Waterlogging in the New Reclaimed Areas Northeast El Fayoum, Western Desert, Egypt, Reasons and Solutions

The waterlogging in the new reclaimed areas has become a major concern in the area Northeast El Fayoum, Western Desert, Egypt. It is not only endangering the structures and properties but also causing major environmental problem affecting the health of the area, habitats, and the biotic of the land community, as well as the deteriorating of Egypt’s Pharaonic monuments (El Lahun and Hawarah pyramids). Both the daily seepage from excess irrigation water and the presence of impervious clay or limestone beds at shallow depths may represent the main contributor of ground-water rising in the shallow aquifer. This paper investigates the interplay of the hydrogeological characteristics, soil properties and recent land reclamation projects on the distribution of waterlogging and salinization within the study area. The field observations show that new reclaimed areas have been recently cultivated in distant areas from the old agricultural land. These new cultivations have developed widespread waterlogging, soil salinization and deterioration of Egypt’s Pharaonic monuments as a result of rising groundwater related problems. In this paper, the data used come from database of drillings for eleven observation wells distributed inside the whole area to measure periodic water levels. The soil litho-units are mainly composed of coarse sand, sandy clay, silt and fractured limestone underlined by impervious clay or limestone, thus limiting the downward percolation of excess irrigation water and therefore develops waterlogging. The drainage networks and suitable irrigation methods have to be considered when planning for a new cultivation in dry land to better control waterlogging and salinization hazard. It is highly recommended in this research that newly small and deep cut drainage canals network should be constructed and connected to the master drainage canal to dewater the excess irrigation water and to prevent the waterlogging in the concerned area.

Improving the Antioxidant Properties of Fermented Camel Milk Using Some Strains of <i>Lactobacillus</i>

This study aimed at improving the antioxidant capacity of fermented camel milk using some single strains of Lactobacillus (Lb. helveticus B-734, Lb. casei subsp. casei B-1922, Lb. paracasei subsp. paracasei B-4560, Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 or Lb. rhamnosus B-442), as well as evaluating the acceptability of the final products. The acidity, proteolysis degree, antioxidant activity, viscosity and organoleptic properties of fermented milk were assessed during 14 days of storage at 4°C. Total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, Ferrous ion chelating ability (FCA) and Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were used to determine the antioxidant activity of fermented milks. The results indicated that fermented milks differed significantly (P < 0.05) in all studied parameters due to the type of starter culture used. During storage period, samples containing Lb. helveticus had the highest proteolysis degree, while samples with commercial starter culture (control) showed the lowest degree of proteolysis. Fermented milks containing Lactobacillus strains showed higher DPPH radical scavenging activity compared to those samples containing commercial starter culture. By the end of storage, there was a significant improvement (P < 0.05) in scavenging activity for all fermented milk samples. Regarding FCA, at the beginning of storage fermented milks containing Lb. paracasei, Lb. rhamnosus B-442 or commercial starter culture had the highest FCA values, while Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 samples recorded the highest value at the end of storage. Lb. helveticus samples had the highest TPC and FRAP values (P < 0.05) throughout the storage. There was a high significant correlation (P < 0.0001) between the proteolysis degree and the values of FRAP and TPC. Samples containing Lb. rhamnosus B-442, Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 or commercial starter culture received the highest taste and overall acceptability scores while Lb. helveticus samples were the lowest. It is recommended to use Lb. rhamnosus B-442 and Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 for producing fermented camel milk with high antioxidant activity and acceptability.

