To improve the salt tolerance of Genovese cultivar of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) plants, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of certain growth substances (salicylic acid, seaweed extract, dry yeast and moringa leaf extract) on growth, volatile oil percentage and yield as well as chemical constituents under saline water irrigation stress conditions (control, 1000, 2000 and 4000 ppm NaCl). The obtained results revealed that the higher salinity levels (2000 and 4000 ppm NaCl) caused significant decreases in vegetative growth measurements of basil plants compared to control and the lowest salinity level (1000 ppm NaCl). Maximum reduction was observed at 4000 ppm NaCl which showed higher increase of the total phenolics and free proline contents. All recoded parameters were enhanced for plants grown under 1000 ppm NaCl. Seaweed extract was superior than other treatments in enhancing the plant tolerance to salinity which appeared in the significantly increasing of growth and volatile oil content of basil. Phenolics and proline contents were increased with salicylic acid treatment comparing with other ones. The best combination recommended as a result of the current study is treating basil plants with seaweed extract under low salinity level (1000 ppm) for improving the growth and volatile oil parameters.

Stem bark aqueous extracts of eight woody plants Brachychiton populneus, Ceiba pentandra, Bombax malabaricum, Chorisia speciosa, Albizia lebbeck, Bauhinia variegata, Kigelia africana and Pinus halepensis were tested for their mutagenic and antimutagenic potential in the Ames test with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100. The aqueous extracts were neither toxic nor mutagenic in S. typhimurium tester strains. All of the tested extracts showed detectable antimutagenic effect towards the direct acting mutagens 2-nitrofluorene (2-NF) in TA98 as well as sodium azide in TA100. The extract from Kigelia africana was the most effective in reducing the mutagenicity caused by the direct mutagen 2-NF in the TA98 with 85.42% inhibition rate. A. lebbeck stem bark extract demonstrated the highest antimutagenic activity reducing the base substitution mutations rate for strain TA100 by 94.66% in pre-incubation assay. The results obtained showed that the stem bark aqueous extracts tested can protect cells against induced gene mutations.

An experimental field was conducted during 2019/2020 and 2021/2021 seasons to evaluate the effects of different rates of humic acid (H.A) and liquid compost (L.C) on quantitative and qualitative yield of German chamomile (Matericaria recutita L.). Rates of both organic materials were 2000 and 4000 ppm, beside control were applied as a soil drench method and performed five times, two weeks intervals through growing seasons starting 45 days from sowing. Vegetative growth, flowering characters, nutritional state, physiological traits, and essential oil yield and its components were studied. Results indicated that all H.A and L.C treatments improved growth parameters (plant height, number of branches per plant, fresh and dry weights of herb and roots), flowering characteristics (number of flower-heads per plant, flower diameter, and fresh and dry weights of flower yield) as compared to control. However, L.C at 4000 ppm was the most effective treatment resulting in significant increases as compared to other treatments. The vigorous growth of superior treatment was closely associated with higher uptake of nutrient elements (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) than control which produced the worst growth with the lowest uptake of minerals. A positive relationship was found between the adequate nutrients uptake and the highest leaf contents of chlorophyll “a”, carotenoids, carbohydrates and protein. Treatment of L.C at 4000 ppm showed considerable increases in essential oil percentage, oil yield and the major constituent in chamomile oil of chamazulene. So, we can recommend to apply this best treatment for organic German chamomile with clearly, safety, health quality and free contaminate chemicals.

THE CURRENT study was conducted to evaluate the rooting behavior of air-layers of Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus L.) under IBA stimulation and/or inoculation with Bacillus subtilis. Experiment contained two branch lengths (275 and 150 cm) and six treatments of IBA (100, or 200 ppm) and B. subtilis suspension (5 or 10 ml/air-layer from suspension 108 CFU/ml) added individually or in combinations. The best results were obtained by 200 ppm IBA and/or 10 ml B. subtilis resulting in the maximum rooting percentage (100%), the highest number of roots (58.66/layer), the longest root (26.50 cm), large root volume (86.46 cm3/layer), the heaviest fresh and dry roots (82.68 and 13.50 g/layer, respectively) and maximum percentage of layers showing secondary roots (100%). These results were correlated with highest total carbohydrates content (28.40%) and total phenolic compounds (52.41 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g DW). The interaction effects indicated that the superior combined treatment was occurred by shoot length of 150 cm supplied with 200 ppm IBA + B. subtilis.

A field trial was conducted to assess the impact of organic manures (cattle and chicken manure) at rates of 2, 4 kg/plot (2m2) and seaweed extract concentrations (0, 2, 3 and 4 ml/l) on growth, yield and volatile oil constituents of fennel plants (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) during the two successive seasons of 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. The chicken manure treatment at 4 kg/plot achieved the best results regarding all F. vulgare vegetative growth (except plant height), Fruit yield productivity and its constituents of the volatile oil. Foliar application treatment of seaweed extract in high concentration (4 ml/l) cleared significant impact on plant height, stem diameter, branch number/plant, umbel number/plant, fruit yield/plant, total fruit yield/feddan, volatile oil percentage, volatile oil yield per plant and per feddan during both seasons. Volatile oil samples of F. vulgare fruits collected from plants grown in soil amended with chicken manure at 4 kg/plot gave the highest percentage of anethole compound (39.13 %) and the lowest percentage of estragole compound (14.08%) in comparison with the other organic manure treatments as average of both seasons. The higher concentration of seaweed extract increased the percentage of anethole comparing with other concentrations. The foliar application by seaweed extract in high concentration on plants fertilized with chicken manure at the highest level seems to be the best interaction for getting higher yield and volatile oil of F. vulgare.