INFLUENCE OF SOME GROWTH SUBSTANCES AND CHEMICAL FERTILIZATION ON FLOWERING AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF MATTHIOLA INCANA L. PLANT

Two field trials were conducted during two successive seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 in the Floriculture Farm of Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Egypt to study the effects of spraying with some growth substances (kinetin, salicylic acid, calcium thiosulfate and potassium silicate) and chemical fertilization (N.P.K) as well as their combinations on flowering and some chemical constituents of Matthiola incana L. plants to enhance flowering quality for gardens bed ornamentation. The obtained results showed that spraying plants with 100 ppm kinetin in addition to NPK fertilization at the highest level (100 N: 200 P: 200 K kg/fed) resulted in the highest values in both seasons in case of fresh and dry weights of inflorescence and flowering portion, length and diameter of the flowering portion, number, diameter and fresh weight of florets, flowering duration, leaf total chlorophylls and total indoles content. This treatment, on the other hand, recorded the lowest values of leaves total phenols content. Conclusively, it is recommended to spray Matthiola incana L. plants with kinetin at 100 ppm supplemented with NPK chemical fertilization at 100 N: 200 P: 200 K kg/fed to obtain the best flowering quality for expor

RESPONSE OF AJWAIN (TRACHYSPERMUM AMMI) PLANT TO LICORICE AND MORINGA EXTRACTS FOLIAR APPLICATION UNDER SANDY SOIL CONDITIONS

This research was conducted on ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi) at the Experimental Farm of Heliopolis Univ., El-Sharqea Governorate, Egypt, in cooperation with the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University during the two successive winter seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 in order to study the impact of spraying licorice aqueous extract at four levels of 0, 10, 20 and 40 g/l and three levels with Moringa ethanol extract as 0, 50, 100 ml/l and their overlap on the vegetative growth and fruit yield of ajwain by using the split-plot design with three observations. The results showed a significant effect for the all used concentrations of licorice and Moringa extracts in all studied traits, application of spraying ajwain plants by licorice aqueous extract at 40 g/l with 100 ml/l Moringa ethanol extract (L3 × M2) increased vegetative growth (plant height, number of branches, and herb fresh and dry weights per plant). Also, the same treatment recorded the highest average of fruit yield characters (number of umbels/plant, weight of 1000 fruits, yield/plant and per fed), as well as, the highest values of N, P, and K were gained as a resulting using the same treatment (L3 × M2). On contrast, the lowest values of all studied traits obtained with sprayed ajwain plants by tap water (L0 × M0) compared to the other treatments in both season

EFFECT OF SOME GROWTH SUBSTANCES AND CHEMICAL FERTILIZATION ON VEGETATIVE GROWTH AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF MATTHIOLA INCANA L. PLANT

A field experiment was carried out during two successive seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 in the Floriculture Farm of the Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Egypt to study the effects of spraying some growth substances (kinetin, salicylic acid, calcium thiosulfate and potassium silicate as well as, N.P.K chemical fertilization) on vegetative growth and chemical composition of Matthiola incana plants to increase and improve the quality of this plant as a bed gardens ornamentation. The obtained results showed that the tallest plants and the thickest plant stems were recorded by 100 ppm kinetin combined with NPK fertilization at high level treatment in both seasons. The heaviest fresh and dry weights of leaves/plant were recorded by 100 ppm kinetin-sprayed plants enriched with NPK fertilization at the highest level in both seasons. The highest number of branches and leaves/plant were recorded by 100 ppm kinetin-sprayed plants combined with NPK fertilization at high level in both seasons. The highest leaf N and total carbohydrates % were recorded by 100 ppm kinetin- sprayed plants provided with NPK fertilization at the highest level, whereas the richest leaf P % was registered by 200 ppm salicylic-sprayed plants combined with NPK fertilization at the highest level. While, the greatest leaf K % was scored by 6 cm3 potassium silicate-sprayed plants, supplemented with NPK fertilization at the highest level in both seasons. Conclusively, spraying Matthiola incana plants with kinetin at 100 ppm in addition to chemical fertilizer at 100 N: 200 P: 200 K kg/fed produced the best vegetative growth and quality of this plan

INFLUENCE OF AQUEOUS LICORICE AND ETHANOL MORINGA EXTRACTS ON THE ESSENTIAL OIL PRODUCTION, AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF AJWAIN (TRACHYSPERMUM AMMI) PLANTS UNDER SANDY SOIL CONDITION

Two field experiments were conducted in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 cropping season, at the Experimental Farm of Heliopolis Univ., El-Sharqea Governorate, Egypt, in cooperation with the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University to study the influence of licorice aqueous extract at 0, 10, 20, and 40 g/l concentrations and Moringa ethanol extract at 0, 50, and 100 g/l concentrations and their interaction on essential oil content, essential oil composition, and chemical constituents of ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi) under sandy soil conditions, in a split plots design of 12 treatments with three replications for each treatment. The main plots were the concentrations of licorice aqueous extract, the subplots were the concentrations of Moringa ethanol extract. The results demonstrated that treating ajwain plants by spraying with the licorice aqueous extract at 40 g/l and Moringa ethanol extract at 100 g/l (L3 × M2) scored the highest values of the essential oil percent, oil yield/plant, and oil yield/fed. The same treatment (L3 × M2) was recorded the greatest values of the content of the pigment (chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid), also treating ajwain plants by the same treatment was given the highest carbohydrate in the two seasons. However, ajwain plants sprayed with licorice aqueous extract at 0.0 g/l or Moringa ethanol extract at 0.0 g/l (L0 × M0) lead to the lowest values ​​of all the above-mentioned traits.  In general, the main chemical constituents of ajwain essential oil were γ-terpinene, followed by thymol and p-cymene, along with α- and β-pinenes, α-thujene, myrcene, and Limonen

