الفهرس 
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Abstract
The experiment was carried out in the Climate Modification Research Department, Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate during two seasons (2011/ 2012) and (2012/2013). This study includes two experiments, shading and fertilizing experiment and vase life experiment. The first one studied the effect of different levels of shading and fertilization on the growth of Asparagus densiflorus var. Meyers and Ruscus hypoglossum plants in the greenhouse. The second experiment (Vase life experiment) was conducted in the lab to evaluate the cut shoots quality of Asparagus and Ruscus after harvest. In the first experiment (shading and fertilizing experiment), plants were grown under two levels of black saran shade (33 and 63%). Also, these plants were fertilized with three levels of N, P and K fertilization; low (16:5:10), intermediate (32:10:20) and high (48:15:30) kg/pot/season. Second experiment (vase life experiment), Asparagus branches from each greenhouse treatment were pulsed in 25ppm gibberellic acid (GA3) for 24 hour then transferred to distilled water for the rest of experiment. While, harvested branches of Ruscus were placed in a plastic vases which containing 40 ml of 200 ppm hydroxyquinoline sulphate (8-HQS) + sucrose 20% until one fourth of these shoots showed yellowing. This experiment was repeated twice for each season (October and April) for each plant. The experiments were arranged in a split plot design with four replicates. The treatments comprised of two levels of shading as whole plot and three levels of fertilization as sub plots. Different measurements were recorded throughout the experimental time such as: shoot length, number of shoots per plant, shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root dry weight, total chlorophyll content, elements content (N, P, K, Ca and Mg contents) in shoots, vase life and relative fresh weight of cut foliage.
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Raghdaa A. M. El Gendy, Ph.D., 2015
The obtained results can be summarized as follows:
1) The effect of shading levels on the vegetative growth:
- The highest shoot length was obtained from plants grown under the high level of shade (63% shade) for Asparagus and Ruscus plants.
- High level of shade gave the highest number of Asparagus shoots in the first season. However, the shading had no significant effect on the shoot number for Asparagus plants in the second season and Ruscus during the two seasons.
- Ruscus plants had the highest shoot fresh weight with treated plants with the highest level of shade. On the other hand, there were no significant differences between the two levels of shade for the Asparagus plants.
- The effect of shading levels on root fresh weight was not significant during the two seasons for the two plants except the Asparagus plants in the second season; the high level of shade presented the highest weight of fresh root.
- There was insignificant effect of shading levels on the shoot dry weight for Asparagus and Ruscus plants.
- Root dry weight of Asparagus and Ruscus plants during the two seasons did not affected by the shading levels.
2) The effect of shading levels on the chemical analysis:
- Total chlorophyll contents increased with increasing the level of shade for Asparagus plants. While, there was insignificant effect of shading levels on the chlorophyll content in Ruscus plants.
- The highest nitrogen percentage was observed in plants grown under the high level of shading (63%).
- There was insignificant effect of shading levels on the phosphorus content for the two plants during two seasons.
- Potassium content recorded the highest value for Asparagus and Ruscus plants which grown under 63% shade except the Asparagus
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Raghdaa A. M. El Gendy, Ph.D., 2015
plants in the second season; the shading levels had insignificant effect on potassium content.
- The shading levels had insignificant effects on calcium content during the two seasons for Asparagus and Ruscus plants.
- Magnesium content was affected by shading levels in Ruscus plants but in Asparagus plants was not affected. The high level of shade (63%) gave the highest value of magnesium content in Ruscus plants.
3) The effect of shading levels on the quality of cut shoots:
- Vase life of Asparagus cut foliage was higher for plants grown under 33% shade in the first and third cut (October 2011 and October 2012). There was insignificant effect of shading levels on the vase life for the second and fourth cut (April 2012 and April 2013).
- For Ruscus plants, grown plants under the 63% shade gave cut foliage had vase life longer than those grown under 33% for all cuts dates except the last date (April 2013); there was insignificant effect of shading levels on vase life.
4) The effect of fertilizing levels on the vegetative growth:
- The longest shoot length was obtained by fertilizing plants with the highest level of fertilization (48: 15: 30) for Asparagus and Ruscus plants.
- High level of fertilization produced the highest number of shoots for the two plants during the two seasons.
- The highest shoot fresh weight was recorded with the highest level of fertilization for the two plants during the two seasons.
- Fresh weight of Asparagus roots recorded the highest value in the plants treated with the highest level of fertilization. On the other side, the fertilizing levels had insignificant effects on the fresh weight of Ruscus roots during the two seasons.
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Raghdaa A. M. El Gendy, Ph.D., 2015
- The shoot dry weight for the two plants increased with increasing the level of fertilization during the two seasons.
- The root dry weight of Asparagus plants increased with increasing the levels of fertilization. There was an insignificant effect of fertilization levels on the root dry weight of Ruscus plants.
5) The effect of fertilizing levels on the chemical analysis:
- The content of chlorophyll in the Asparagus and Ruscus plants increased with increasing the level of fertilization during the two seasons.
- The nitrogen percentage increased with increasing the level of fertilization for the two plants.
- There was not significant effect of fertilization levels on the phosphorus content for the two plants during two seasons except the phosphorus content in Asparagus plants in the second season; the highest content was recorded with the highest level of fertilization.
- Potassium content in Asparagus and Ruscus plants increased with increasing the level of fertilization except the Ruscus plants in the second season; the effect of fertilization levels was not significant.
- Fertilization levels had significant effects on calcium content during the two seasons for Asparagus and Ruscus plants. Fertilizing plants with the highest level of NPK fertilization gave the highest content of calcium.
- There were significant effects of fertilization levels on magnesium content. The highest level of fertilization gave the highest value of magnesium content for Asparagus and Ruscus during the two seasons.
6) The effect of fertilizing levels on the quality of cut shoots:
- The fertilization levels had insignificant effects on the vase life for the four cuts dates of Asparagus and Ruscus plants.
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Raghdaa A. M. El Gendy, Ph.D., 2015
CONCLUSION The results pointed out that plants grown under the high level of shade (63%) and feeding with the high level of fertilization resulted in an increase in the vegetative growth and the chemical analysis for Asparagus and Ruscus plants. Vase life had not affected by fertilization levels for the four cuts of Asparagus and Ruscus plants. Growing Asparagus plants under 33% shade gave cut foliage had vase life more than those grown under 63% shade. On the other hand, growing Ruscus plants under 63% shade prolonged the vase life of cut foliage as compared with those grown under 33% shade