Trend of Change in Cultivated Area and Water Budget for Major Crops in Egypt using GIS and Field Survey Technique

Agricultural survey, based on GIS scheme, using satellite images and topographic maps, field survey was carried out during 2008/2009 winter and 2009 summer seasons to determine the whole land cover of the Nile Delta and Valley. This was done using CLAC’s recent (2006) digital shape file data for different geographic layers (Roads, railways, irrigation channels, water bodies and cultivated areas), and SPOT 5 satellite images (2007). Data show that the cultivated area of wheat was about 2.9 million feddans (4200 m2) in 2008 depending on the ministry of agriculture and land reclamation (MALR) statistics, while the area of wheat in the same year according to GIS and field survey was about 2.5 million feddans. There was about 13% difference between the two concerned methods (GIS + field survey) and MALR’s conventional statistical method. However, the cultivated barley area in 2008 winter season was 148 thousand feddans according to GIS + field survey data, whilst the statistical data was 181 thousand feddans. &#x0D; The GIS + field survey data showed that the area of cotton were decreased sharply in the season of 2009 to 250 thousand feddans compared to 284 thousand feddans with the MALR’s statistical method. Water budget during winter survey for the whole crop pattern was increased from 11 billion cubic meters in 1980 to 24 billion cubic meters in 2013, while water budget during summer survey was increased from 20 billion cubic meters in 1980 to 25 billion cubic meters in 2012. The average water budget for the whole crop pattern in Nile Delta and Nile Valley was 49 billion cubic meters during 2012 /2013.</jats:p

RESPONSE OF STRAWBERRY PLANTS TO SHORTENING DAY LENGTH , SHADING AND COLD STORAGE UNDER EGYPTIAN CONDITIONS

This experiment was performed in 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 seasons at El-Bosaly Protected Cultivation Experimental Site, of the Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate (CLAC), 15 Km west of Rosetta. The current study was conducted in open field to investigate the growth and productivity of strawberry plants under the shading and cold storage methods. Two strawberry cultivars were used, i.e., Camarosa (cv.) and Yael (cv.). Transplants were set up on 15 of March to 15 of September in both two seasons of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, respectively under El-Bosaly conditions. Seven treatments were used i.e., short day, 40% shading, 73% shading, three periods cold storage at 5Co, i.e., (24h, 48h and 73h) and control. Results indicated that the application of 73% shading treatment was the most effective in reducing maximum and minimum of air temperature and radiation, followed by 40% shading, whereas, the highest value of maximum and minimum air temperature, radiation were observed in control treatment throughout the two growing seasons. In addition, 73% shading treatment produced the tallest plants and the highest number of leaves per plant and leaf area per plant. Moreover, flowering and chlorophyll in leaves were increased by application of short day treatment. Also, fruit characters such as average weight and number of fruits per plant were the highest values with 40% shading. Chemical components of fruits, i.e., T.S.S were increased with 73% shading treatment. When plants were grown under 40% shading treatment, followed by 73% shading, while cold storage for 72 h treatment gave the lowest values. Neither cultivars nor the interaction between cultivars and tested factors had any significant effects on many studied characters

Determination of the best timing for control application against cotton leaf worm using remote sensing and geographical information techniques

Knowledge of the larval-age distribution in the field is important for prediction purpose and timing of insecticide applications for insect pest management. This studies acts by calculating the average of thermal units in degree-days (dd’s). The average of thermal units required for completion of generation is 544.98, 640.63 and 599.66 degrees-days (°C) as calculated from air temperatures derived from thermograph and satellite images, and soil temperatures from satellite images, respectively, considering 9.89 °C as a developmental threshold. These were higher than the estimated value of dd’s based on laboratory data (524.27 degrees-days (°C)). There was a difference between degree days obtained from air temperatures derived from satellite images and thermograph by 59.2 dd’s, this value represented only about 2.85 days. In order to improve the predictability, a factor was estimated between them which is 0.81, 0.96 and 0.87 in case of thermograph, soil and air temperature that derived from satellite images so the predicted stages was highly improved. Egg hatching was estimated to be 80% complete by ≈80.45 dd’s. At 174.85 DD, mostly all larvae in the field experiment were from the first to third instars. The presence of more mature larvae (fourth to sixth instars) was not noticed until 197.59 dd’s. These data indicate that, the best timing for control application against Spodoptera littoralis would be at 174.85–197.59 dd’s. The results are important for quick prediction purposes, control timing and also as valuable tools used in an integrated control program for managing S. littoralis in Egypt

A Drought Resistance-Promoting Microbiome Is Selected by Root System under Desert Farming

Bacterial communities are among the main players in the colonization of arid ecosystems and their importance for soil development and plant fitness is emerging. Traditional agro-systems in arid areas are a bulwark for preserving soil stability and fertility, influencing the structure of plant associated microbiome and its functional role in supporting plant development under drought stress. To evaluate the contribute of root microbiome on crop plants growth in arid soils, the bacterial diversity associated to pepper plants cultivated in a Egyptian desert farm was studied. Culture-independent and -dependent analysis of the microbiome associated to root tissues and rhizosphere showed a difference in the spatial distribution of bacterial genera according to the microhabitat, indicating a selective pressure determined by the plant activity. Particularly, the endophytes were dominated by the sporeformer Bacillales order represented by the Bacillus and Paenibacillus genera. On the contrary, Gammaproteobacteria were predominant in the rhizosphere, with many isolates assigned to Enterobacteriaceae family. In order to identify polyvalent isolates capable of expressing multiple activities against drought stress, plant growth promotion (PGP) properties of the isolates were assessed in vitro. The most performing PGP strains showing a close association with the root system were tested in greenhouse experiments demonstrating their capability to enhance the biomass and photosynthetic activity of plants under drought stress. The complex nature of the microbiome associated to the pepper root system suggests the ability of plant root system to attract and select microbial communities endowed with multiple PGP traits that sustain plant development under water limiting conditions