Antioxidant Properties of Fermented Camel Milk Prepared Using Different Microbial Cultures

This study investigated the effect of using different combinations of commercial starter culture and lactobacilli strains on the antioxidant properties of fermented camel milk for 14 days. The bacterial strains included Lb. casei subsp. casei B-1922, Lb. paracasei subsp. paracasei B-4560, Lb. rhamnosus B-442 and Lb. rhamnosus B-1445. The antioxidant activity of fermented milk was estimated using DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferrous ion chelating activity (FCA) and ferric reducing power assays. The total phenolic content (TPC), titratable acidity, proteolysis degree and sensory acceptability of samples were also evaluated. The results showed that all the studied parameters were affected by both the type of starter culture and storage. Samples containing the commercial starter and Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 had the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity and TPC throughout storage. Fermented milks prepared using the commercial starter and Lb. rhamnosus B-442 or Lb. paracasei retained their high FCA and reducing power throughout storage compared to the other samples. Fermented milk containing the commercial starter and Lb. casei showed the lowest antioxidant activity. The DPPH scavenging activity for all fermented milks decreased sharply during storage, while the change in FCA, reducing power and TPC differed among the samples during storage. The highest acidity was observed in the samples containing the commercial starter and Lb. paracasei, while fermented milk prepared using commercial starter and Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 had the lowest acidity. Samples containing the commercial starter and Lb. casei had the greatest proteolysis during the first week of storage, while samples containing the commercial starter and Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 had the highest proteolysis on day 14. Fermented milks with commercial starter and Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 or Lb. paracasei were the most acceptable products, while samples containing the commercial starter and Lb. casei were less acceptable.

Site-Specific Nitrogen Management in Dry Direct-Seeded Rice Using Chlorophyll Meter and Leaf Colour Chart

The need to maintain high rice yields and improve fertilizer nitrogen(N)-use efficiency has fueled the use of tools such as leaf colour chart(LCC) and chlorophyll meter(SPAD meter) in managing fertilizer N based on colour of the leaf. Field experiments were conducted during 2011 to 2013 at Ludhiana, India to assess the need for basal N application and to establish critical threshold values of leaf greenness as measured by LCC and SPAD meter for formulating strategies for in-season management of fertilizer N in dry direct-seeded rice(DDSR). Avoiding application of N at sowing did not adversely affect rice grain yield, indicating that basal N application in DDSR was not necessary and might lead to reduced N-use efficiency. Monitoring N uptake rate during the growing season of DDSR suggested that N uptake rate peaked at the two growth stages: maximum tillering(42 to 56 days after sowing(DAS))and panicle initiation stages(70 to 84 DAS). Using the Cate-Nelson procedure, critical LCC and SPAD meter values for fertilizer N application worked out to be 4 and 37, respectively. Real-time fertilizer N management strategy based on applying 30 kg N ha-1whenever SPAD meter or LCC readings fell below the critical values maintained optimum rice yields along with higher N-use efficiency than that observed by following blanket recommendation for fertilizer N in the region. The fixed-time variable-dose strategy consisted of applying prescriptive doses of 20 kg N ha-1at 14 DAS and 30 kg N ha-1at 28 DAS and corrective doses of 30, 40 or 50 kg N ha-1at 49 and 70 DAS depending upon LCC shade to be ≥ 4, 4–3.5, or < 3.5 and SPAD meter readings to be ≥ 40, 40–35, or< 35, respectively. This strategy also resulted in optimal rice yield along with higher N-use efficiency as compared to the blanket recommendation. This study revealed that in DDSR, fertilizer N could be managed more efficiently using the tools of LCC and SPAD meter than the current blanket recommendation.

Patterns of reproduction in two sympatric gerbil species in arid Egypt

Despite a significant number of studies on the reproductive characteristics of small mammals,very little of this work has been conducted on species in Egpyt.Here,the Egyptian greater gerbil(Gerbillus pyramidum Saint-Hilaire,1825)and Anderson’s lesser Egyptian gerbil(Gerbillus andersoni De Winton,1902)in northeastern Egypt were surveyed.Breeding behavior in these species was synchronized with rainfall in the winter and spring months.Surprisingly however,the removal of individual gerbils throughout the course of study resulted in an extension of reproductive activity into the dry summer and autumn months in the latter part of the sampling.These results are discussed in the context of density-dependent reproductive behavior in small mammals.