Articles

Issue no. 123
These articles belongs to shams agriculture magazine

Let me congratulate Egypt and Egyptians for the 25th of January revolution, and I wish it brings a complete change in our behavior and take it as a radical transformation in our life. Egypt has rich resources whether it is land or water, we have the most fertile land in the world and the water of the Nile but despite that we have a water and food crisis due to our neglect of food industry that was flourished once in the age of Mohamed Ali the founder of modern Egypt. Our method in managing land and water wastes most of them and in my opinion water is more valuable and expensive than Gas that we fight upon and the oil that we fund with billions of dollars, while we lose more and more water.
We are heading towards a great mess, a food crisis that God knows when it will end. We need from the whole community to move with all its classes as well as the government with all its sources including the army with its human and financial resources. When I wrote before about Prophet Joseph explanation of the Pharaohs’ dream (seven fat kine whom seven lean ones devour) which was to plant the lands of Egypt and store the yield during the drought years I was addressing my message to the people who are in authority who it seems they have been living in a comma for long years. They were dealing with policy and who will be in power neglecting everything else.
We need to find a solution for those tough years that began with the corruption of agriculture sector which the backbone of the Egypt as well as the Egyptian men since the very beginning.

World commodity prices have risen strongly in recent years, pushed up by structural changes in the world economy. The extent of the increase, and the likelihood that prices will stay high for some time, call for a policy response all over the world. This Policy Brief examines how public policy in the Poor areas of Asia and Africa could respond to the high prices. It examines what high prices mean for the region: who will lose and who will gain. The most affected people are the poor who suffer everyday from hanger and the increase of riots and quarrels over food. The ones who gain are the rich industrial countries which took globalization and monopoly as a policy which enabled them to control the poor countries. What will solve the problem? We need to think of more solutions to answer that question, there should be a fast move to absorb the peoples’ anger and riots that really exhausted most of worlds’ people.

The main host for this pest is Tomato but it also attack sweet potato, eggplant, and pepper. The larva feeds on all plant parts which cause the destruction of the harvest. Tuta absoluta is discovered recently in certain areas in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin area causing serious damages to the future production of tomato. The insect is a very dangerous pest and to control it chemically is enough and unsatisfying due to its rapid ability to produce species that resist pesticides and to control the pest an integrated program should be used to limit its effect.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is one of the crops that improves the sandy soil, it also fixate the areal nitrogen with 80 – 100 kg yearly when the root knot bacteria are available in the soil. It needs big amounts of water as well as humidity, so sprinkle irrigation is preferred to rationalize using water, increase the amounts at the beginning until the roots are deep enough, when it is cultivated for the first time treat it with rhizobia specially from the specialized labs to guarantee that is well maintained. Cultivation times are September, October, March, and April.

The most important potato varieties in Egypt are: Heba : The first Egyptian table variety produced from real local seeds, produced by vegetable research in Dokki, orange flesh, red skin and crimson Stem, the average production per feddan is about 10 tons, It needs 165 days for ripeness completion. Menofia 6: The second Egyptian variety produced by the Faculty of Agriculture Shebin-ELKom and Horticulture Research Institute, vegetable research department. Heart leaves form, green vegetative, red roots, and orange flesh. The production per feddan is about 16-18 tons.

Onions cultivation in winter is from the mid of August till the end of September in Upper Egypt while in lower Egypt it is cultivated from first of October till the end of November. The most cultivated onion varieties are improved Giza6, shandawel and Giza20, they are characterized by abundant crop, low portion of tainted bulbs and suitable for storage. The seedbed soil should be light sandy, salts free, well drainage and free of manure to avoid maggots’ infection, weeds and pathogens especially white rot and root-rot. Onions cultivation is varied either by planting in basins, lines planting or masuras. Cold irrigation is done to avoid seeds sweep. Fertilization is done on two batches, the first batch after 20 days of cultivation and the second after 15 days of the first batch of fertilization.

Potassium is very important for all plants:
- It increases the cell division and DNA formation in plant
- The transition increase of carbohydrates from vegetative growth to fruits which increase fruit size and sugar level
- It helps the plant to stand drought, salinity, and water
- Prevent the nitrogen concentration in leaves and transfer it to protein.
The researches have shown that potassium fertilization levels reduces the fungal infection like root rot, early blight, downy mildew.

Legume plants like Bean, Common Bean, Cow – peas, Fenugreek, Fenugreek, peanuts, and sun flower have the highest concentrations of Molybdenum. Molybdenum enters in the structure of the enzyme of nitrogen that is responsible for fixing the air nitrogen in legume crops and many other plants. Molybdenum helps then the absorption of nitrogen fertilizers, potassium and phosphate fertilizers. This results an increase of crop amount, protein amount specially in clover and animal feeds. It also helps in preventing the accumulation of nitrates in plant products that human and animal eat.

