Abiotic stresses in sandy soil, which include saline water, saline soil, and lack of nutrients, affect the productivity and quality traits of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L). Elemental calcium (Ca²⁺) is necessary for the proper development of peanut pods. This work aimed at comparing conventional Ca and nano-Ca form effects on peanut production and quality traits. Two randomized complete block field experiments were conducted in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Treatments were control, gypsum plus calcium nitrate Ca(NO₃)₂, Ca(NO₃)₂, and chelated calcium, as well as 100, 75, 50, 25, and 12.5% of Ca(NO₃)₂ doses in a nano form. The results indicated that the treatment of gypsum plus conventional CaNO₃ achieved the highest yield and best quality traits, followed by the Ca(NO₃)₂ and 100% nano Ca(NO₃)₂ treatments. The treatments of the control, gypsum, and 12.5% nano Ca(NO₃)₂ had the lowest effect on peanut performance. The conventional treatment of gypsum plus Ca(NO₃)₂ resulted in the greatest seed yield (1.6 ton ha⁻¹), oil yield (700.3 kg ha⁻¹), and protein yield (380.1 kg ha⁻¹). Peanuts may benefit from Ca²⁺ better by using gypsum as the soil application and calcium nitrate as the foliar application to prevent disorders of Ca²⁺ deficiency under sandy soil conditions.

Mentha is an aromatic plant used since antiquity for its pharmaceutical virtues. The climate of Saudi Arabia favors the growth of aromatic plants including Mentha suaveolens L. The aim of this study is to analyze the volatile oils of different parts of fresh and dried Mentha suaveolens L. grown in Saudi Arabia (Aljouf area) using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) and Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID) techniques, to recognize the effect of drying on chemical composition, then to evaluate the antioxidant and antifungal activities of different extracts. In total, 118 compounds were identified via GC/MS and GC/FID, in which carvone is the main volatile constituent (stems, leaves, whole plant 45–64%). This investigation deduces that Mentha belonged to the carvone chemotype. Then, the analysis of non-volatile constituents of fresh and dried Mentha was performed by HPLC. The main phenolic compound of fresh and dried Mentha for different parts was rosmarinic acid (ranging from 28,002.5 to 6558 µg/g). The ethanolic extract of fresh stem showed the highest antifungal activity (53% inhibition) compared with miconazole (60% inhibition) but the ethanoic extract of dry stem showed no activity. Additionally, all ethanolic extracts, whether for fresh or dry Mentha, have antioxidant activity more than 90% while the antioxidant activity of whole plant volatile oil is equal to 53.33%. This research shows that M. suaveolens L. could be applied to manufacture natural antioxidants, antifungal, and flavoring agents.

Origanum majoranum L. is a Lamiaceae medicinal plant with culinary and ethnomedical applications. Its biological and phytochemical profiles have been extensively researched. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the chemical composition and the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of O. majoranum high features, as well as to search for techniques for activity optimization. A metabolomics study of the crude extract of O. majoranum using liquid chromatography-high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC ± HR ± ESI ± MS) was conducted. Five fractions (petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous) were derived from the total extract of the aerial parts. Different chromatographic methods and NMR analysis were utilized to purify and identify the isolated phenolics (high features). Moreover, the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antioxidant activity of phenolics were performed. Results showed that metabolomic profiling of the crude extract of O. majoranum aerial parts revealed the presence of a variety of phytochemicals, predominantly phenolics, resulting in the isolation and identification of seven high-feature compounds comprising two phenolic acids, rosmarinic and caffeic acids, one phenolic diterpene, 7-methoxyepirosmanol, in addition to four flavonoids, quercetin, hesperitin, hesperidin, and luteolin. On the other hand, 7-methoxyepirosmanol (OM₁) displayed the most antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. Such a phenolic principal activity improvement seems to be established after loading on gold nanoparticles.

