• Energy Research
• 2. Zero hunger close
• PK close
• EG close
• King Saud University close

Today, the global food security is one of the most pressing issues for humanity, and, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the increasing demand for food is likely to grow by 70% until 2050. In this current condition and future scenario, the agricultural production is a critical factor for global food security and for facing the food security challenge, with specific reference to many African countries, where a large quantities of rice are imported from other continents. According to FAO, to face the Africa’s inability to reach self-sufficiency in rice, it is urgent “to redress to stem the trend of over-reliance on imports and to satisfy the increasing demand for rice in areas where the potential of local production resources is exploited at very low levels” The present study was undertaken to design a new method for land evaluation based on soil quality indicators and remote sensing data, to assess and map soil suitability for rice crop. Results from the investigations, performed in some areas in the northern part of the Nile Delta, were compared with the most common approaches, two parametric (the square root, Storie methods) and two qualitative (ALES and MicrioLEIS) methods. From the qualitative point of view, the results showed that: (i) all the models provided partly similar outputs related to the soil quality assessments, so that the distinction using the crop productivity played an important role, and (ii) outputs from the soil suitability models were consistent with both the satellite Sentinel-2 Normalize Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVI) during the crop growth and the yield production. From the quantitative point of view, the comparison of the results from the diverse approaches well fit each other, and the model, herein proposed, provided the highest performance. As a whole, a significant increasing in R2 values was provided by the model herein proposed, with R2 equal to 0.92, followed by MicroLES, Storie, ALES and Root as R2 with value equal to 0.87, 0.86, 0.84 and 0.84, respectively, with increasing percentage in R2 equal to 5%, 6% and 8%, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed model illustrated that around (i) 44.44% of the total soils of the study area are highly suitable, (ii) 44% are moderately suitable, and (iii) approximately 11.56% are unsuitable for rice due to their adverse physical and chemical soil properties. The approach herein presented can be promptly re-applied in arid region and the quantitative results obtained can be used by decision makers and regional governments.

In the coming years, climate change is predicted to impact irrigation water demand considerably, particularly in semi-arid regions. The aim of this research is to investigate the expected adverse impacts of climate change on water irrigation management in Saudi Arabia. We focus on the influence of climate change on irrigation water requirements in the Al Quassim (97,408 ha) region. Different climate models were used for the intermediate emission SSP2-4.5 and the high emission SSP5-8.5 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) scenarios. The FAO-CROPWAT 8.0 model was used to calculate reference evapotranspiration (ETo) using weather data from 13 stations from 1991 to 2020 and for both the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios for the 2040s, 2060s, 2080s, and 2100s. The findings indicated that, for the 2100s, the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios forecast annual average ETo increases of 0.35 mm/d (6%) and 0.7 mm/d (12.0%), respectively. Net irrigation water requirement (NIWR) and growth of irrigation water requirement (GIWR) for the main crops in the Al Quassim region were assessed for the current, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. For SSP5-8.5, the GIWR for the 2040s, 2060s, 2080s, and 2100s are expected to increase by 2.7, 6.5, 8.5, and 12.4%, respectively, compared to the current scenario (1584.7 million m3). As a result, there will be higher deficits in 2100 under SSP5-8.5 for major crops, with deficits of 15.1%, 10.7%, 8.3%, 13.9%, and 10.7% in the crop areas of wheat, clover, maize, other vegetables, and dates, respectively. Optimal irrigation planning, crop pattern selection, and modern irrigation technologies, combined with the proposed NIWR values, can support water resources management. The findings can assist managers and policymakers in better identifying adaptation strategies for areas with similar climates.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dietary Acacia nilotica bark bioactive lipid compounds (ANBBLCs) as novel feed additives on the growth performance, carcass criteria, antioxidants, and antimicrobial activities of growing male rabbits. A total of 100 California male weanling rabbits aged 35 days were divided into four nutritional treatments, each of which contained ANBBLCs at concentrations of 0 (control group), 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg diet (n = 25 per treatment, each replication consisting of one animal). The average body weight of the animals was 613 ± 14 g. The experiments lasted for 56 days. Dietary ANBBLC levels linearly improved (p < 0.05) the body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of rabbits. Furthermore, with increasing concentrations of ANBBLCs, the total antioxidant capacity of blood and liver tissue was linearly (p < 0.05) enhanced. Lactobacillus increased and Staphylococcus decreased (p < 0.05) in comparison to the control group when ANBBLC levels were added to the diets of rabbits. Rabbit diets supplemented with ANBBLCs increased dressing percentages and decreased abdominal fat. This study shows that ANBBLCs can be used as a feed additive to enhance the growth performance, carcass criteria, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of growing rabbits.

