A Study of Concentration of Nitrates and Nitrites in Cucumbers Produced in Greenhouses in Tartous Governorate and its Risk on Human health

This study addresses the issue of the danger of the high amount of Nitrates and Nitrites found in Cucumbers grown in greenhouses in the coastal region in Tartous - Syria, one hundred samples of greenhouse Cucumbers (in their green state) were collected at random from 50 Greenhouses in ten villages in Sahil Akkar in Tartous the villages are: (Arzona, Madihli, A. Zibdi, B. Shofan, Shas, Riyaf, Zahid, Dkaiki, Habroun and T. Sunoun) five Greenhouses were selected from each village, a special information card was prepared for each greenhouse which included the area of the greenhouse, the type of fertilizers used in it, and the source of water used to irrigate the house, the water was tested by a device known as Colorimeter, another device called Spectrophotometer was used to test the amount of Nitrates and Nitrites found in Cucumbers, the results show that the highest amount of Nitrates was in the samples taken from Riyaf 615.29 mg/kg, and the lowest amount in the samples from T.Sunoun 126.15 mg/kg, The Nitrites were at their highest also in Riyaf at 0.06 mg/kg and at their lowest in the samples of B, Shoufan at 0.023 mg/kg, the results also show variation in the Probability value (P=0.000) in the Cucumbers samples. When comparing the amounts reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) it was found that the amounts of Nitrates and Nitrites ranged between 100% in Riyaf, A. Zibdi and Madhli, followed by 90% in B.Shoufan, and 80% in Habroun and Dkaiki,and 60% in Arzona, Zahid, and Shas ,and 30% in T. Sunoun. The percentage of contamination in all the Greenhouses reached only 76%whole. the concentration of the Nitrites was within the standard level less than 1%mg/kg.

Design, Install and Apply the Biogas Unit At the Faculty of Agriculture (Kharabo) Farm Damascus University

A reactor was designed to produce and rise the productivity of biogas during anaerobic treatment of cattle dung. It had a size of 32 cubic meters, constructed and installed. The material used was a sheet of metal, the unit was put over the land. The results indicated that the biogas production rate was 0.63 m3/m3, while the daily average biogas production was 18.81 m3. The results also revealed that the average percentage of methane content in biogas was 66.3%. The average colorific value of produced gas was 451440 KJ/day. The results also showed that, The digested sludge can be used as a good fertilizer.

The effect of phosphate solubilizing bacteria and organic manure on solubilization of phosphate rock and cotton productivity

A field experiment was carried out during 2003 and 2004 in Edleb governorate to study the effect of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (Bacillus megaterium) and cows manure on solubilization of phosphate rock, cotton productivity, and phosphate uptake. The amounts of phosphate rock and superphosphate were added by the same amount of P2O5. An amount of nitrogen fertilizer as urea, was added to treatment 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 , whereas treatment 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 received amounts of organic fertilizer having the same amount of N added to treatment 1-6 (MAAR recommendation).

Evaluation the efficiency of phosphate solubilizing bacteria on the availability of phosphate in soil and cotton productivity

A field experiment was carried out during 2002 at Al-Husainea - Deer Al- Zour to study the effect of PSB (Pseudomonas) or PSB combined with 50%, 25%, 100 % of the recommended phosphorus (P2O5) mineral fertilizer without inoculation on cotton productivity, phosphate uptake . Significant differences in available phosphate were noticed in comparison with the control. These microorganisms were effective in solubilizing of fixing phosphate in soil and fixing phosphate, added to the soil as superphosphate. Significant increasing in cotton yield of inoculating treatments was noticed in comparison with the control.

Effect Of Foliar Application Of Iron And NPK Fertilization On Flowering, Setting And Vegetative Growth Of Halwani Lubnan And Kamali Grape Cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.)

This study was conducted during the seasons 1995 and 1996 at Ninevah Horticulture Station- Iraq. On Halwani and Kamali grape cultivars. This study included four levels of foliar application of Fe-EDTA at concentrations of 0, 50, 100 and 200 ppm iron, and soil compound fertilization with NPK (30 kg N + 30 kg P2O5 + 30kg K2O/ Donum) on the two abore mentioned cultivars, and the interaction among the three studied factors (cultivars, Fe and NPK), was also evaluated. The results showed that 200ppm of iron caused a significant increase in the percentage of pollen viability, Pollen grains germination, length of Pollen tube, setting of berries, ovules fertilization, leaf chlorophyll content, single leaf area, shoot leaf area, and total leaf area per vine and leaf area per cluster. The same results were obtained by using NPK fertilization. Halwani grape CV. Was significantly superior over on the Kamali grape CV. in pollen viabilits, pollen germination, length of pollen tube, leaf chlorophyll content and the single leaf area, While the Kamali grape CV. gave the highest shoot leaf area, total leaf area per vine and leaf area per cluster. The interaction among iron, NPK and cultivars reveded that the best treatment was 200 ppm iron with NPK, which gave the best results concerning flowering, setting and vegetative growth for both the cultivars.