During 2010, soybean (Glycine max Cl. Merr.), exhibited symptoms of web blight on the leaves of the grown plants (Fig. 1) in fields at Upper Egypt (Assiut Governorate). Seven isolates of Rhizoctonia solani were isolated from the leaves and leaf petioles of diseased soybean plants and tested for their pathogenicity on cv. Giza 22 by artificial inoculation. Results revealed that only two isolates caused web blight. These isolates were identified, according to their morphological and cultural characteristics, as R. solani AG-1 (IA). This is the first record of Rhizoctonia web blight disease on soybean in Egypt. Keywords: Rhizoctonia solani, soybean and web blight. Fig. 1. Symptoms of web blight on the leaves of soybean plants.

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Naked barley grains were germinated at 25 °C for 12, 24, and 36 h, followed by infrared or hot air drying. Effects of germination and drying treatments on the composition and content of phenolic compounds in naked barley were investigated using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The results revealed that germination of naked barley induced significant changes in the profile of phenolic compounds depending on germination period. Also, the content of phenolic compounds significantly increased (P  0.05) as the germination prolonged to up to 36 h. Furthermore, significantly greater retention of phenolic compounds was found after the infrared drying of germinated naked barley than that found after hot air drying. Phenolic compounds of the raw and germinated/dried naked barley samples could be differentiated independently by partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). The obtained results suggest that germination and infrared drying are promising processing methods for producing germinated naked barley rich in flavonoids with potential health benefits.

Effects of repeated annealing treatments (8 cycles, 12 h each) or continuous annealing treatments (12–96 h) at 50 °C on structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of normal and waxy wheat starches were investigated. Wheat starches retained the original crystalline structure of A-type after annealing. Annealing treatments increased crystallinity, short chain of amylopectin, viscosity, and gelatinization temperatures of starch. However, molecular weight, long chain of amylopectin, solubility, and swelling power of starch decreased after annealing. Additionally, annealing reduced the in vitro digestibility of wheat starches. The changes in properties of starch varied depending on starch type, normal or waxy, and annealing methods, repeated or continuous. The repeated annealing was found to be more effective in modification of normal wheat starch properties. However, continuous annealing efficiently modified properties of the waxy wheat starch. The obtained results may help in choosing appropriate applications of annealed wheat starches in the food industry.

In the light of climate changes and global warming, as well as the rapid expansion in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cultivation in Egypt, the development of sugar beet varieties with improved tolerance to high temperature and deficit irrigation is of great importance. The objective of this study was to evaluate sugar beet genotypes under high temperatures and deficit irrigation conditions for further identification and selection of heat and drought tolerant genotypes. In the current study, a panel of 18 sugar beet breeding lines produced at the USDA–ARS–NWISRL, Kimberly, ID, and the commercial sugar beet cultivar Kawimera were evaluated for yield and quality under high temperature. Six promising lines in terms of yield and quality were further evaluated under both high temperature and deficit irrigation for two growing seasons. All lines performed differently under deficit irrigation, indicating a high degree of genetic variability in the evaluated lines. Additionally, yield traits showed negative effect due to deficit irrigation. A significant positive correlation was observed between stress tolerance index (STI), and average root and sugar yields under stressed and non‐stressed conditions. A linear relationship between STI and average root and sugar yields indicates that STI is a reliable stress index to select high yielding genotypes under both optimum‐ and deficit‐irrigation conditions. USKPS25 and USC944‐6‐68 breeding lines are most likely adapted to deficit irrigation and high temperature and suitable to be utilized in the proposed sugar beet breeding programs in Egypt.

In the light of climate changes and global warming, as well as the rapid expansion in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cultivation in Egypt, the development of sugar beet varieties with improved tolerance to high temperature and deficit irrigation is of great importance. The objective of this study was to evaluate sugar beet genotypes under high temperatures and deficit irrigation conditions for further identification and selection of heat and drought tolerant genotypes. In the current study, a panel of 18 sugar beet breeding lines produced at the USDA–ARS–NWISRL, Kimberly, ID, and the commercial sugar beet cultivar Kawimera were evaluated for yield and quality under high temperature. Six promising lines in terms of yield and quality were further evaluated under both high temperature and deficit irrigation for two growing seasons. All lines performed differently under deficit irrigation, indicating a high degree of genetic variability in the evaluated lines. Additionally, yield traits showed negative effect due to deficit irrigation. A significant positive correlation was observed between stress tolerance index (STI), and average root and sugar yields under stressed and non‐stressed conditions. A linear relationship between STI and average root and sugar yields indicates that STI is a reliable stress index to select high yielding genotypes under both optimum‐ and deficit‐irrigation conditions. USKPS25 and USC944‐6‐68 breeding lines are most likely adapted to deficit irrigation and high temperature and suitable to be utilized in the proposed sugar beet breeding programs in Egypt.