RESPONSE OF STEVIA (STEVIA REBAUDIANA L.) TO BIOGAS FERTILIZER AND NATURAL EXTRACTS UNDER SOUTH SINAI CONDITIONS

Two field experiments were conducted in 2019 and 2020 seasons at Desert Research Center, Mataria, Cairo, Egypt, and its experimental farm at Ras Sudr Experimental Station in South Sinai, in cooperation with the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture Benha University, to study the effect of biogas slurry fertilizer and natural extracts on biomass, chemical constituents, and quality of Stevia rebaudiana L. plant.  Results showed that biogas fertilizer along with the different natural extracts exerted a significant influence on yield, chemical constituents, stevioside and rebaudioside A., of stevia. The highest values in most of the parameters i.e. shoot fresh and dry weights biomass, leaves fresh and dry weights biomass, N, P, K and pigments in the first cut by recommended dose of chemical fertilizer (T1) combining with garlic as drench addition, Yucca extract as a foliar spray or Azolla extract as drench addition (M4, M5 or M2,respectively). On the other hand, the second cut took the same line as the first cut but with 50% NPK + 5000 kg h-1 (T3) as either garlic extract or Azolla extract as drench addition (T3×M4 or T3×M2) as registered the highest values of parameters mention before in most cases. As for the highest values of stevioside and total stevioside content were recorded by 50% NPK + 3000 kg h-1 combining with Azolla aqueous extract as drench addition (T4×M2). Rebaudioside A., registered by combination of the recommended dose of biogas fertilizer and yucca aqueous extract as a foliar spray (T2×M5). Conclusively, the use of half (50%) of the recommended dose of chemical fertilizer with its equivalent of the recommended nitrogen dose and replaced with biogas fertilizer, in addition to the use of both extracts of Azolla and garlic as a drench addition, led to reducing nitrate accumulation as a problem of the use of chemical fertilizers on the human health and economic damages

SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF BIOGAS FERTILIZER AND NATURAL EXTRACTS OF GARLIC, AZOLLA, AND YUCCA ON THE VEGETATIVE GROWTH AND ESSENTIAL OIL YIELD OF STEVIA REBAUDIANA L. PLANT UNDER SOUTH SINAI CONDITIONS

Two field experiments were conducted in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons, at Ras Sidr Experimental Station in south SinaiAffiliated to Desert Research Center, Mataria, Cairo Egypt in cooperation with the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, to study the effect of biogas fertilizer and natural extracts on vegetative characteristics and essential oil yield of Stevia rebaudiana L. plant.  Results showed that biogas fertilizer along with different natural extracts exerted a significant influence on the growth characteristics and essential oil content of stevia. The highest values in most of the parameters in the first cut were found from T1 (recommended dose of chemical fertilizer) combining with (M4), (M5) or (M2). On the other hand, the second cut took the same line as the first cut but with T3 (50% NPK + biogas slurry at 5000 kg h-1) as (T3×M4) or (T3×M2) as drench addition registered the highest values of parameters mention before in most cases. Conclusively, the use of half (50%) of the recommended dose of chemical fertilizer with the equivalent of the recommended nitrogen content and replaced it with biogas fertilizer led to reducing the problem of the use of chemical fertilizers on the health and economic damages, in addition to the use of both extracts of Azolla and garlic as a drench addition with organic fertilization and half the dose of chemical fertilizer

INFLUENCE OF SOME BIOSTIMULANTS AND CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS ON GROWTH, SEED YIELD, CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS, OIL PRODUCTIVITY AND FIXED OIL CONTENT OF CHIA (SALVIA HISPANICA L.) PLANT UNDER ASWAN CONDITIONS

This study was carried out at a private farm in AL-Radisiya city, Markaz Edfu, Aswan Governorate, Egypt on the banks of Nile River and Experimental Laboratory of Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, EL-Qaloubia Governorate, Egypt during the two successive seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 on chia (Salvia hispanica L.) plant. A study was initiated through various biostimulant and chemical fertilizer aiming to evaluate effectiveness of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) or seaweed extract and/or humic acid as well as chemical fertilizer (N.P and K) and the combination of them on vegetative growth, seed yield, chemical constituent's, fixed oil productivity and fixed oil composition of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) plant. Plants sprayed by biostimulants gave the significantly highest mean values for all of studied characteristics mentioned above, particularly T6: the combined of mycorrhiza, humic acid, seaweed and recommended dose of NPK followed by T5: recommended dose of NPK (350:200:100 kg/feddan) in the first and second seasons. Meanwhile, T4: seaweed (1 ml/l) ranked the third values in parameters mentioned before in this concern. Whereas, the richest fixed oil percentage was scored by T6, followed descendingly by T5 in the 1st and 2nd seasons. Chromatography analysis of chia fixed oil revealed the identification of four components. i.e. palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid. The main component was α-linolenic acid (43.34 to 53.28%). It can be concluded that T6 was the best for improving growth, seed yield, fixed oil productivity, chemical constituents and fixed oil components of Salvia hispanica L. plant