EFFECT OF DIFFERENT NITROGEN AND POTASSIUM LEVELS AND FOLIAR APPLICATION OF BORON ON WHEAT YIELD

From the present study, it could be concluded that the highest concentration of nitrogen in wheat grains was obtained at 90 kg N fed-1 in the presence of potassium and spraying with boron. Increasing nitrogen levels increased the amount of nitrogen uptake by grains of wheat. Also the crude protein (%) in grains increased gradually with increasing nitrogen level in the presence of potassium and spraying with boron. The highest concentration of K in grains of wheat was obtained at the high levels of nitrogen in the presence of potassium and spraying with boron. Also the highest amounts of K uptake by the grains of wheat were recorded by the high levels of nitrogen in the presence of potassium and spraying of boron

Foreign direct investment: a strategic move toward sustainable free enterprise and economic development in Saudi Arabia

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been viewed in many circles as one of the key drivers for economic development. Irrespective of their ideological differences, most countries around the world have been competing to attract FDI. China, for example, is a country formally characterized by communist ideology. It has been highly proactive in formulating policies amenable to FDI so much so that in 2003, China overtook the United States as the biggest recipient of FDI, having attracted U.S. $53 billion from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and elsewhere. In this article, an attempt is made to critically examine aspects of FDI, especially with reference to economic development in Saudi Arabia. The research study in this article reports new research findings based on a survey of Saudi managers/enterprises that highlight the current status of FDI in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In particular, the study finds that while Saudi managers generally welcome FDI into the country, at the same time, they do retain ambivalent attitudes toward its perceived benefits

GCC sovereign wealth funds : challenges, opportunities, and issues arising from their growing presence on the global landscape

GCC SWFs are very active global financial actors, investing primarily in foreign assets; these include equities, bonds, property, precious metals, and other financial instruments (IWG 2008). Unlike private equity and hedge funds, Arab SWFs have a long-term investment vision. GCC SWFs have invested in large companies and have concentrated in a limited number of industries, among them are the financial sector, heavy industry, and logistics. Although these investments have been welcome by host countries, GCC SWFs have garnered the concerns of policymakers and market players. Two main reasons account for such concerns: the dominant role of national governments in the management of these colossal funds. The second concern is related to the issue of transparency and accountability. The lack of transparency of these gigantic funds has propelled a debate about the challenges and opportunities for host nations. Parallel to this debate, strong feelings of protectionism in some Western countries had emerged fuelled by concerns around national sovereignty

Sustainable Production of Tomato Plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under Low-Quality Irrigation Water as Affected by Bio-Nanofertilizers of Selenium and Copper

Under the global water crisis, utilizing low-quality water sources in agriculture for irrigation has offered an effective solution to address the shortage of water. Using an excess of low-quality water sources may cause serious risks to the environment, which threaten crop safety and human health. Three kinds of irrigation water (0.413, 1.44, and 2.84 dS m−1) were selected under foliar-applied bio-nanofertilizers of selenium (100 mg L−1) and copper (100 mg L−1) in individual and/or combined application. The nanofertilizers were tested on the production of tomato under greenhouse. After harvesting, the quality of tomato yield and soil biology was evaluated. Using saline water for irrigation caused many main features in this study such as increasing the accumulation of salts, soil organic matter, and CaCO3 in soil by 84.6, 32.3, and 18.4%, respectively, compared to control. The highest tomato yield (2.07 kg plant−1) and soluble solids content (9.24%) were recorded after irrigation with low water quality (2.84 dS m−1) and nano-Cu fertilization. The plant enzymatic antioxidants and soil biological activity were decreased in general due to the salinity stress of irrigation water. After 30 days from transplanting, all studied soil biological parameters (soil microbial counts and enzymes) were higher than the same parameters at harvesting (80 days) under different categories of water quality. The values of all soil biological parameters were decreased by increasing water salinity. This study was carried out to answer the question of whether the combined nanofertilizers of selenium and copper can promote tomato production under saline water irrigation. Further investigations are still needed concerning different applied doses of these nanofertilizers

Sustainable Production of Tomato Plants (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) under Low-Quality Irrigation Water as Affected by Bio-Nanofertilizers of Selenium and Copper

Under the global water crisis, utilizing low-quality water sources in agriculture for irrigation has offered an effective solution to address the shortage of water. Using an excess of low-quality water sources may cause serious risks to the environment, which threaten crop safety and human health. Three kinds of irrigation water (0.413, 1.44, and 2.84 dS m−1) were selected under foliar-applied bio-nanofertilizers of selenium (100 mg L−1) and copper (100 mg L−1) in individual and/or combined application. The nanofertilizers were tested on the production of tomato under greenhouse. After harvesting, the quality of tomato yield and soil biology was evaluated. Using saline water for irrigation caused many main features in this study such as increasing the accumulation of salts, soil organic matter, and CaCO3 in soil by 84.6, 32.3, and 18.4%, respectively, compared to control. The highest tomato yield (2.07 kg plant−1) and soluble solids content (9.24%) were recorded after irrigation with low water quality (2.84 dS m−1) and nano-Cu fertilization. The plant enzymatic antioxidants and soil biological activity were decreased in general due to the salinity stress of irrigation water. After 30 days from transplanting, all studied soil biological parameters (soil microbial counts and enzymes) were higher than the same parameters at harvesting (80 days) under different categories of water quality. The values of all soil biological parameters were decreased by increasing water salinity. This study was carried out to answer the question of whether the combined nanofertilizers of selenium and copper can promote tomato production under saline water irrigation. Further investigations are still needed concerning different applied doses of these nanofertilizers

Can Grafting Manage Fusarium Wilt Disease of Cucumber and Increase Productivity under Heat Stress?

Cucumber production is considered a crucial problem under biotic and abiotic stress, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones. The current study investigated the impact of grafted cucumber plants on five cucurbit rootstocks under infection with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum alone and in combination with heat stress in two different locations (i.e., Kafr El-Sheikh and Sidi Salem) during the year of 2021. The rootstock of VSS-61 F1 displayed the highest level of resistance with values 20.8 and 16.6% for wilt incidence and 79.2 and 83.4% for the wilt reduction, respectively for both locations. This rootstock showed the lowest disease severity of fusarium wilt (15.3 and 12%), and high grafting efficiency (85 and 88%), respectively in both locations. Grafting also improved plant vigor and cucumber production under heat stress (40–43 °C). The rootstocks VSS-61 F1, Ferro and Super Shintoza significantly increased the total yield of cucumber plants compared to non-grafted cucumber and the rootstock Bottle gourd in both locations. Further studies are needed on grafted plants under multiple stresses in terms of plant biological levels, including physiological, biochemical and genetic attributes