Effect of irrigation systems and water management practices using saline and non-saline water on tomato production

The effect of two water management strategies i.e. alternate and mixed supply of fresh [canal water (0.55 dS/m)] and saline [drainage water (4.2-4.8 dS/m)] water in six ratios applied through drip and furrow method on tomato (cv. Floradade) yield and growth, and salt concentration in the root zone were investigated in the Nile Delta, Egypt. Drip irrigation enhanced tomato growth more, early in the growing season, than did furrow irrigation, but at later stages, there was little difference between the two irrigation systems. Drip irrigation, however, gave higher yield. Regardless, the irrigation method, mixed water management practice gave higher growth and yield than alternate irrigation. Moreover growth and yield were high in alternate practice only with fresh water, whereas moderate saline irrigation waters in mixed practice gave the highest values of yield and growth. Thus, the highest yield obtained (3.2 kg/plant) was the result of the combination of drip system and mixed management practice using a ratio of 60% fresh water with 40% saline water. There was a strong negative relationship between tomato yield and seasonal average of electrical conductivity of the soil solution. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The effect of phenylmercuric acetate on salt tolerance in wheat

Sodium chloride reduced the growth of the wheat cultivar Armada. Although phenylmercuric acetate (PMA) also reduced the growth under non-saline conditions, in the presence of sodium chloride (100 mM) fresh weight, dry weight and leaf area per plant were promoted particularly when sprayed with PMA at 50 mgrM. Both net photosynthesis and transpiration were reduced by PMA but the reduction was greater in the absence rather than the presence of NaCl. Furthermore PMA lowered shoot sodium contents and promoted the selectivity for K over Na under saline conditions. Any beneficial effects of PMA are the consequences of improved water relations, lowered ion content and increased leaf area for photosynthesis

Insights into Red Sea Brine Pool Specialized Metabolism Gene Clusters Encoding Potential Metabolites for Biotechnological Applications and Extremophile Survival

The recent rise in antibiotic and chemotherapeutic resistance necessitates the search for novel drugs. Potential therapeutics can be produced by specialized metabolism gene clusters (SMGCs). We mined for SMGCs in metagenomic samples from Atlantis II Deep, Discovery Deep and Kebrit Deep Red Sea brine pools. Shotgun sequence assembly and secondary metabolite analysis shell (antiSMASH) screening unraveled 2751 Red Sea brine SMGCs, pertaining to 28 classes. Predicted categorization of the SMGC products included those (1) commonly abundant in microbes (saccharides, fatty acids, aryl polyenes, acyl-homoserine lactones), (2) with antibacterial and/or anticancer effects (terpenes, ribosomal peptides, non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides, phosphonates) and (3) with miscellaneous roles conferring adaptation to the environment/special structure/unknown function (polyunsaturated fatty acids, ectoine, ladderane, others). Saccharide (80.49%) and putative (7.46%) SMGCs were the most abundant. Selected Red Sea brine pool sites had distinct SMGC profiles, e.g., for bacteriocins and ectoine. Top promising candidates, SMs with pharmaceutical applications, were addressed. Prolific SM-producing phyla (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria), were ubiquitously detected. Sites harboring the largest numbers of bacterial and archaeal phyla, had the most SMGCs. Our results suggest that the Red Sea brine niche constitutes a rich biological mine, with the predicted SMs aiding extremophile survival and adaptation

Insights into red sea brine pool specialized metabolism gene clusters encoding potential metabolites for biotechnological applications and extremophile survival

© 2019 by the Authors. The recent rise in antibiotic and chemotherapeutic resistance necessitates the search for novel drugs. Potential therapeutics can be produced by specialized metabolism gene clusters (SMGCs). We mined for SMGCs in metagenomic samples from Atlantis II Deep, Discovery Deep and Kebrit Deep Red Sea brine pools. Shotgun sequence assembly and secondary metabolite analysis shell (antiSMASH) screening unraveled 2751 Red Sea brine SMGCs, pertaining to 28 classes. Predicted categorization of the SMGC products included those (1) commonly abundant in microbes (saccharides, fatty acids, aryl polyenes, acyl-homoserine lactones), (2) with antibacterial and/or anticancer effects (terpenes, ribosomal peptides, non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides, phosphonates) and (3) with miscellaneous roles conferring adaptation to the environment/special structure/unknown function (polyunsaturated fatty acids, ectoine, ladderane, others). Saccharide (80.49%) and putative (7.46%) SMGCs were the most abundant. Selected Red Sea brine pool sites had distinct SMGC profiles, e.g., for bacteriocins and ectoine. Top promising candidates, SMs with pharmaceutical applications, were addressed. Prolific SM-producing phyla (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria), were ubiquitously detected. Sites harboring the largest numbers of bacterial and archaeal phyla, had the most SMGCs. Our results suggest that the Red Sea brine niche constitutes a rich biological mine, with the predicted SMs aiding extremophile survival and adaptation

Effect of irrigation water salinity on yield and fruit quality of tomato

A field experiment was conducted in the middle area of the Nile Delta, Egypt, to study the effect of different salinities of irrigation water (0.55, 4 or 6 dS m(-1)) on yield, yield components and fruit quality of 27 tomato genotypes. The results showed that salinity at 4 and 6 dS m(-1) decreased total yield, marketable yield, number of fruits and average fruit weight in all genotypes studied. Cultivars "La Laguna" followed by "RETBA" (both known to be salt tolerant) showed the least reduction in yield under salinity treatments. Cultivars "Floradade" and "Edkawy" and hybrid "Baraka" also showed low yield reductions. This implies that such genotypes were relatively salt tolerant. It was also observed that the reduction in yield in the salt tolerant genotypes, was mainly due to the reduction in fruit weight rather than fruit number. Cultivar "Super Strain B" showed the highest reduction in yield. Hybrids "Early Rock", "Shiva (95558)", "Confidence" and "HZ 8704" as well as cultivar "Pacmour", showed severe yield reduction under salinity conditions particularly at 6 dS m(-1). This suggests that these genotypes were salt sensitive. However, irrigation with saline water up to 6 dS m(-1) increased fruit total soluble solids (TSS), vitamin C, and dry matter contents in all genotypes. Fruit acidity was also enhanced by salinity although 4 dS m(-1) level gave the most acid fruits. Salinity had no significant effect on fruit firmness and storage ability