This study investigated the combined effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (Nano-Zn) and moringa leaf extract (MLE) on squash plants grown under water stress conditions in saline soil during 2021–2022. The research compared full irrigation (100% ETc) with water deficit conditions (60% ETc). While water deficit negatively impacted plant growth, yield, and various physiological parameters, the sequential application of Nano-Zn (at 50 or 100 mg L⁻¹) with MLE (3%) significantly mitigated these adverse effects. The combined treatment proved more effective than individual applications, enhancing growth parameters, photosynthetic efficiency, and antioxidant systems. The treatment particularly improved stress tolerance by increasing protective compounds like soluble sugars and amino acids while reducing harmful H₂O₂ levels. The study concluded that sequential application of 100 mg L⁻¹ Nano-Zn with MLE was optimal for enhancing squash performance under drought stress, with 50 mg L⁻¹ Nano-Zn plus MLE as the second-best option.

Shamansir Mountain is a part of the Sarawat Mountains, western Saudi Arabia. The current study intends to investigate Shamansir Mountain’s plant wealth as well as the impact of direction and height on the mountain’s floristic makeup. The study’s findings, which included 152 species from 124 genera and 46 families, demonstrated how diverse Mount Shamansir’s vegetation is. More than 40% of all species found in the research area belonged to the Asteraceae, Poaceae, Apocynaceae, and Solanaceae families. The obtained results showed that the number of species, genera, and families increases with elevation. These increases from the lowest elevation to the greatest height were, respectively, 280.7%, 286.3%, and 100%. The results showed that the eastern side of the mountain had 36.8%, 27.7%, and 33.3% more species, genera, and families than the western side. Hemicryptophytes made up the smallest percentage of all life forms, at 3%, while therophytes made up the largest, at 44%, followed by chamaephytes at 25%. At 29.6% of all species recorded, the Saharo-Sindian chorotype has the greatest number of monoregional species. Despite Saudi Arabia’s low endemic plant population, one endemic species—Teucrium popovii R.A. King—has been identified. Many of the recorded species are of high economic value. 22 wild crop-related species were discovered in the studied area, while medicinal species comprise 57.8% of the total species in the given list. The study recommends that the Saudi government designate Mount Shamansir as an environmentally protected region, according to the report.