The effects of sugarcane industry organic wastes viz., filter- mud cake and El-Takamolia at 3, 6 or 12 t/feddan on the pH of the sepal extract and the anthocyanin, protein, phosphorus and potassium content of sepals of roselle were determined and compared to those of farmyard manure in a field experiment conducted in Sohag and Assiut, Egypt during 1998-99. Application of the organic wastes resulted in a slight increase in the protein and phosphorus content of sepals of plants grown in Sohag, whereas it has no distinct effects on plants in Assuit. Plants from Sohag recorded higher protein and lower anthocyanin content than plants from Assuit.

Two landraces of the ‘Balady’ cumin (Qina and Assiut) and seven seed treatments were tested in this field study. The treatments included two fungal antagonists (Trichoderma harzianum, and T. humatum), one bacterial antagonist (Bacillus subtilis), 2-days water priming, combined water priming with T. harzianum, biocide ‘PlantGuard’ and control seed treatment. The fungi and the bacteria were isolated from infected cumin plants collected from Assiut. A significantly reduced percentage of infection and increased seed yield/plant than the control occurred in both years as a result of pre-sowing seed treatments. The lowest percentage of infection was exhibited by the plants raised from seeds that received combined treatment of two-day water-priming and T. harzianum. Use of T. harzianum alone or in combination with water priming tended to produce a high seed yield/plant in both years. The increased seed yield was significantly associated with decreased percentage of infection in the two landraces and in both years. Significant positive correlation coefficients were found between the seed yield and each of the number of the main and secondary branches, the number of umbels and the weight of the mature dry plants. The cumin landrace from Qina showed an overall lower percentage of infection and higher seed yield/plant than Assiut landrace in both years. We recommend utilizing combined 2-days water priming with T. harzianum antagonist for pre-sowing seed treatment. This treatment seemed to combine complementary mechanisms of action against the pathogen enabling a consistent control of the disease. It would establish a better plant stand in the field and, consequently, increased seed yield per production area unit.

Nodular competent callus was induced on the basal cut surface of the shoot apex explants cultured on MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium supplemented 1, 3, or 5 mg/L thidiazuron (TDZ) and incubated in darkness for one week followed by 4 weeks under white fluorescent light. A high percentage of proliferated callus was obtained with the medium containing 1 mg/L TDZ. The separated callus pieces were maintained on the same fresh medium. Shoot differentiation, following each of three successive maintenance passages, occurred on the medium either lacking or containing 1 mg/L benzyladenine (BA). The shoots developed roots on medium with 1 mg/L IBA. Up to seventy-five percent of the produced plantlets were acclimatized to the ex vitro conditions. The novel protocol may be useful for biotechnological applications in salvia improvement via genetic transformation or mutagenesis and cloning approaches.