A field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm, El-Mattana, Agriculture Research Station, Luxor, Egypt during spring season of 2013 to determine the effects of water stress on sugarcane yield and its quality as well as its response to potassium application. The experiment was laid out in split-split plots design with three replicates. The main plots were used to express irrigation regimes (0.8, 1 and 1.2 of the cumulative pan evaporation, CPE). The split units were assigned for irrigation manners (all furrows and alternative furrows). Sub split plots were occupied by K levels (25, 50 and 75 Kg K2O/ fed). All the experimental treatments were randomly distributed on the respective plots. The actual evapotranspiration (ETa) values under alternative furrow irrigation treatments (5215 m3) were less than that under all irrigated furrow treatments (5764 m3) regardless to the effect of irrigation regime or potassium fertilization. The amounts of applied water were 3592.50, 4979.39 and 8134.33 m3/ fed for irrigation regime (CPE) of 0.8, 1 and 1.2, respectively. Irrigation efficiency (IE) was decreased as the percentage of soil moisture depletion increased (at 0.8 CPE). Normal irrigation with 1.2 CPE at 75 Kg K2O/ fed achieved the highest value of IE (86.16%) while the lowest value (57.52%) was recorded at normal irrigation with 0.8 CPE and 50 Kg K2O/ fed. The best treatment was alternative irrigated furrow at 1 CPE when fertilized by 75 Kg K2O / fed since it realized the highest CWUE (8.86 Kg cane /m3 and 1.1 Kg sugar/m3). Cane yield as well as juice purity and sugar concentration declined, resulting in decreased sugar yield as irrigation intervals was increased. Also, cane yield and its quality was increased by increasing potassium fertilization level.

A field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm, El-Mattana, Agriculture Research Station, Luxor, Egypt during spring season of 2013 to determine the effects of water stress on sugarcane yield and its quality as well as its response to potassium application. The experiment was laid out in split-split plots design with three replicates. The main plots were used to express irrigation regimes (0.8, 1 and 1.2 of the cumulative pan evaporation, CPE). The split units were assigned for irrigation manners (all furrows and alternative furrows). Sub split plots were occupied by K levels (25, 50 and 75 Kg K2O/ fed). All the experimental treatments were randomly distributed on the respective plots. The actual evapotranspiration (ETa) values under alternative furrow irrigation treatments (5215 m3) were less than that under all irrigated furrow treatments (5764 m3) regardless to the effect of irrigation regime or potassium fertilization. The amounts of applied water were 3592.50, 4979.39 and 8134.33 m3/ fed for irrigation regime (CPE) of 0.8, 1 and 1.2, respectively. Irrigation efficiency (IE) was decreased as the percentage of soil moisture depletion increased (at 0.8 CPE). Normal irrigation with 1.2 CPE at 75 Kg K2O/ fed achieved the highest value of IE (86.16%) while the lowest value (57.52%) was recorded at normal irrigation with 0.8 CPE and 50 Kg K2O/ fed. The best treatment was alternative irrigated furrow at 1 CPE when fertilized by 75 Kg K2O / fed since it realized the highest CWUE (8.86 Kg cane /m3 and 1.1 Kg sugar/m3). Cane yield as well as juice purity and sugar concentration declined, resulting in decreased sugar yield as irrigation intervals was increased. Also, cane yield and its quality was increased by increasing potassium fertilization level.

The Egyptian government and the private sector in Aswan are interested in developing Aswan governorate, which represents a large future sustainable zone for different types of land use including agricultural, urbanization, wastewater disposal, landfill and industrial sites. The governorate area is about 62726 km². However, the inhabited area does not exceed 2%. The current study focus on the analysis of the land use changes in the area since 1986 till 2003, by using modern techniques, which include RS data and GIS programs. The results showed that there were obvious changes in land use in the study area of 46382.25 km², since 1986 till 2003 where it was found a lack of arable land as much as 445.25 km² (0.96% of the study area) and a shortage of the desert lands as far as 1752.86 km² (3.78%). On the other hand, the urbanized area increased by 2571.39 km² (5.54%). These lands were utilized for building and other activities. The results also showed that although the reclaimed area increased but the old agricultural land changed to other uses such as building construction and other activities. This was clarified by producing maps showing the changes in land use.

