Heavy metal contamination of food crop plants is viewed as a global issue. Heavy metals like cadm... more Heavy metal contamination of food crop plants is viewed as a global issue. Heavy metals like cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), and mercury (Hg) are poisonous. Depending on their concentration and capacity for bioaccumulation, they can provide a range of health risks.This research sought to investigate the effects of toxic metals (TMs) on the growth characteristics of produced tomatoes grown under wastewater irrigation. Additionally, it looked into the potential repercussions of both domestic and foreign individuals consuming this plant. In south Cairo, Egypt, two study locations were looked into: a control site in Abu Ragwan, which received water from tributaries of the Nile River, and a contaminated site in El-Shobak El-Sharky, which had raw industrial wastewater. The nutrients of soil and tomato plants (N, P, and K) decreased (P < 0.01), while TMs increased (P < 0.001) significantly as a result of using wa...
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2020
This study investigated the effect of Ulva fasciata and Sargassum lacerifolium seaweeds as heavy ... more This study investigated the effect of Ulva fasciata and Sargassum lacerifolium seaweeds as heavy metal remediators for soil and on the growth of radish (Raphanus sativus L.). The soil was inoculated by dry biomass of each seaweed alone and by their mixture. Seaweeds inoculation increased the organic matter content, clay-size fraction, and nutrients in the soil. Seaweeds mixture treatment caused a significant reduction in the contents of Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni in the soil samples and reduced them to the tolerable limits (40.2, 49.3, 43.8 and 1.1 mg kg-1, respectively), while Cd, Cr, Fe, and Mn contents were closely decreased to the tolerable limits. Biosorption of soil heavy metals by seaweeds decreased the bioaccumulated concentrations of metals in radish plant roots and/or translocated to its shoots compared to control. For seaweeds mixture-treated soil, cultivated radish roots were able to phyto-extract Cd, Cu, Cr, and Ni from the soil (bioaccumulation factor values > 1) of 7.45, 1.18, 3.13, and 26.6, respectively. Seaweeds inoculation promoted the growth of cultivated radish and improved the germination percentage and the morphological and biochemical growth parameters compared to control plants. The achieved soil remediation by dried seaweeds might be due to their efficient metal biosorption capacity due to the existence of active functional groups on their cell wall surfaces. Increased growth observed in radish was as a result of nutrients and growth hormones (gibberellins, indole acetic acid, and cytokinins) present in dried seaweeds. This study shows the efficiency of seaweeds as eco-friendly bioremediators for controlling soil pollution.
A number of Avicennia marina mangrove forests exist along the 1134 km stretch of the Saudi Red Se... more A number of Avicennia marina mangrove forests exist along the 1134 km stretch of the Saudi Red Sea coast. Three areas, one in each of the north, centre, and south of the coast, were selected for this investigation into the relationship between total biomass (above-ground, AGB, and below-ground, BGB), and biomass carbon stocks of A. marina, along the nutrient availability (combined with a salinity gradient). To estimate the total biomass stock, this research employed equations formulated through a regression approach. Various population characteristics (tree crown diameter, height, and density) and measurements of carbon (C) in the trees were captured, and other measurements were gathered to represent the environmental properties: electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) levels. With this data from the 21 stands and 7 sites of A. marina covered by the three locations chosen along the coast, it was concluded that a d...
FIGURE 3. A. Descending arrangement of threats affecting the endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora. ... more FIGURE 3. A. Descending arrangement of threats affecting the endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora. B. Number of threats affecting endemic taxa. Threat groups are coded as: 1. Overcutting and over-collecting, 2. Climatic changes and environmental conditions, 3. Browsing and overgrazing, 4. Urbanization and tourism, 5. Clearance for agriculture, 6. Habitat loss, and 7. Mining and quarrying.
FIGURE 2. Number of endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora in relation to: A. National phyto-geograph... more FIGURE 2. Number of endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora in relation to: A. National phyto-geographical regions; B. Number of habitats. The phytogeographical sectors are abbreviated as follows: L.N.: Libo-Nubian, N.: Nilotic, M.A.: Marioutico-Arishian, S.A.: Sinaitico- Arabia, E.L.: Elbanian, and S.U.: Suezian.
FIGURE 1. A. Six biogeographical sectors of Egypt (after Abdelaal et al. 2020) and B. Their bioge... more FIGURE 1. A. Six biogeographical sectors of Egypt (after Abdelaal et al. 2020) and B. Their biogeographical subsectors. The phytogeographical sectors and subsectors are: 1. Libo-Nubian, 2. Nilotic (2.1. Deltaic, 2.2. Fayoumian), 3. Marioutico-Arishian (3.1. Marioutic, 3.2. Arishian), 4. Sinaitico-Arabian (4.1. Arabian, 4.2. Sinaitic), 5. Elbanian, and 6. Suezian.