Groundwater is extremely important in a water-scarce country such as Saudi Arabia, where permanent surface water resources are absent. Sustainable and future developments plans are essentially relying on the clear understanding of water resources. To evaluate the water resources in arid countries, the groundwater should be quantified through either traditional or scientifically advanced techniques. Aquifer characteristics, particularly the hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity, are essential for the evaluation the aquifer properties as well as the management and development of groundwater modelling for specific aquifers. The present study aims to evaluate the sub-basaltic alluvial aquifer in the northern part of Harrat Rahat, south of Al-Madinah city, and then estimates the principal aquifer’s hydraulic parameters based on the interpreted 1D resistivity-depth models along the study area. For that, 49 Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES’s) utilizing a Schlumberger electrode array were performed along the southern part of Al-Madinah city. The resistivity of the water-bearing formation, thickness, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and transmissivity parameters were calculated along the measured longitudinal profile from the interpreted VES data. The estimated porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and transmissivity were achieved along the whole profile with average values of 0.2, 3.5 m/day, and 369.6 m2/day, respectively. The resulting transmissivity values from the VES models were compared with those of previous pumping test measurements carried out in the area and a reasonable correlation between the two data sets was observed. These results indicate that surface geoelectrical resistivity techniques may provide an alternative, rapid, and cost-effective method of estimating the aquifer hydraulic parameters where pumping data is rare or unavailable.

A field trial was conducted to investigate the productivity of three bread wheat cultivars, namely Giza-168, Shandawel-1, and Misr-2, under different fertilization treatments, i.e., azotobacter inoculation, 25% nitrogen (N) + azotobacter, 50%N + azotobacter, 75%N + azotobacter, and 100%N of the recommended level (180 kg/ha). The treatments were laid in a split-plot design, and each was replicated three times. The findings showed that wheat cultivars examined in the two seasons exhibited significant variations (p ≤ 0.05) in plant height (PH, cm), number of tillers m−2 (NTM), number of spikelets per spike (NSS), 1000-grain weight (TGW, g), spike length (SL, cm), biological yield (BY, ton ha−1), grain yield (GY, ton ha−1), straw yield (SY, ton ha−1), harvest index (HI, %), protein content (PC, %), days to 50% heading (DTH), and chlorophyll content (CC, SPAD). As a result, Giza-168 had a higher GY (14%), HI (27%), and TGW (10%) than any of the other two cultivars in both growing seasons. Furthermore, Misr-2 exhibited the highest PH (16%), NTM (26%), NSS (28%), SL (10%), BY (30%), SY (46%), and CC (3%). The application of the two treatments of 100%N and N75% + azotobacter exhibited high and statistically similar performance, resulting in an increase in all studied traits by greater than 30–50% compared to the other three treatments. According to the findings of the current investigation, the application of N fertilizer combined with azotobacter increased wheat yield more than either solely azotobacter or N application. We concluded that the application of nitrogen combined with azotobacter reduced the quantity of applied nitrogen by 25%.

Pollution by organic wastes and manures is an important problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries and novel solutions for their proper management and valorization are needed. Waste-derived organic manures may increase metal load in the soil–plant ecosystem and food chain, with potential risks to public health. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of three manures (poultry waste (PW), press mud (PM), and farmyard manure (FYM)) on heavy metals (HMs) (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Mn) toxicity in a soil and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) system and their environmental impact (bioaccumulation, pollution load) and the consequent risk to human health via consumption. Results demonstrated that HMs in coriander fluctuated from 0.40 to 0.43 for Cd, 1.84 to 3.52 for Co, 0.15 to 0.16 for Cr, 1.32 to 1.40 for Cu, 0.05 to 0.09 for Pb, 1.32 to 2.51 for Fe, 0.10 to 0.32 for Mn, and 2.01 to 8.70 mg/kg for Zn, respectively. Highest pollution load index value was 2.89 for Cd and Mn showed the lowest (0.005). Daily intake of metal was noticed to be higher for Zn (0.049 mg/kg/day) for PW and lower for Mn (0.0005) at FYM treatment. The health risk index value was <1 and in the range of 2.30–2.50 for Cd showing potential carcinogenicity. It was concluded that as the organic amendments have the widest application in vegetables, it should be prudent to avoid their contamination and mobilization in plant–soil ecosystems to protect public health perspectives.

Soil quality assessment is the first step towards precision farming and agricultural management. In the present study, a multivariate analysis and geographical information system (GIS) were used to assess and map a soil quality index (SQI) in El-Fayoum depression in the Western Desert of Egypt. For this purpose, a total of 36 geo-referenced representative soil samples (0–0.6 m) were collected and analyzed according to standardized protocols. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the dataset into new variables, to avoid multi-collinearity, and to determine relative weights (Wi) and soil indicators (Si), which were used to obtain the soil quality index (SQI). The zones of soil quality were determined using principal component scores and cluster analysis of soil properties. A soil quality index map was generated using a geostatistical approach based on ordinary kriging (OK) interpolation. The results show that the soil data can be classified into three clusters: Cluster I represents about 13.89% of soil samples, Cluster II represents about 16.6% of samples, and Cluster III represents the rest of the soil data (69.44% of samples). In addition, the simulation results of cluster analysis using the Monte Carlo method show satisfactory results for all clusters. The SQI results reveal that the study area is classified into three zones: very good, good, and fair soil quality. The areas categorized as very good and good quality occupy about 14.48% and 50.77% of the total surface investigated, and fair soil quality (mainly due to salinity and low soil nutrients) constitutes about 34.75%. As a whole, the results indicate that the joint use of PCA and GIS allows for an accurate and effective assessment of the SQI.

Climatic variations adversely affect the limited water resources of earth which leads to water stress and influences agricultural production worldwide. Therefore, a novel approach has been introduced to improve the tolerance against water stress in herbaceous nature medicinal plants such as Coriandrum sativum by the usage of nanotechnology (foliar applied nanoparticles of ZnOx) coupled with the application of water deficit irrigation. This is an alternative water saving strategy that proved to be efficient to mitigate the Coriandrum sativum tolerance against water stress regimes for sustainable yield production through the activation of antioxidant system. Thus, the phenomena of green synthesis have been deployed for the formation of Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnOx NPs) from the leaf extract of Camellia sinensis L. and zinc acetate dihydrate was used as precursor. Different techniques have been used for the thorough study and confirmation of ZnOx NPs such as UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis) X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Elemental dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The prepared ZnOx NPs exhibit hexagonal wurtzite crystal nature has an average size of 37 nm with high purity. These ZnOx NPs have been further studied for their role in amelioration of water stress tolerance in Coriandrum sativum in a pot experiment. Two levels of water stress regimes were employed, IR75 (moderate) and IR50 (Intense) to evaluate the behavior of plant compared to full irrigation (FI). Results showed that under water stress regimes, the 100 ppm of prepared NPs stimulate the antioxidant system by increasing the activity of catalases (CAT), super oxidases (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) enzymes and found the maximum at IR50, while the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased due to increase in activity of antioxidative enzymes. Furthermore, chlorophyll content and amount of proline also enhanced by the foliar application of prepared ZnOx NPs under moderate water stress (IR75). The results suggested that all the investigated agronomic attributes significantly increased, including plant biomass and economic yield (EY), compared to non-treated ZnOx NPs plants, except for the number of primary branches and LAI. Further, the 100 ppm of prepared ZnOx NPs have great potential to improve water stress tolerance in Coriandrum sativum by improving the antioxidant enzymes activity that enhance agronomic attributes for high crop productivity that require further research at transcriptomic and genomic level.