Calcium is one of the macro nutrients that is very important for the plant. It also enters in the formation of plant tissues in the form if calcium pectate, calcium reduces the poisonous effect of some non-organic nutrients like magnesium and sodium, it is important for merstemic domes to keep growing, reduce separation of roses and fruits, it enables the plants to tolerate weather conditions like temperature, frost and sudden drought. Calcium shortage symptoms appear on the new leaves and merstemic tissues, the branches bends and scars on fruit like in apples and dead spots in potatoes’ tubers.

The main reason behind covers is to provide a suitable atmosphere for the plant to grow in naturally by providing warmness, shade, or protect it from bugs. Common covers used: Plastic covers: they sometimes have holes which can delay the maturation of the crop, while those ones without holes are difficult to ventilated and labor are costly beside it can be damaged due to the open and the close process. Shade covers: it is purpose is to reduce the sun rays, Alagrel: a cloth like cover that protects the plant from insects.

State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine is advising growers to be alert for signs of late blight, a devastating disease of tomatoes and potatoes that thrives in cool, rainy weather. The fungal disease appears as black spots on plants, which soon wither and die. Aubertine noted the widespread devastation caused by the disease in 2009, when tomato crops were destroyed in New York and numerous other states. After that disaster, the state Department of Agriculture initiated a strategy to enhance detection and eradication efforts, including training of horticultural inspectors and surveying plants in retail stores and commercial greenhouses. Aubertine said inspection of tomato plants has been a priority this year.

A recent detection of a pest found in mangoes has reappeared after several years absence in the Pine Creek and Katherine areas. The mango leafhopper is a major pest of mangoes .Katherine Research Station entomologist the mango leafhopper is easily spread and can be quite serious around flowering time. Mango trees should be monitored by mango growers regularly between March and October before flowering. Growers can keep an eye out and control the pest by using chemical sprays and pesticides and mango growers should check for bent or twisted leaves. Mango leafhoppers can breed all year long but lay eggs faster during the flowering periods. The mango leafhopper is a sap sucking insect that feeds off the flush of the mangoes and this causes new leaves to be distorted. He also said the only option for ridding the pest is to treat the mango trees with insecticide. “Possibly numbers will decline as the weather gets colder.

Teboza has developed a new asparagus harvesting machine named Ascopi 1700. The company introduced this scoop at the European asparagus and strawberry fair in Karlsruhe, Germany. Ascopi 1700 takes care of automatically transporting, washing and sorting the asparagus. The total harvesting capacity of the Ascopi 1700 is 275kg per hour; the bad quality asparagus can be sorted in the machine, and then left in the field. The machine is easy to steer, because the wheels have a turning radius of 360 degrees, enabling you to manoeuvre in the field. Ascopi 1700 results in a save in labour costs and improves the quality of the asparagus.

BioCultura: Spanish fair of organic products and responsible consumption

The most important organic fair in Spain had an incredible success in Barcelona; with the participation of more than 700 exhibitors and 70,000 visitors at the Palau Sant Jordi. BioCultura is a mandatory appointment for professionals who want to get closer to the world of organic and natural products from Spain. Each sector has the opportunity to meet directly distributors and operators to conduct their business easily. Companies, meanwhile, have a showcase to offer and serve to their customers and to attract new clients. Being the impulse for consumption of organic products is the priority of BioCultura. The fair is a varied range of products and particularly proposals and information to encourage businesses to exercise responsible choice in their habits. Spain is the 9th organic food producer in the world, but at the bottom as far as consumption it concerns.

Fruit fly confirmed in Shepparton

SHEPPARTON properties will be visited by Department of Primary Industries staff after a new outbreak of fruit fly was detected. DPI senior fruit fly officer Bill Ashcroft said residents of the 3000 homes should co-operate with the DPI contractors and staff. "Residents should be proactive and assist eradication efforts by making sure their fruit trees are well maintained - fruit should be picked and used, or disposed of properly. It is only with this sort of collaboration that we will be able to eradicate this pest in order to support our vital fruit producing areas. Mr Ashcroft said baits were being laid each week at 5500 properties across the Goulburn Valley.

US: Fungal disease threatens walnut trees

It takes 30 years for a black walnut tree to mature, and the elegant giants, native to the central and eastern bottomlands of this country, can live for more than 200 years. Black walnut trees are the source of one of the most beautiful and finest hardwoods and the richest, most complex-flavored nutmeats. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri is home to more black walnut trees than any other state, so it has more to lose in the face of the emerging threat posed by thousand cankers disease, a fungal disease that has caused the widespread death of walnut trees.The walnut twig beetle is the size of the letter “I” on a Liberty dime. The insects make shallow tunnels in the phloem just under the bark, where the fungus causes a canker to form. Numerous insects entering a tree will cause multiple dead areas to develop that overlap, eventually disrupting the flow of nutrients in the tree. Fungal damage is not visible on the outside of the tree. The first visible symptoms are yellowing leaves, the entire tree will die within three years after the first symptoms are visible in the tree’s crown. To date, a treatment for the disease has not been discovered, and the tree mortality rate is close to 100 percent. Some research is being done to create beetle traps using pheromones.