In Egypt, newly reclaimed soils offer a great opportunity to increase the area devoted to oil-seed crops. The objectives of this research were to determine the optimum planting date(s) that achieve the highest seed and oil yields per unit land area and to determine the suitable cultivar for sandy soils of Wadi El-Natroon region, Egypt. As well as, study the changes in fatty acid profile entire year. The field experiments were conducted in the Desert Exp. Sta. Fac. Agric., Cairo Univ., Wadi El-Natroon, El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt under drip irrigation system in 2013 and 2014 years. Sakha-53 and Giza 102 sunflower cultivars were monthly planted, from January up to December. Results refers that there is a possibility of planting sunflower from February up to August in new reclaimed sandy soil under Egyptian conditions. The results revealed that seed yield fed-1 significantly varied among planting dates. The highest seed and oil yields fed-1 were obtained from 1st March planting (1038.3 and 400.1 kg fed-1) followed by April planting (911.7 and 352.1 kg fed-1). Sakha-53 surpassed Giza-102 in all studied traits. Concerning fatty acids composition results indicated that increasing growing temperatures resulted in more oleic acid and total unsaturated fatty acids. As well as, less linoleic acid and total saturated fatty acids. Seed yield fed-1 is very closely and significantly related to seed yield plant-1 (r=0.87), number of leaves plant-1 (r=0.83) and less extent to head diameter (r=0.75).

The commercial Nigerian peanut cultivars Ex-Dakar, Samnut-22 and Samnut-26, the Egyptian cultivar Ismailia-1 and the American cultivar NC-7 were genetically differentiated and the cultivars’ effects on growth and yield components, total lipid contents, including saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and oil body size and number were investigated. Experiments were carried out at Cairo University Research Station, Giza, Egypt, during the summer seasons of 2016 and 2017. All cultivars had high contents of total unsaturated fatty acids and low contents of saturated fatty acids. Variations among tested cultivars in oil body size and number were documented and cultivars were ranked based on their oil bodies’ size as Ismailia-1 > Samnut-26 > NC-7 > Ex-Dakar ≥ Samnut-22. Oil body size and number were inversely related. This variation can be explained by the different amounts of acidic amino acids and the protein structure on the surface of the oil bodies of these cultivars. The distributions of protein bodies and oil bodies seemed to be negatively correlated. Cultivar effect was significant, and variation was found in seed production and quality in addition to the size and number of oil bodies, oil productivity, and oil quality among cultivars. Seasonal effects were not evident due to the stability of the climatic conditions during the two seasons of the study.

The absence of calcium decreases the production of peanuts compared to any other element. To investigate the influence of calcium (Ca) applications on the production and seed quality of four diverse peanut cultivars from different regions—USA (NC-7), Egypt (Giza-6) and Nigeria (Samnut-23 and Samnut-24)—under clay soil conditions, two experiments were carried out at the Agricultural Experimental and Research Station, Cairo University, Egypt, during the two seasons of 2016 and 2017. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a spilt-plot arrangement with three replications. The main plots were allocated to four peanut cultivars (Giza-6, Samnut-23, Samnut-24 and NC-7), and the sub-plots were devoted to calcium applications (soil application in the form of calcium sulfate dihydrate, foliar application in the form of calcium oxide and the control treatment of distilled water). Results indicated that all four peanut cultivars responded differently to the application of calcium fertilizers. The calcium application significantly enhanced peanut growth, yield components, biological, pod, seed, oil yields, seed oil, free fatty acids and seed calcium percentages in different cultivars. Soil calcium application significantly improved peanut production compared to foliar calcium application. NC-7 cultivar treated with the soil Ca application resulted in the maximum values of biological yield (92.9-ton ha⁻¹), pod yield (6.8-ton ha⁻¹), seed yield (4.4-ton ha⁻¹), oil yield (2247.0 kg ha⁻¹), pod index (203.2 g) and seed index (84.1 g). The interaction between the NC-7 cultivar and soil calcium applications is recommended to attain the best combination, leading to the highest yield and seed quality of peanuts.