Lime application is the most effective agricultural practice for the reduction of cadmium (Cd) bioavailability in acid soils. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of continuous liming across five consecutive growing seasons on the remediation of Cd in acid paddy soils, as well as rice yield. Two rice cultivars, i.e., Zhuliangyou 819 and Xiangwanxian 12, were cultivated in Cd-contaminated paddy soil for five consecutive growing seasons from 2014 to 2018. The investigated lime levels were 0, 450, 900, 1350, 1800, 2250, 3000, and 3750 kg ha−1. Lime application significantly increased rice yield, soil pH, exchangeable soil Ca2+, and rice calcium (Ca) contents; besides, it reduced soil and rice Cd contents. The application of lime at the rate of 1350–2250 kg ha−1 significantly increased rice yield. Under continuous liming, rice yield obviously increased first and then decreased with the cumulative application of lime. The application of a cumulative lime amount of 18,000 kg ha−1 was identified as the critical transition point of soil pH, soil Cd, and rice Cd content. Application of lime up to or above 3000 kg ha−1 per season reduced Cd content in brown rice below 0.20 mg kg−1. The results suggest that the reduction in effective Cd content might be a result of the combined action of exchangeable soil Ca2+ and soil pH rather than being a direct effect of Ca2+. Therefore, acid Cd-contaminated paddy fields can realize the safe production of rice by the continuous application of an appropriate amount of lime.

Lime application is the most effective agricultural practice for the reduction of cadmium (Cd) bioavailability in acid soils. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of continuous liming across five consecutive growing seasons on the remediation of Cd in acid paddy soils, as well as rice yield. Two rice cultivars, i.e., Zhuliangyou 819 and Xiangwanxian 12, were cultivated in Cd-contaminated paddy soil for five consecutive growing seasons from 2014 to 2018. The investigated lime levels were 0, 450, 900, 1350, 1800, 2250, 3000, and 3750 kg ha−1. Lime application significantly increased rice yield, soil pH, exchangeable soil Ca2+, and rice calcium (Ca) contents; besides, it reduced soil and rice Cd contents. The application of lime at the rate of 1350–2250 kg ha−1 significantly increased rice yield. Under continuous liming, rice yield obviously increased first and then decreased with the cumulative application of lime. The application of a cumulative lime amount of 18,000 kg ha−1 was identified as the critical transition point of soil pH, soil Cd, and rice Cd content. Application of lime up to or above 3000 kg ha−1 per season reduced Cd content in brown rice below 0.20 mg kg−1. The results suggest that the reduction in effective Cd content might be a result of the combined action of exchangeable soil Ca2+ and soil pH rather than being a direct effect of Ca2+. Therefore, acid Cd-contaminated paddy fields can realize the safe production of rice by the continuous application of an appropriate amount of lime.

Industrial oil wastes have been suggested as lower-cost alternative energy sources in place of refined oils for broiler chickens, but negative effects on performance and antioxidative status have been reported. This experiment was carried out to assess the influences of dietary inclusion of thermally oxidized soybean oil (OSO) with or without supplementation with vitamin E, tryptophan and β-glucan on growth performance, meat quality, plasma indices, jejunal antioxidative status, and jejunal gene expression of yellow-feathered male chickens aged 43 to 63 days. A total of 900 male Lingnan chickens at 43 days of age were randomly assigned to 6 treatments, each of which consisted of 6 floor pen replicates of 25 birds (n = 150/treatment): (1) A basal diet (BD) containing 3.5% fresh soybean oil (SO) (control); (2) BD containing 3.5% OSO replacing fresh oil (3.5%OD), (3) BD with 7% OSO (7%OD); (4) 7%OD + 100 mg vitamin E/kg (VE diet); (5) 7%OD + 0.02% tryptophan (tryptophan diet), and (6) 7%OD + 100 mg β-glucan/kg (β-glucan diet). The results showed that the growth traits and plasma variables (triglycerides, cholesterol, uric acid, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, reduced glutathione-GSH, oxidized glutathione-GSSG, malondialdehyde-MDA, and diamine oxidase-DAO) were not affected by the diet. The jejunal mucosal activity of alkaline phosphatase, inducible nitric oxide synthase, gamma-glutamine-cysteine synthetase, and glutathione S-transferase, or contents of GSH, GSSG and MDA were not affected by the treatments, but the activity of DAO of the control and β-glucan treatments were the highest (P 0.05), followed by that of tryptophan treatment (P > 0.05), and those of 3.5%OD, VE diet, and 7%OD (P 0.05). The expression of jejunal nuclear factor erythroid derived 2, peptide transporter 1, and zonula occludens 1 did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) among the treatments. There were no significant effects (P > 0.05) due to the diet on breast meat pH (45 min or 96 h post-mortem), shear force, intramuscular fat, drip loss (96 h), MDA, GSSG, meat a* and b* values (45 min), or meat a*, b*, and L* (96 h), but the L* value (45 min) of the β-glucan treatment was the highest (P 0.05), followed by those of VE diet, tryptophan treatment, and 7%OD (P > 0.05) then 3.5%OD and the control (P 0.05). Drip loss (24 h) in the breast muscle of the tryptophan treatment was the highest (P 0.05), followed by that of β-glucan (P > 0.05), then 3.5%OD, VE diet, 7%OD, and the control (P 0.05). The treatments did not affect (P > 0.05) intramuscular fat or drip loss (24 h) in the thigh muscle, but drip loss (96 h) of 3.5%OD was the highest (P 0.05), followed by that of tryptophan treatment (P > 0.05), then 7%OD, VE diet, control, and β-glucan (P 0.05). Collectively, up to 7% lightly oxidized soy oil can be incorporated successfully in the finisher diet of male Lingnan chickens (d 43 to 63 d) as a lower cost energy source in place of fresh SO. Additional supplementation with β-glucan, VE and tryptophan had no notable benefits.