Tomato can protect from Osteoporosis

London: a new study published by “the daily meal” website has shown that drinking tomato juice is very important especially to the people who suffer from Osteoporosis. Tomato has a main element called “Lycopene” and some of antioxidants that protect us from heart disease. Another research was done on some women who were prevented to eat any of tomato products, their ages were 50 – 60, and this increased the “telopeptide” in their blood pressure which is a chemical matter that cause osteoporosis but after these women drank two glasses of tomato juice daily this matter decreased.

Sahara Expo in its 24th cycle

The preparations for the events of Sahara Expo (the 24th international fair of agriculture and food in Africa and Middle East) have started. Sahara is going to be held in Cairo International Convention & Exhibition center in Nasr City – Cairo – Egypt in the period from 23 to 26 October 2011. This year, the fair is going to witness a massive change in the exhibitors’ numbers as well as many surprises represented in the powers presence of many international leading companies in the field. For more information about the fair please visit the website www.saharaexpo.com

Vegetative and fruiting growth stages pests:
1. chilo Agamemnon: This insect infects maize, rice and sugar cane.
2. European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubn): This insect infects maize crop, especially in Delta and Middle Egypt regions, and doesn’t infect sugar cane or rice. It is important maize pests especially plants cultivated in Nile season as seen in the northern Delta and in Central Delta provinces.

Nematodes is considered the most wide spread species in animal kingdom, it can be found in mountains top, down the valleys as well as the deserts and the agricultural lands where it infect all types of plants. Nematodes' numbers don't exceed hundred but the main one that cause all damage is the parasite nematodes, it produce worms that feed on the plant which lead to the death of tissue of the plants. It also opens holes in the roots that may be the cause of many fungal and bacterial and viral diseases.

The most important pests that infect sugar beet are: Sugar beet leaves fly: it infects in February till April, sugar beet boll weevil and it spread in February and March. Sugar beet butterfly: it infect the leaves stems and make tunnels in it, it infects in March and April. Also there are physiological diseases: hollow heart disease which results from the over nitrogen fertilization and the increase of temperature and humidity, the black heart disease results from the over irrigation in the soil.

Laser leveling technology is an accurate leveling of soil surface in which we can make all points of field equal in height. An accurate leveling is preferred though it seems so expensive at the first, it is considered the cheapest process at all in agriculture mechanism processes. The field remains equal in 4 for four years. These points should be minded when leveling the field: making a grid leveling for the land that meant to be leveled. Defining the high and low points, and put a transmitting device in the leveling area to cover at least 40 feddans due to the effectiveness of the laser device.

The evaluation of properties of fresh horticultural crops after harvesting requires some tools to evaluate these properties associated with harvesting stages and post-harvest handling and surrounding environmental conditions. Digital thermometer is one of the important tools used to measure the crop temperature accurately in 10 seconds by putting the thermometer sensor in the crop flesh. Humidity instrument is also used in measuring relative humidity and the simplest form of this type of devices is the dry and wet thermometer, it is a regular thermometer and the other one is similar but it is surrounded by mercury containing cloth roll, when it used the cloth roll is wetted in distilled water and measurement takes place by handling manually to help in rotation of both thermometers in air for a while to allow water vaporization from thermometer then reading is recorded.

Pump is a machine used to lift water from low level to a higher level or to increase pressure in tube as in sprinkler irrigation. Pumps consist of non- movable body containing space connected externally by two holes, one for water pull also connected with a tube called withdrawal pipe and ended by a filter to prevent solid matters and impurities to go into the pump, and the second hole is for expelling water out of the pump through expel pipe, pull and expel processes are done by the movable part of the pump, the movement of this part is either wavering motion or rotary motion. Pumps are divided into positive displacement pumps and negative displacement pumps.

The country has big shortage in oil food production so there should be an interest for developing it. The fertilization of these crops is important because it increases the crop and improves the oil quality if added in the suitable way and the sufficient amount and in the right periods that suits all varieties, soil types. The fertilizing program of peanut succeeds in sandy soils and light yellow with good drainage, and its cultivation doesn’t work in lands with bad drainage. The pollination is done through root knot bacteria by fixing the rate of areal nitrogen and supplying the plants with its needs of the nutrient. Researches have proved that Agriculture Gypsum plays an important role in peanut production; half ton is added in the beginning of flowering.