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The aim of this research to determine of color properties of seed related to help in safe passage for seed through cleaning and separation processes. Also investigate some seed properties can be used in design and development of multi-seed planting machine. Soya bean, wheat, corn, cotton faba bean and sunflowers were tested at department of agriculture engineering, faculty of agriculture, Tanta University, Egypt. Through 2022. The design of feed mechanism system required easy movement for seeds this is a critically moving during the filling of the feed disk, so must detriments of the small differences in the surface area and topography of the grains and determine some image analyses. There are clear differences between faba bean and soybean in Hue value was 0. 626. the intensity, and the browning index was 91.75 and 16.25 in faba bean while in soybean were 0. 565,85.33, and 21.79 respectively. While the differences between corn and wheat in Hue value was 0. 699.Also the intensity, and the browning index was 100.08, 17.30 in corn while in wheat were 0. 708. 97.94, and 13.38 respectively. Also, clear differences between cotton and sunflowers in Hue value was 0. 634. Also the intensity, and the Black & White band was 87.40, and 87.40 in cotton while in sunflowers were 0. 480, 96.75 and 96.75 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine the reduction of Zearalenone (ZEA) in grains by using gamma radiation (γ- ray) to minimise exposure hazards and of economic and health consequence. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 samples of food grains (wheat, yellow corn, and white corn) were collected from Egyptian retail markets from five governorates (Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Qena and Gharbia) to determine the ZEA contamination levels by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To study reduction by γ- ray, twelve uncontaminated samples were spiked with ZEA at the maximum permitted limit (100 µg/kg) and irradiated with different energies of γ-rays (5, 10, 15 and 20 kGy), and then the reduction rates were evaluated. Results: Only two samples out of 150 randomly collected samples were found to be contaminated with ZEA. In the case of the effect of γ-rays on grain ZEA contents, the reduction in ZEA ranged between 49.0 ± 4.7 and 97.0 ± 1.5% in wheat samples, and between 24.8 ± 4.1 and 51.1 ± 3.5% in yellow corn samples, between 20.3 and 59.9% in white corn samples. Finally, at 20 kGy, the reductions were 97.0 ± 1.5, 51.1 ± 3.5 and 59.9 ± 3.2% in wheat, yellow corn and white corn, respectively. Conclusions: ZEA was more easily degraded in wheat than in yellow corn and white corn. Moisture content played a vital role in ZEA degradation. γ- Ray exposure was used as an effective method to reduce ZEA in wheat, yellow corn and white corn. The reduction rate increased relative to the irradiation dose. Further study is recommended to determine the reduction yields and toxicities of ZEA that may be achieved post γ- ray radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water footprint (WF), based on irrigation water quality, is important as a decision-making tool for crop selection based on the comparative advantage of water consumption and yield to maximize agricultural water productivity and sustainably improve water use efficiency. This paper presents a generic link between climate variability and water footprint. To support this link, a case study is presented for wheat and maize in different agro-climate zones in Egypt. In this study, the three agro-ecological zones, Nile Delta, Middle Egypt, and Upper Egypt, were selected to represent three different microclimates. The climate data were analyzed to estimate reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and calculate crop water use (CWU) for wheat and maize from 2015 through 2019. Cultivated area and yield data were analyzed during the study period. Water footprint (WF) was calculated for old land (clay soils) and new lands (sandy soils) in three climate regions based on blue and grey water. Green water was excluded due to negligible rainfall depths in Egypt. The results showed that the mean values of WF for maize were 1067, 1395, 1655 m3/ton in old land and 1395, 1634, 2232 m3/ton in new land under the three climate regions, respectively, while it was 923, 982, 1117 m3/ton in old land and 1180, 1258, 1452 m3/ton for wheat in new land for the three regions, respectively. The results show that the crop water use fluctuated over regions due to climate variability where the CWU values were 6211, 7335, 8007 m3/ha for maize and 4348, 4825, 5774 m3/ha for wheat in the three regions, respectively. The results show an 11% and 33% increase in maize and an 18% and 29% increase in wheat CWU in Middle and Upper Egypt regions comparing to what was observed in Nile Delta due to an increase in solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed. The Egypt mean value of wheat water footprint was 1152 m3/ton and mean value of maize water footprint was 1563 m3/ton. The data clearly show the effect of microclimate variability on WF and irrigation requirements between regions. The methodology and results from this study provide a pathway to help the policy makers to mitigate climate change impacts on crop yield and to enhance water resources management in major crop production regions by redistribution of the cropping patterns based on the comparative advantages of each crop within each region. The crop choices relative to the soil water retention characteristics could also contribute to the moderation of microclimate, which affects ETo and ETc and the water footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, worldwide scientific efforts towards controlling maize late wilt disease (LWD) have focused on eco-friendly approaches that minimize the environmental impact and health risks. This disease is considered to be the most severe threat to maize fields in Israel and Egypt, and a major growth restraint in India, Spain, and Portugal. Today's most commonly used method for LWD control involving resistant maize genotypes is under constant risk from aggressive pathogen lines. Thus, this study's objectives were to evaluate the effect of crop rotation and avoiding tillage on restraining the disease. Such an agrotechnical approach will support the continuity of soil mycorrhiza networks, which antagonize the disease's causal agent, Magnaporthiopsis maydis. The method gained positive results in previous studies, but many knowledge gaps still need to be addressed. To this end, a dual-season study was conducted using the LWD hyper-susceptible maize hybrid, Megaton cv. The trials were performed in a greenhouse and in the field over full dual-growth seasons (wheat or clover as the winter crop followed by maize as the summer crop). In the greenhouse under LWD stress, the results clearly demonstrate the beneficial effect of maize crop rotation with clover and wheat on plant weight (1.4-fold), height (1.1–1.2-fold) and cob yield (1.8–2.4-fold), especially in the no-till soil. The clover-maize growth sequence excels in reducing disease impact (1.7-fold) and pathogen spread in the host tissues (3-fold). Even though the wheat-maize crop cycle was less effective, it still had better results than the commercial mycorrhizal preparation treatment and the uncultivated non-infected soil. The results were slightly different in the field. The clover-maize rotation also achieved the best growth promotion and disease restraint results (2.6-fold increase in healthy plants), but the maize rotation with wheat showed only minor efficiency. Interestingly, pre-cultivating the soil with clover had better results in no-till soil in both experiments. In contrast, the same procedure with wheat had a better impact when tillage was applied. It may be concluded that crop rotation and soil cultivation can be essential in reducing LWD, but other factors may affect this approach's benefits in commercial field growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]