The present study aims to evaluate the role of Egyptian gardens in the Nile Region for wild plant... more The present study aims to evaluate the role of Egyptian gardens in the Nile Region for wild plant conservation, focusing on threatened species. For this evaluation an outline of their life forms, geographical distributions, economic uses, environmental benefits, conservation categories, and local threats in their natural habitats is given. One hundred and ninety-four trips were conducted to cover 183 gardens in the study area (summer 2012 to winter 2018). Ninety-six species were recorded, they belonged to 76 genera and 43 families. Fabaceae was the most recorded families and Acacia was the most represented genus. Phanerophytes was the most represented life form (39.6%). Nile region was the most represented (75 species, 78.1 %) (out of them 20 species were restricted to it). Beside, 21 species were conserved in gardens from other phytogeographic regions as Sinai, Mediterranean, Gebal Elba and Deserts. Medicinal plants (58 species) were the most represented economic uses, while nitrog...
The present study aims to study the distribution of Solanum nigrum L. in the Nile Delta to assess... more The present study aims to study the distribution of Solanum nigrum L. in the Nile Delta to assess the factors that affect its occurrence, and determine the associated species and plant communities. It also aims at evaluating the antifungal activity of different plant parts like leaf, stem, berry and whole plant extracts against some fungal pathogens (e.g. Aspergillus niger). One hundred and twenty two stands were sampled during summer 2011-2013 to represent its population in 5 habitats in Nile Delta (waste lands, irrigation canals, fields of winter crops, fields of summer crops and orchards), but it most frequent in irrigation canals and fields of winter crops. The total number of associated species was 50 species, belonged to 39 genera and 17 families. Seven vegetation groups resulted from the analyses of the floristic data: TWINSPAN classification and DCA ordination. Group I vegetation represented the orchards, II represented the fields of summer crops, III represented canals and IV, VI and VII represented the five habitats, while V represented waste lands. Soil characteristics affecting Solanum occurrence the most were clay, EC and pH, as determined by the CCA. The plant contained secondary metabolites (e.g. alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids and phenols). The whole plant extracts showed higher potential antifungal activity than leaf, stem and berry extracts particularly when taken from irrigation canals
Heavy metal contamination of food crop plants is viewed as a global issue. Heavy metals like cadm... more Heavy metal contamination of food crop plants is viewed as a global issue. Heavy metals like cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), and mercury (Hg) are poisonous. Depending on their concentration and capacity for bioaccumulation, they can provide a range of health risks.This research sought to investigate the effects of toxic metals (TMs) on the growth characteristics of produced tomatoes grown under wastewater irrigation. Additionally, it looked into the potential repercussions of both domestic and foreign individuals consuming this plant. In south Cairo, Egypt, two study locations were looked into: a control site in Abu Ragwan, which received water from tributaries of the Nile River, and a contaminated site in El-Shobak El-Sharky, which had raw industrial wastewater. The nutrients of soil and tomato plants (N, P, and K) decreased (P < 0.01), while TMs increased (P < 0.001) significantly as a result of using wa...
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2020
This study investigated the effect of Ulva fasciata and Sargassum lacerifolium seaweeds as heavy ... more This study investigated the effect of Ulva fasciata and Sargassum lacerifolium seaweeds as heavy metal remediators for soil and on the growth of radish (Raphanus sativus L.). The soil was inoculated by dry biomass of each seaweed alone and by their mixture. Seaweeds inoculation increased the organic matter content, clay-size fraction, and nutrients in the soil. Seaweeds mixture treatment caused a significant reduction in the contents of Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni in the soil samples and reduced them to the tolerable limits (40.2, 49.3, 43.8 and 1.1 mg kg-1, respectively), while Cd, Cr, Fe, and Mn contents were closely decreased to the tolerable limits. Biosorption of soil heavy metals by seaweeds decreased the bioaccumulated concentrations of metals in radish plant roots and/or translocated to its shoots compared to control. For seaweeds mixture-treated soil, cultivated radish roots were able to phyto-extract Cd, Cu, Cr, and Ni from the soil (bioaccumulation factor values > 1) of 7.45, 1.18, 3.13, and 26.6, respectively. Seaweeds inoculation promoted the growth of cultivated radish and improved the germination percentage and the morphological and biochemical growth parameters compared to control plants. The achieved soil remediation by dried seaweeds might be due to their efficient metal biosorption capacity due to the existence of active functional groups on their cell wall surfaces. Increased growth observed in radish was as a result of nutrients and growth hormones (gibberellins, indole acetic acid, and cytokinins) present in dried seaweeds. This study shows the efficiency of seaweeds as eco-friendly bioremediators for controlling soil pollution.
