Khozama AL-Saleh * ⁽¹⁾   Ahmad AL-Jurdi⁽¹⁾

(1). Department of Soil and Lands Reclamation, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Homs University. Homs Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Khozama AL-Saleh. Email Syrianlavender1985@gmail.com.)

                        Received: 19/1/2025            Accepted: 19/3/2025

Abstract: 

The study aimed to assess the relationship between changes in land use/land cover (LULC) and total Nitrogen and phosphorus loss in AL-Abrash River basin in west Syria. SWAT model was used in modeling the simulation relationship between LULC changes on total nitrogen and phosphorus loads. Results of SWAT simulation showed the yearly losses of total nitrogen and phosphorus reached 19.72 kg and 1.45 Kg/Km², respectively. the highest loads of total nitrogen were in the upper parts of the basin. In general, the spatial distribution of the loads of phosphorus was closely similar to loads of total nitrogen. Sub-basins (5.15.23.25) were the highest loads. Results showed positive correlations (P< 0.05) following the direction of LULC changes between 2018-2021.The increase in built-up and agricultural lands were 0.46, and 3.61% of study area, respectively. High loss of Total nitrogen and phosphorus are concentrated in the built-up, agricultural lands, respectively. These results contribute in better understanding of water management, reduce the pollution in the basin and develop the strategies of lands management and improve the water quality in the region.

Keywords: Land use/Land Cover, AL-Abrash Basin, Total Nitrogen and Phosphorus Losses, Swat Model.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Daoud Malouk^*(1)

(1). Member of the educational technical body (officer-in-charge), Ministry of Higher Education – University of Hama – College of Agriculture. Hama – Salmeah.

(*Corresponding author: Daoud Malouk, email: dawod_81@hotmail.com, Phone: 0338811109, Mobile: 0992765291).

                   Received: 5/8/2024                    Accepted: 26/1/2025

Abstract: 

The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of variable temperature (ambient temperature) on anaerobic digestion and biogas production of broad beans wastes (BW). The experiment tests have been carried out at two factors which are constant temperature of 37 C°, and the others is of variable temperature in the range of (7 – 13 C°). A set of lab anaerobic digesters of 1 litter has been used to execute the experimental work, which has a period of 30 days. The produced biogas under constant temperature condition was 262 LN/Kg VS which is 167.3% more than that produced under variation temperature condition which was 98 LN / Kg VS. The pH of the anaerobic digestion process was measured daily using a specially designed laboratory device. The measured pH values were suitable for the anaerobic digestion process and ranged between (5.4 – 8.8). The high organic matter content of BW and the richness of this residues in carbohydrates, make it a good material to product biogas. 

Keyword: Biogas, Anaerobic digestion, variable temperature, broad beans wastes.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Bassam Ibrahim Oudeh⁽¹⁾

⁽¹⁾ Agricultural Scientific Research Center at Homs

*  Corresponding: Bassam Ibrahim Oudeh, E-mail B_oudeh@hotmail.com, Telephone: 0988284819

                         Received: 23/08/2023                   Accepted:23/01/2024

Abstract: 

Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank, 1781). fig trees were sprayed five Repellent substances (extract Melia azedarach L., extract Styrax officinalis L., Sulfur powder, micron Sulfur, Summer oil) are sprayed at arrival number of pests on tree to economic threshold 1 pest/ leaf. Average efficacy on nymphs were (93.6, 91.1, 89.5, 82.8, 60.1%), and on adults were (91.2, 89.2, 83.8, 74.3, 57.2%) respectively. M. azedarach extract gave the highest efficient in death and repellent the pest compared with other repellent substances, then followed with S. officinalis extract, while Summer oil was the least efficient. The results of statistical analysis appeared that their effects were significant between treatments (M. azedarach and S. officinalis) and other treatments at level 5%. It may be possible to use M. azedarach in an integrated pest management (IPM) as alternatives to traditional insecticides efficient and healthy on the environment.

