Integrated aquaculture–agriculture systems (IAASs) offer a sustainable approach to mitigating soil salinity by utilizing aquaculture effluents for irrigation. This study evaluates the growth performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) under varying salinity conditions and investigates their effluents on intercropped wheat and sugar beet. A field experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with seven treatments: control (chemical fertilizers dissolved in freshwater) and brackish water effluents from Nile tilapia and red tilapia at salinities of 5 ppt and 10 ppt as monocultures or mixed polycultures. Fish growth parameters were assessed, while wheat and sugar beet morphological and yield traits were monitored. Statistical analyses, including correlation and principal component analysis, were performed. Red tilapia outperformed Nile tilapia at 10 ppt salinity, achieving the highest final weight (174.52 ± 0.01 g/fish) and weight gain (165.78 ± 0.01 g/fish), while the mixed polyculture at 10 ppt exhibited optimal feed conversion (FCR: 1.32 ± 0.01). Wheat growth and yield traits (plant height, stalk diameter, and panicle weight) declined significantly under salinity stress, with 10 ppt treatments reducing plant height by ~57% compared to the control. Conversely, sugar beet demonstrated resilience, with total soluble solids (TSS) increasing by 20–30% under salinity. The mixed effluent partially mitigated salinity effects on wheat at 5 ppt but not at 10 ppt. This study highlights the potential of IAAS in saline environments, demonstrating red tilapia’s adaptability and sugar beet’s resilience to salinity stress. In contrast, wheat suffered significant reductions in growth and yield.

Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme ) is a nutritionally valuable crop, yet yellow cherry tomato cultivation faces yield limitations under protected environments. This study investigated the effects of gibberellic acid (GA ₃ ) and benzylaminopurine (BAP) on growth, yield, and nutrient components in greenhouse-grown yellow cherry tomatoes. Treatments included foliar applications of GA ₃ (25, 50, and 75 mgL ^− 1 ) and BAP (50 and 100 mgL ^− 1 ), sprayed on plant leaves at 14, 28, and 42 days after transplanting, before the flowering stage. GA ₃ at 75 mgL ^− 1 enhanced stem diameter (11.31 mm), branch number (22), and fruit biomass (1.13 g/fruit), raising yield by 93.8% over control, while BAP produced the highest yield increase (108.4%). Also, BAP increased chlorophyll content and leaf micronutrient retention (e.g., zinc: 0.859 mg kg ⁻¹ ). Fruit nitrogen and protein peaked under GA ₃ 25 mgL ^− 1 (3.15% N, 19.66% protein), whereas higher GA ₃ concentrations prioritized biomass over nutrient density. BAP reduced fruit shape index (1.49–1.64) and increased total soluble solids (TSS). Cytokinin-auxin interplay differentially regulates source-sink nutrient partitioning, with GA ₃ promoting vegetative nitrogen assimilation and BAP enhancing phloem-mediated micronutrient stabilization. These findings demonstrate that optimizing GA ₃ and BAP concentrations can balance yield and nutritional quality, providing actionable strategies for improving greenhouse cultivation of yellow cherry tomatoes.

Microbial communities perform important roles in nutrient cycling, degradation of environmental pollutants, and support of various life forms on Earth. Mangroves live in very harsh environments, and if not for the existence of several microbial species in their ecosystems, they would not survive. The Egyptian Red Sea coast is dominated by two mangrove species, Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata , which serve as breeding grounds for marine organisms and aid in carbon sequestration. Despite their ecological significance, comparative studies examining the physiochemical properties and heavy metal concentration of mangrove sediments of two dominant species along the Egyptian Red Sea coast (Hamata, Mangrove Bay, and Saffaga) and their relationship to microbial and functional diversity are scarce. Our findings revealed significant differences in sodium ions, potassium ions, organic carbon, and bulk density at 30–50 cm depth across the locations. Heavy metal analysis revealed significantly lower concentrations of zinc and manganese and high concentrations of copper in sediment samples collected from Mangrove Bay at all sampling depths. Metagenomics analysis revealed that the dominant phyla across the three sites were Pseudomonadota , Bacillota , and Bacteroidota , along with Actenomycetota , and Chloroflexota , and unclassified bacteria. Within the phylum Bacillota , several major classes were identified, including Bacillota_A_368345 , Bacillota_I , and Bacillota_C . Functional prediction revealed a higher abundance of microbes involved in energy metabolism and carbon cycle, whereas a lower abundance of microbes involved in sulfur and nitrogen cycles was noted across the sites. In conclusion, the identification of different microbial communities in sediments collected along the Egyptian Red Sea coastal areas suggests the role of different mangrove species and human activities in recruiting unique microbial species involved in promoting their survival under different environmental factors.