeds).

The current investigation was carried out at Vegetables Research Station of Olericulture and Floriculture Dept., Faculty Agric., Mansoura Univ., Egypt, during the season of 2018 and 2019, to study the effect of irrigation water type (magnetized and non-magnetized water), four inorganic NPK fertilizer rates (50, 75, 100 and 125 kg/fed) and their interactions on growth and field performance of gladiolus plant spikes and corms (cv. Rose Supreme) cultured under the conditions of silty loam soil with developed furrow irrigation system. The experiment was laid out as strip-plot design with three replicates. The obtained data of this study obviously indicated that, all tested parameters such as vegetative growth characters (shoots and leaves number/plant, …), leaves chemical composition (N, P, K, …), flowering characteristics (spike number, length and fresh weight, …) and corm yield and its components (corm number, fresh weight and diameter, …) had significantly been influenced with irrigation water type, NPK fertilizer rates and their interaction. Regarding the effect of irrigation water type, the magnetized water gave the maximum values for most forecited parameters, except vegetative growth parameters, characters of spike number and fresh weight and corm diameter as compared with the non-magnetized one. Concerning the impact of NPK fertilizer rate, the rate of 125 kg fed-1 recorded significant values for all mentioned parameters compared with 50 kg fed-1 of fertilizer rate. Respecting the influence of interaction treatments, the combination treatment between magnetized water and NPK fertilizer rate at 125 kg fed-1 had significant effects on all aforementioned studied parameters as compared with interaction treatment between non-magnetized water and 50 kg fed-1 of fertilizer rate, therefore, it could be recommended that this interaction treatment is the best one for obtaining high characters of gladiolus growth and field performance of plants under similar research conditions.

Two experimental trials were carried out in the two successive seasons of 2014and 2015 to investigate the effect of five NPK fertilizers levels and foliar spraying with some micronutrients on cowpea plant. The experiment consisted of five treatments of fertilizers levels (50%, 75%, 100%, 125%, and 150% RDF) of NPK and three rates of mixtures of (6%Fe, 5% Zn and 1% B)beside a control. A split plot in a randomized complete blocks design with three replicates was used. Results can be summarized as follows: increasing applied fertilizer NPK at rate from (50% to 150 % RDF) lead to significantly increase in plant height, plant fresh and dry weight, leaf area/plant chlorophyll b content as well as seed yield and its components, i.e., seed yield/plant, seed yield/fed, number of pods/plant, number of seeds/pod, pod length and weight of 100-seeds weight and some chemical content of plant and seeds of cowpea. But the higher values were recorded after application with use applied fertilizers at rate 100%RDF in the two seasons. On the other hand spraying cowpea plant with(6% Fe, 5% Zn and 1% B)mixture significantly increased all the previous traits in all experiment investigated compared with control (without foliar).The foliar mixture(6% Fe, 5% Zn and 1% B) gave a superior value in both seasons. Since; it produced the highest values of plant height, number of leaves/plant, number of branches/plant, leaf area/plant, seed yield and its components and percentage of crud protein of seeds content. According to the mentioned results, the recommendation is application of NPK at rate 100%RDF with foliar mixture of micronutrients at rate 3g/l three times so as to give the highest cowpea seed yield and its quality.

Two successive winter field experiments were performed at 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 seasons at Vegetables Research Station, Faculty of Agric., Mansoura Univ., Egypt to study the effect of different fertilization treatments in terms of NPK fertilizer ratios and rates on growth, yield and quality of cauliflower (cv. Fargo) cultivated under silty clay loam soil conditions by furrow irrigation system. Four NPK fertilizer ratios (1.