Key words: Acari, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (S.), fig, control, plant extract.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Hanan Kurabi *⁽¹⁾

(1). Food Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Aleppo, Syria. (*Corresponding author: Dr Hanan Kurabi. E-Mail: hanansrn76@gmail.com , Tel:0988944300)

Received:20/10/2024                  Accepted: 9/2/2025

Abstract: 

The research aimed to compare the microbial quality of raw cow’s milk treated with pasteurization and treated with ozone, and to evaluate the effect of different ozone doses on some physical and chemical properties of sterilized skimmed milk samples inoculated with some pathogenic bacteria, in addition to compare the effect of ozone on Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The research was carried out in the microbiology  laboratory in the Department of Food Sciences at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Aleppo during the period from February to June 2024.The results showed a clear decrease in the initial microbial load of milk, whether in milk samples thermally treated with pasteurization or treated with ozone, it was found that treating milk with ozone for 5 minutes at a rate of 400 mg O3/hour had no effect on the microbial quality, while treating raw milk with ozone for 25 minutes at a rate of 400 mg/O3 hour led to ten-tenth reductions in the natural milk flora. All of this had a positive effect on milk quality and increased shelf life. No significant changes were observed in the physical and chemical properties. Gram-negative bacteria was more affected by ozone treatment than gram-positive bacteria.

Keywords: milk, ozone, pathogenic bacteria, microbial quality.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Enaam Ahmad  Al Saty^*(1)

(1). Ph.D. in Food Engineering, working at the College of pharmacy, Tartous University, Syria.(*Email: enaam83@hotmail.com)

Received: 8/10/2024                    Accepted: 9/2/2025

Abstract: 

the growth hormone ethylene is considered the main cause of spoilage of vegetables and fruits during storage. therefore, controlling the level of this hormone in vegetable and fruit stores is of great importance in reducing their deterioration during storage. the use of zeolite to get rid of ethylene is considered an important method in delaying the spoilage of fruits, especially climactic fruits such as apples. combining zeolite with some materials such as permanganate, palladium, and some cations such as berries, copper, and silver has also given effective results in increasing the efficiency of ethylene adsorption. the main goal of this research is to study the treatment of zeolite with silver ion to improve its ability to adsorb ethylene. to this end, we passed a mixture of ethylene gas inside a cylindrical filter containing zeolite saturated with agno3 placed on a layer of glass wool, and measured the ethylene concentration at the inlet of the filter cylinder and at the outlet after closing the system at the outlet, after closing the system to allow the ethylene to come into contact with the treated layer, measurements were made after 15, 30, and 45 minutes using a gas chromatograph (GC-FID), and the reduction efficiency was compared with the results of another study conducted under the same conditions and using zeolite not treated with agno3. the results showed that the most effective treatment in reducing the ethylene concentration was using zeolite saturated with agno3, which removed 91.71% of the total ethylene concentration after 45 minutes of contact, while the removal percentage using untreated zeolite was about 61.93%. we also applied this treatment to apple fruits, as one of the climacteric fruits, and stored them for 15 days. the results showed that after 10 days of storage, the reduction in ethylene concentration was approximately 47.433% for fruits stored with the presence of zeolite treated with agno3, while it did not exceed 4.347% after 15 days of storage. storage requires renewal of the zeolite layer treated with agno3 at that time.

Keywords: Ethylene, Zeolite, Climacteric Fruits, Adsorption, GC-FID.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Samer Al-Hassan Al-Amer ⁽¹⁾

(1). Syrian Grain. Deir Ezzor. Syria

(*Corresponding author:   Samer Al-Hassan Al-amer, Email:  sa10.8.1978am@gmail.com. Phone: 0999384290)

Accepted:  26/2/2024         received: 3/12/2023                 

Abstract: 

A field study of the Humera insect was conducted in the AL-Jalaa palm Oasis in the Al-Bukamal area in Deir –Ezzor Governorate during the years 2021 and 2022 AD. It was found through the field study that Majhool variety was the most sensitive palm variety to the infection with the Humera insect, as the percentage of fruit infection reached 88.9 % and 78 % in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively. While the Barhi variety was the least variety infected with the mite insect, as the percentage of Fruits infected was 47.5 % and 51% in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively. The average severity of the infestation of bunches of date trees with the Humera insect was different among the four studied varieties, and the highest infestation bunches was in Majhool variety , where the percentage reached 70.5 % While the Barhi variety was the least infested by the bug , where the percentage reached 16.6 % in the 2021-2022 seasons. The anthracite stage was the most sensitive phonological stage of the Fruit to infection by the sommelier insect in the studied palm varieties .The percentage of loss in the date palm crop in 2022 decreased  compared to the date crop in 2021 for all date palm varieties studied.

