Pomegranate growers in Egypt have been struggling with a variety of production issues, including splitting, sunburn, and a lack of proper colour intensity and consistency, which are major barriers to attaining high quality fruit. The current research aims to evaluate the impacts of calcium chloride (CaCl2), potassium nitrate (KNO3), and flower thinning on reducing these problems and enhancing fruit quality. Seven treatments were carried out, including foliar application with CaCl2 2 and 4%, KNO3 250 and 500 ppm alone or combined with flower thinning and control (spraying with water). The spraying treatments took place three times, at the beginning of flowering (in Apr.), after fruit set completion (first Jul.), and before harvest (first Sept.), during the two study seasons. Hand flower thinning was done to all of the flowers that surged from the last week of May until the end of the flowering period. The obtained results indicated that spraying 500 ppm KNO3 or 4% CaCl2 alone or combined with flower thinning are regarded as the best treatments in terms of their impact on the yield components, fruit quality, anthocyanin content, and reducing fruit cracking.

Currently, nanotechnology is widely used in agriculture and horticulture. Nanofertilizers are essential for encouraging vegetative growth and flowering, as well as enhancing productivity and fruit quality. These nanoparticles are viewed as growth promoters as well. The current study was therefore carried out during the two successive seasons of 2021 and 2022 on 14-year-old trees grown in clay soil in a field experiment at the Pomology Department Research orchard, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Egypt. The effects of conventional vs. nano-micronutrients as foliar fertilizers on the fruit yield, quality, and mineral nutrition status of pomegranate trees were studied. The foliar application of all treatments on pomegranate trees remarkably increased yield and physical properties of fruits as well as improved the levels of total soluble solids percentage, anthocyanin pigment, flavonol, total phenols, antioxidant activity and nutrients status compared with the controls during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The lowest fruit cracking percentages were obtained by the spraying of nano-micronutrients (4.33–5.70 %) compared with the other treatments and the control, which gave the highest percentages (10.45–11.43 %). The highest increments in yield, physical properties of fruits and levels of total soluble solids percentage, anthocyanin pigment, flavonol, total phenols, and antioxidant activity were noticed by the spraying of nano-micronutrients especially at 1000 and/or 1500 µg mL⁻¹. It could be concluded that the use of nanofoliar fertilization in pomegranate cultivation may improve the yield, quality, and nutritional status of pomegranate fruits.

Penicillium digitatum Sacc is a common postharvest pathogen affecting lime fruits. It causes significant losses in postharvest lime production. An emerging alternative to chemical control is the use of environmentally friendly such as edible and biodegradable films and packaging. The goal of the current study was to test different concentrations of Aloe vera gel (5, 15, 25, 50, 75, and 100% v/v), tea tree oil coating (0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10% v/v), and their combination for controlling P. digitatum in vitro. The results revealed that specific concentrations of Aloe vera gel (75% and 100% v/v), tea tree oil (2.5, 5, and 10% v/v), and Aloe vera gel (25%) + tea tree oil (1%) v/v showed the highest inhibitory effect against the pathogen. The most effective concentrations of Aloe vera gel (75%), tea tree oil (2.5%), and Aloe vera gel (25%) + tea tree oil (1%) were evaluated against the green mold disease of lime under natural infection through storage period (0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days). Compared to the control group, all edible layers demonstrated a significant delay and reduced in disease severity percentage throughout the storage periods. However, coating lime fruits with a combination of Aloe vera gel (25%) + tea tree oil (1%) successfully prevented the green mold disease of lime fruits over 28 days. The impact of these coatings was evaluated on lime fruit quality maintenance (weight loss, firmness, juice weight, total soluble solids, total acidity, pH, vitamin C, lipid peroxidation content, total phenols, total flavonoid, and total protein) over 28 days of storage during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. All treatments improved fruit quality through the storage period compared with untreated fruits. Treated lime fruits with Aloe vera gel (25%) + tea tree oil (1%) exhibited slight reductions in weight loss and juice weight compared to alternative treatments as an average of the two successive seasons. Simultaneously, this treatment improved fruit firmness, vitamin C levels, total phenols, total flavonoid, and total protein when contrasted with other treatments as an average of the two studied seasons. These findings show that the combination of Aloe vera gel and tea tree oil coatings enhances the shelf life and maintains the quality of lime fruits. They can also be used as an environmentally acceptable, chemical-free alternative treatment to preserve the postharvest quality of lime fruit.

