In the current study, gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) plants were grown in three growth media; peat moss, clay and rice straw. Acidic wastewater from Manquebad Superphosphate Fertilizer Factory (Assiut, Upper-Egypt) was applied as soil drench (200 ml/pot) at 0, 10, 20 and 30 days. Pots of gardenia were arranged in a complete randomized block design with three replicates and repeated for two successive growing seasons. Peat moss produced the best vegetative and flowering growth of gardenia which could be assigned to its low pH and high organic matter content. Rice straw-grown plants had better vegetative growth than clay-grown ones in terms of plant height, number of leaves, branches and internodes, internode length, fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots, number and diameter of flowers and possessed the highest leaf contents of phosphorus, potassium, cupper and manganese. Plants grown in clay were thicker with bigger leaves resulting in higher total leaf area, and were characterized by the highest shoot-root ratio, more flowers and higher leaf contents of chlorophylls a&b, nitrogen and iron. The application of the acidic water improved vegetative and flowering growth and leaf nutrient content of those plants grown in both clay and rice straw. Increasing the frequency of acidic water application to 10-day interval caused a significant improvement in all vegetative and flowering characteristics and leaf nutrient content. In conclusion, using acidic water at 10-day interval can improve the quality of rice straw and clay to be used as good substitutes for peat moss.

In the current study, gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) plants were grown in three growth media; peat moss, clay and rice straw. Acidic wastewater from Manquebad Superphosphate Fertilizer Factory (Assiut, Upper-Egypt) was applied as soil drench (200 ml/pot) at 0, 10, 20 and 30 days. Pots of gardenia were arranged in a complete randomized block design with three replicates and repeated for two successive growing seasons. Peat moss produced the best vegetative and flowering growth of gardenia which could be assigned to its low pH and high organic matter content. Rice straw-grown plants had better vegetative growth than clay-grown ones in terms of plant height, number of leaves, branches and internodes, internode length, fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots, number and diameter of flowers and possessed the highest leaf contents of phosphorus, potassium, cupper and manganese. Plants grown in clay were thicker with bigger leaves resulting in higher total leaf area, and were characterized by the highest shoot-root ratio, more flowers and higher leaf contents of chlorophylls a&b, nitrogen and iron. The application of the acidic water improved vegetative and flowering growth and leaf nutrient content of those plants grown in both clay and rice straw. Increasing the frequency of acidic water application to 10-day interval caused a significant improvement in all vegetative and flowering characteristics and leaf nutrient content. In conclusion, using acidic water at 10-day interval can improve the quality of rice straw and clay to be used as good substitutes for peat moss.

A total number of 288 one-day old Cobb broiler chicks were randomly distributed into 18 equal dietary treatments (each of two replicates). The chicks were assigned to these treatments according to 2*3*3 factorial arrangement to study the effect of the interrelationships between different dietary levels of calcium:available phosphorus ratio (2:1 and 3:1), vitamin A (1500, 15000, and 30000 IU/kg), and vitamin D3 (200, 2000, and 4000 ICU/kg) on performance, carcass quality, tibia ash; Ca and P, liver vit. A, and blood serum Ca and P. The experiment lasted for seven weeks. Based on the obtained results, the interrelationships between these three factors have led to conclude that Cobb broiler chicks up to 7 weeks of age require levels of Ca:Pa ratio , vit. A and vit. D3 different from those recommended by NRC (1994). The requirements from 0 to 7 weeks of age were proven in this study to be 3:1 Ca:Pa ratio along with 2000 to 4000 ICU vit. D3/kg and 15000 IU vit. A/kg. It is also noteworthy to mention that the requirements for these nutrients were proven to be higher from 0 to 3 weeks of age than from 4-7 weeks of age, since body weight, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio were better at 3:1 Ca:Pa ratio along with 4000 ICU vit. D3/kg and 30000 IU vit.A/kg.

A total number of 288 one-day old Cobb broiler chicks were randomly distributed into 18 equal dietary treatments (each of two replicates). The chicks were assigned to these treatments according to 2*3*3 factorial arrangement to study the effect of the interrelationships between different dietary levels of calcium:available phosphorus ratio (2:1 and 3:1), vitamin A (1500, 15000, and 30000 IU/kg), and vitamin D3 (200, 2000, and 4000 ICU/kg) on performance, carcass quality, tibia ash; Ca and P, liver vit. A, and blood serum Ca and P. The experiment lasted for seven weeks. Based on the obtained results, the interrelationships between these three factors have led to conclude that Cobb broiler chicks up to 7 weeks of age require levels of Ca:Pa ratio , vit. A and vit. D3 different from those recommended by NRC (1994). The requirements from 0 to 7 weeks of age were proven in this study to be 3:1 Ca:Pa ratio along with 2000 to 4000 ICU vit. D3/kg and 15000 IU vit. A/kg. It is also noteworthy to mention that the requirements for these nutrients were proven to be higher from 0 to 3 weeks of age than from 4-7 weeks of age, since body weight, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio were better at 3:1 Ca:Pa ratio along with 4000 ICU vit. D3/kg and 30000 IU vit.A/kg.