Key words:  palm tree, Humera insect, incidence rate, severity of injury. Studied palm varieties,

Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Yara Mahmoud*⁽¹⁾ , Wael Ali⁽¹⁾ and Bassima Al-shiak⁽¹⁾

(1). Ecology and Forestry Department, Faculty of Agriculture Engineering, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Yara Mahmoud.  E.Mail: yara.talalmahmoud@gmail.com)

Recevied:7/11/2023                                     Accepted:29/01/2024

Abstract: 

This study was carried out at the site of Al-Munaizilah –Jableh –Syria in 2022. The aim of this study was to estimate the biodiversity (taxonomy-based) in fragmented forest patches within the landscape and makes some promising suggestions to preserve this diversity. We have selected 3 forest patches, within we identify 12 samples with a dimension of 20*20m. in addition, we have used the Braun-Blanquet method to perform botanical surveys. We have recorded 107 plant species which belong to 91 genera and 45 plant families. The Fabaceae family was predominant, represented by 16 species, followed by Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae  represented by 10 species each. And the Orchidaceae species with a good presence of 5 species. Our results show that the values of biodiversity Index (species richness and Shannon index) varied between the patches. The first patch excelled significantly with average values of (37.6 -3.03) respectively. Moreover, this patch shows to be  the largest in terms of area and shape index closest to the circular. The values of the coefficient of similarity also indicate that the composition of per-fragmentation species is still relatively preserved , which means that these patches still retain an important number of forest species including Viola odorata, Primula vulgaris, Paeonia sp, Bellis sylvistris, and 5 species of Orchidaceae. Our study we confirm that the species in the three patches are sensitive to the disturbance to varying degrees, and requires the preservation of all  patches in order for these species to continue. We recommend further studies on forest habitat fragmentation and its impact on biodiversity, in addition, the impact of fragmentation on species rather than communities.

Keywords: Biodiversity, plant diversity, Habitat fragmentation, forest patches, Landscape.

 Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Mohammad Al-Sheikh ⁽¹⁾* and Omar  Abdulrazzaq ⁽¹⁾, and Taha  Al-Khalifa ⁽²⁾

(1). Department of Soil and Land Reclamation. College of Agriculture. Al-Furat University. Deir Ezzor. Syrian.

(2). Department of Field Crops. College of Agriculture. Al-Furat University. Deir Ezzor. Syrian.

(*Corresponding author: Mohammad Al-Sheikh. E-Mail: mohammadalsheikh13190@gmail.com).

Received: 21/12/2023                                       Accepted:12/02/2024

Abstract: 

The research was carried out on a private farm in Deir Ezzor Governorate during the summer season of 2022 to study the effect of adding potassium and organic fertilizer and their interaction on some soil indicators (bulk density, porosity, pH) and the growth and productivity of yellow corn, Ghouta 82 variety. The experiment included two factors: the first is potassium fertilizer (sulphate Potassium) at four levels (0, 100, 150, 200) kg/ha, and the second is organic fertilizer (sheep waste) at four levels (0, 15, 20, 25) tons/ha. The results showed: a decrease in bulk density and soil pH at the level The fourth level of potassium fertilizer (200 kg/ha) and an increase in porosity at the same level. The addition of organic fertilizer also caused a decrease in bulk density and soil pH at the fourth level (25 tons/ha) and an increase in porosity. As for the studied plant characteristics (plant height, grain yield) We note that the fourth level of potassium and organic fertilizers, individually, outperformed the rest of the levels and the control. The interaction of the two fertilizers also had a positive effect on all soil indicators studied, as the interaction of the fourth level of potassium fertilizer with the fourth level of organic fertilizer achieved significant superiority over the rest of the interaction treatments and The unnamed witness. As for plant characteristics, interfering the third levels (150 kg/ha) and fourth levels (200 kg/ha) of potassium fertilizer with the fourth level (25 tons/ha) of organic fertilizer achieved the best results.