A number of Avicennia marina mangrove forests exist along the 1134 km stretch of the Saudi Red Se... more A number of Avicennia marina mangrove forests exist along the 1134 km stretch of the Saudi Red Sea coast. Three areas, one in each of the north, centre, and south of the coast, were selected for this investigation into the relationship between total biomass (above-ground, AGB, and below-ground, BGB), and biomass carbon stocks of A. marina, along the nutrient availability (combined with a salinity gradient). To estimate the total biomass stock, this research employed equations formulated through a regression approach. Various population characteristics (tree crown diameter, height, and density) and measurements of carbon (C) in the trees were captured, and other measurements were gathered to represent the environmental properties: electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) levels. With this data from the 21 stands and 7 sites of A. marina covered by the three locations chosen along the coast, it was concluded that a d...
FIGURE 3. A. Descending arrangement of threats affecting the endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora. ... more FIGURE 3. A. Descending arrangement of threats affecting the endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora. B. Number of threats affecting endemic taxa. Threat groups are coded as: 1. Overcutting and over-collecting, 2. Climatic changes and environmental conditions, 3. Browsing and overgrazing, 4. Urbanization and tourism, 5. Clearance for agriculture, 6. Habitat loss, and 7. Mining and quarrying.
FIGURE 2. Number of endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora in relation to: A. National phyto-geograph... more FIGURE 2. Number of endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora in relation to: A. National phyto-geographical regions; B. Number of habitats. The phytogeographical sectors are abbreviated as follows: L.N.: Libo-Nubian, N.: Nilotic, M.A.: Marioutico-Arishian, S.A.: Sinaitico- Arabia, E.L.: Elbanian, and S.U.: Suezian.
FIGURE 1. A. Six biogeographical sectors of Egypt (after Abdelaal et al. 2020) and B. Their bioge... more FIGURE 1. A. Six biogeographical sectors of Egypt (after Abdelaal et al. 2020) and B. Their biogeographical subsectors. The phytogeographical sectors and subsectors are: 1. Libo-Nubian, 2. Nilotic (2.1. Deltaic, 2.2. Fayoumian), 3. Marioutico-Arishian (3.1. Marioutic, 3.2. Arishian), 4. Sinaitico-Arabian (4.1. Arabian, 4.2. Sinaitic), 5. Elbanian, and 6. Suezian.
The present study aims to evaluate the role of Egyptian gardens in the Nile Region for wild plant... more The present study aims to evaluate the role of Egyptian gardens in the Nile Region for wild plant conservation, focusing on threatened species. For this evaluation an outline of their life forms, geographical distributions, economic uses, environmental benefits, conservation categories, and local threats in their natural habitats is given. One hundred and ninety-four trips were conducted to cover 183 gardens in the study area (summer 2012 to winter 2018). Ninety-six species were recorded, they belonged to 76 genera and 43 families. Fabaceae was the most recorded families and Acacia was the most represented genus. Phanerophytes was the most represented life form (39.6%). Nile region was the most represented (75 species, 78.1 %) (out of them 20 species were restricted to it). Beside, 21 species were conserved in gardens from other phytogeographic regions as Sinai, Mediterranean, Gebal Elba and Deserts. Medicinal plants (58 species) were the most represented economic uses, while nitrog...
The present study aims to study the distribution of Solanum nigrum L. in the Nile Delta to assess... more The present study aims to study the distribution of Solanum nigrum L. in the Nile Delta to assess the factors that affect its occurrence, and determine the associated species and plant communities. It also aims at evaluating the antifungal activity of different plant parts like leaf, stem, berry and whole plant extracts against some fungal pathogens (e.g. Aspergillus niger). One hundred and twenty two stands were sampled during summer 2011-2013 to represent its population in 5 habitats in Nile Delta (waste lands, irrigation canals, fields of winter crops, fields of summer crops and orchards), but it most frequent in irrigation canals and fields of winter crops. The total number of associated species was 50 species, belonged to 39 genera and 17 families. Seven vegetation groups resulted from the analyses of the floristic data: TWINSPAN classification and DCA ordination. Group I vegetation represented the orchards, II represented the fields of summer crops, III represented canals and IV, VI and VII represented the five habitats, while V represented waste lands. Soil characteristics affecting Solanum occurrence the most were clay, EC and pH, as determined by the CCA. The plant contained secondary metabolites (e.g. alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids and phenols). The whole plant extracts showed higher potential antifungal activity than leaf, stem and berry extracts particularly when taken from irrigation canals
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