The efficient use of water by modern irrigation systems is becoming increasingly important in arid and semi-arid regions with limited water resources. At present and more so in the future, irrigated agriculture will take place under water scarcity. Insufficient water supply for irrigation will be the norm rather than the exception, and irriation management will shift from emphasizing production per unit area towards maximizing the production per unit of water consumed, the water productivity. Deficit irrigation is becoming an important stratege to reduce agricultural water use in arid and semi-arid regions. The present experiments were carried out at the Experimental Station of Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agricultural, Sssiut University, situated at 27, 11'N latitude, 31, 10'E longitude. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of two drip irrigation methods and four different deficit irrigation levels on potato yield and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE = yield/irrigation) at winter season 2012. The surface drip irrigation (SDI) and subsurface drip irrigation (SSDI) irrigation methods were used. The levels were full irrigation (100% ETC), 85% of full irrigation (85%ETC), 70% of full irrigation (70%ETC) and 55% of full irrigation (55%ETC) treatments. The results indicated that the SDI and SSDI irrigation methods result in a significant difference on yield. However, SSD has more advantage than SDI methed. Irrigation levels resulted in significant difference on yield. Highest yield was obtained from (100%ETC) which grew under no stress. Water stress significantly affected the yield of potato production. Deficit irrigation tends to increase water use efficiency and decrease the yield. Water deficiency more than 30% of the irrigation requirements could not be suggested. Irrigation water use efficiency of SSD irrigation method had generally higher values than SD irrigation method. Treatment 85% (ECT) gave maximum irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). SSDI irrigation provide significant advantage on yield and IWUE, compared SDI irrigation in potato production under experimental conditions. Therefore, the SSDI irrigation method would be recommended in potato production under arid environment

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to investigate the application effects of ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) and low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA: oxalic and citric acids) on the uptake of lead (Pb) by maize grown on clay and calcareous sandy soils treated and non-treated with farmyard manure (FYM). The results showed that the shoot and root dry matter of maize were lower for EDTA treatments than those of the control or LMWOA treatments. However, EDTA was more effective than LMWOA in increasing the Pb uptake by and translocation within maize, with more Pb accumulation by plants from the clay soil than from the calcareous sandy one. Applying EDTA in conjunction with organic manure (FYM) resulted in the less negative impact on the plant growth and the highest shoot Pb accumulation. Thus, FYM may be a suitable manure for increasing the performance of chelators to enhance the phytoextraction capacity and alleviate the toxicity of the metal and/or chelators

Abstract: The western desert of Egypt is an area of the natural extension for agricul-tural, industrial, and civil activities. The expansion requires a great demand for groundwater on the western limestone plateau in the central part of Egypt. Ten groundwater samples were collected from limestone Eocene aquifer wells located in the western desert, Assiut region.to evaluate the quality of these well waters for irrigation. The area under consideration lies between latitudes 27o 7' 540" – 27o 34' 474" N and longitudes 30o 39' 487" – 30o 53' 244"E. The chemical prop-erties of groundwater of the investigated aquifer wells were determined, such as, major ions, pH, EC, TDS, SAR, RSC, RSCB, SSP, magnesium hazard (MH), to-tal hardness (TH) and permeability index (PI). The concentration of the cations in the groundwater of the study area is in the order of Na+> Ca2+> Mg2+> K+ and that of the anions is in the order of Cl-> HCO32-> SO42- .Values of the groundwa-ter quality show that the water is suitable for the irrigation use, except the EC values of some wells that have a moderately saline water.

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