Keywords: potassium fertilizer, organic fertilizer, yellow corn, grain yield.

 Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Kamel Khalil ⁽¹⁾*, Nizar Moualla ⁽²⁾and Affra Alahmad ⁽¹⁾

(1). Department of Environmental Prevention, Higher Institute for Environmental Researches, Tishreen University, Lattika, Syria.

 (2). Department of Field Crops- Faculty of Agriculture, Tishreen University, Lattika, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Kamel Khalil. E-mail: d.kamelkhalil@tishreen.edu.sy).

Received: 25/11/2023              Accepted: 10/01/2024

Abstract: 

This study aimed to determine the concentration of heavy metals: lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) in the leaves of evergreen cypress trees and beaked eucalyptus trees grown in the city of Baniyas. Leaf samples were collected from four sites within the city (St2, St3, St4, St5), varying according to traffic density and the control site (St1) in the Dreikiya site (15 km from the city of Baniyas). The concentration of elements was estimated using an atomic absorption device at the Higher Institute for Environmental Research. The results showed that the order of metal concentrations (general average) expressed in ppm in the leaves of cypress trees was as follows: [Zn (23.96) > Ni (9.38) > Pb (1.12) > Cd (0.13)] and in the leaves of eucalyptus trees: [Zn (35.20) > Ni (12.48) > Pb (1.40) > Cd (0.15)]. The results also showed that the values of metals were within normal limits, except for nickel. The results also showed that the values of the metal accumulation index (MAI) in cypress trees were (4.56) and in the leaves of eucalyptus trees were (6.49). This supports the proposal of the eucalyptus tree as an effective bioaccumulator for estimating pollution resulting from heavy metals in the city of Baniyas.

Keywords: Cupressus sempervirens, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, bioaccumulators, heavy metals, metal accumulation index (MAI), Baniyas (Syria).

 Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Feras Alghamaz^{(1) (2)*}, Mohammad Dikkeh ^(1), and Younes Idriss ⁽³⁾

(1). Dept. of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tishreen, Lattika, Syria.

(2). General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, Damascus, Syria.

(3). General Organization of Remote Sensing, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Feras Alghamaz, E-mail: fghammaz@gmail.com ).

Received: 4/12/2023           Accepted: 28/01/2024

Abstract: 

Water erosion is one of the biggest problems facing lands on slopes, especially when annual rainfall increases in the Al-Bayer and Al-Basit area in Latakia Governorate. The segments of the following factors were intersected using GIS after weighting to determine degraded lands and the degree of deterioration, which are segments of frequent high rainfall, soil texture, percentage of organic matter, land uses, and slope. Thus, the resulting map indicates the hotspots of land degradation or the lands most vulnerable to degradation and erosion by surface runoff from intense rainfall, which when intersected with a slice of the physiographic units results in a slice of areas representing each type of degradation (mild, moderate, severe…etc.) depending on the difference in the units. Physiography of the study area and soil type, where soil samples were taken for the selected areas to study soil properties. A soil loss map was produced by cross-sectioning rainfall profiles, slope degrees, land use and human activity, soil texture, and the NDVI vegetation index. It is noted from the soil loss map that the areas in which the erosion rating was low are the areas that are flat, meaning that the slope factor is low and the areas where vegetation is widespread. We conclude from this that the factors (slope and vegetation) are the two factors that control the erosion process in a study area. As for the vegetation cover factor, it affects the movement of surface water runoff, and thus reduces soil erosion processes.

Keywords: water erosion, soil loss map, degraded lands, surface runoff, The drifting ability of a raindrop, slope factor.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF