Egyptian agriculture faces significant economic losses from terrestrial snail infestations, particularly in the Nile Delta region where humid conditions favor their proliferation. Land snails cause extensive damage to vegetables, ornamentals, fruit trees, and field crops throughout Egypt. These molluscan pests consume plant tissue, damage seedlings, contaminate produce, and serve as intermediate hosts for parasitic diseases affecting livestock and humans. The reliance on synthetic molluscicides containing metaldehyde or methiocarb poses serious risks to non-target organisms, beneficial insects, soil health, and water quality. Organic integrated pest management provid

You have probably eaten a pasta dish with mushrooms or a pizza with mushrooms, but have you ever looked at mushrooms as a source of health rather than just food? Mushrooms are fungi that have been used by humans for centuries in culinary applications. Currently, more than 2,000 species of mushrooms exist in the wild, but only about 25 species are wildly consumed as food (Valverde et al., 2015). Romans used to call mushrooms “Food of the Gods”, while Chinese people referred to them as “Elixir of Life” due to their various health benefits and medicinal properties (Pardeep K. Khanna & Shivani Sharma, 2013). The aim of this newsletter is to provide a simple and cle

Broomrape (Orobanche spp.) represents one of the most devastating parasitic weeds affecting Egyptian agriculture, causing substantial yield losses in economically important crops including fava beans (Vicia faba) and carrots (Daucus carota). As an obligate holoparasite completely lacking chlorophyll, broomrape depends entirely on host plants for water, nutrients, and carbohydrates. In Egypt, broomrape infestation has been a persistent challenge, particularly affecting fava bean production—a crop of immense cultural importance as the main ingredient of ful medames. Yield losses in heavily infested fava bean fields can reach 60% or more, while carrot quality

Agriculture is the backbone of all civilizations, and the stronger this backbone is the stronger the civilization will be. Agricultural systems are man-made systems with the aim of cultivating the largest number of crops possible within the system. However, it makes no sense to follow a system that meets the aim we need if we can not sustain the system for years to come. Additionally, human and soil health should be evaluated as well, and the overall environmental effects should be studied before adopting any agricultural system. From this perspective, agronomists realized that the highest yield/production is not a reliable indicator for the efficiency or the sustainability

Corn rust (Puccinia sorghi – Common Rust; Puccinia polysora – Southern Rust; Physopella zeae – Tropical Rust) represents one of the most economically significant fungal diseases affecting maize (Zea mays) production worldwide, including in Egypt. As an obligate biotrophic pathogen, the rust fungus depends entirely on living host tissue for growth and reproduction. In Egypt, corn rust threatens both summer and winter maize crops, with yield losses ranging from 10–40% in susceptible varieties under favorable conditions. Warm, humid weather and dense plant populations accelerate disease spread dramatically. Unlike soil-bo

The fall armyworm belongs to the order Coleoptera, which is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America and moved to Africa in 2016 and then spread to Asia, Australia, and the Arab region (FAO 2021).