One of the major issues with pomegranate production in arid and semi-arid climate is the white arils of fruit. The known plant regulators abscisic and jasmonic acids play a variety of roles in plant growth and the reduction of abiotic stresses. However, little is known about their application to improve the quality of pomegranate fruit, particularly white arils, in semi-arid environments. Herein, the experiments, in this study, were performed in two consecutive seasons 2020 and 2021 on 10-year-old Wonderful pomegranate trees to spotlight the improvement of the aril coloration and fruit quality by spraying with abscisic and jasmonic acids under semi-arid climatic conditions. Fifteen Wonderful pomegranate trees were subjected to five treatments (three replications for each). The tested treatments included abscisic acid (ABA) at the concentrations of 600 and 800 µg⁻¹ mL, jasmonic acid (JA) at the concentrations of 10 and 15 Mm, and the control treatment (distilled water). The physical and chemical characteristics of the fruit quality of Wonderful pomegranate improved significantly when the trees were treated with abscisic or jasmonic acids. The foliar addition of ABA at 600 and 800 µg⁻¹ mL increased the anthocyanin index by 96.74 and 114.75%, respectively, in the first year and by 49.48 and 67.62% in the second year, in comparison with the control. The foliar addition of ABA at 800 µg⁻¹ mL was more effective than jasmonic acid in enhancing most of the chemical fruit properties, especially the anthocyanin index. The high level of ABA (800 µg⁻¹ mL) gave the minimum fruit acidity and the highest fruit quality. Abscisic acid induces the fruit acidity and enhances the aril coloration in Wonderful pomegranate. In semi-arid conditions, it is recommended to spray the Wonderful pomegranate trees with abscisic acid at 800 µg⁻¹ mL to improve the fruit quality and to increase the aril coloration.

A field experiment was carried out during 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons in Almawhoub, Aldakhla, New valley Governorate, Egypt. This investigation aimed to study the effect of spraying three wheat cultivars with different concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) on the growth and yield traits. Randomized complete block design (RCBD) using split plots in strips arrangement with three replications was used.
The cultivars Sakha 95, Giza 171, and Gemmiza 11 were assigned in vertical strips while spraying with three concentrations of salicylic acid (0, 45, 60, and 75 ppm) were allocated in horizontal strips. In addition, three SA application times, i.e., 30, 45 and 60 days after planting were allocated in the sub- units. The experimental unit area was 10.50 m².
The results proved that mean effect of spraying wheat plants by salicylic acid at 75 ppm in both seasons gave the highest mean values of  plant height (116.5 and 121.8 cm), maximum number of spike/ m² (344.4 and 358.2 spike / m²), the highest 1000 grain weight (49.5 and 51.66 g), and the maximum grain yield (19.37 and 20.18 ardab/ fed)in the first and second seasons respectively. Foliar application at 60 days from planting registered the maximum average values of all studied traits under investigation. Spike length was insignificantly affected. Here too, the obtained results showed that Sakha 95 cultivar surpassed the other studied cultivars in grain yield (ardab/ fed), No. of spike/m², and 1000 grain/weight. Gemmiza 11 was better than the other cultivars in plant height and spike length. Most of interactions revealed that spraying wheat plants by 75 ppm salicylic acid after 60 days from planting registered the highest values of studied traits.

A field experiment was carried out at the Experimental Farm of Agronomy Dept., Assiut University, during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons. The work aimed to investigate the effect of three phosphate fertilizer applied dates (before the first P₁, second P₂, and third irrigation P₃) and four gibberellic acid levels (0, 50 G₁, 150 G₂, and 250 G₃ ppm) on three fab bean cultivars (Misr1, Sakha 4 and Giza 843). The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) using a strip plot within a split plot with three replicates. The plot area was 9 m².
The results revealed that maximum seed yield in addition to yield attributes were produced from plants receiving 250 or 150ppm gibberellic acid with third and second phosphorus application in both seasons. Giza 843 cultivar was significantly higher seed index, biological and seed yield in both seasons. The maximum Pod number/plant and seeds number/pod in the 1^st season were recorded by 250ppm gibberellic acid concentration under the first and second phosphorus application dates (G₃×P₁ and G₃×P ₂) in the 2^nd season. Moreover, the maximum seeds and biological yield were recorded by 250ppm gibberellic acid concentration under the third phosphorus application date (G₃×P₃) in both seasons. Furthermore, the tallest plants, maximum seed index and biological yield were recorded by Giza 843 cultivar under the second and third phosphorus application dates (V₃×P₂ and V₃×P₃) in both seasons. Maximum pod number/plant and seed yield were recorded by Misr1 cultivar under the first and third phosphorus application dates (V₁×P₁ and V₁×P₃) in both seasons.

Taste and aroma profiles of Daokou red-cooked chickens (DRCs) were analysed using different techniques and methods. Multivariate data analysis revealed that e-nose and e-tongue could successfully discriminate DRCs of various sources based on their taste and aroma profiles. Flavour nucleotide content and umami concentration of breasts were higher than those of thighs. Additionally, a fingerprint was established to analyse the distribution of different volatile compounds using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry. A total number of 54 volatile components was identified in the DRCs, mostly aldehydes, esters, ketones, terpenes and alcohols. Odour activity value demonstrated that nine volatile components, including 1-octen-3-ol, 2-pentylfuran, eucalyptol, nonanal, estragole, anisaldehyde, anethole, eugenol and hexanal, could be considered as the characteristic flavour compounds of DRCs. Furthermore, partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) analysis showed that sweet tastes, anethole, 5′-inosine monophosphate, eugenol, eucalyptol, umami tastes, sour tastes, bitter tastes, 2,3-butanedione, hexanal, hypoxanthine, inosine and d-limonene were significant factors that caused the differences among DRCs of different sources. Sensory analysis revealed variations in consumer preferences of DRCs from different suppliers. Obtained results will help in understanding of how taste and flavour compounds affect quality and preferences of DRCs, which will help manufacturers improve processing methods and promote consumption of DRCs.