---

Pear is one of the most important pome fruits in the world fruit market with a high nutritional value. This study was performed to determine the phenolic compounds and some chemical properties of the flesh and peel of 12 Asian and European pears. Chlorogenic acid and rutin were found the important phenolic compounds in the peel which were measured using HPLC. Fruit titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), firmness, color, nutrient elements, and total phenol contents were measured across the various cultivars. Potassium was the most abundant nutrient, followed by nitrogen and calcium, respectively. As the total phenol increased, so did the amount of rutin. Principal components analysis (PCA) of all data showed that European and Asian pear cultivars were categorized and placed into two distinct groups. In general, the different European and Asian pear studied cultivars were different in terms of most of the studied biochemical traits, and significant relationships were observed between some traits.
 

---

The effects of some micronutrients (iron, zinc and silicon) and macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) were evaluated on the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita and plant growth parameters of cucumber (Cucumis sativus cv. Negin) in two independent trials. Each of iron, zinc and silicon micronutrients was used at 5 mg/kg of soil, as iron sequestrene (Fe-EDDHA), zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄) and sodium siliconate (Na₂O₃Si), respectively. Furthermore, nitrogen at 60, 120 and 180 mg/kg, phosphorus at 25, 50 and 75 mg/kg and potassium at 12.5, 25 and 37.5 mg/kg of soil were used as urea, triple superphosphate and potassium sulfate, respectively. At four-leaf stage seedlings, 8000 nematode eggs and juveniles (2 egg and juveniles/gr soil) were added around the roots. After 60-days, data analysis indicated silicon + iron, significantly reduced the number of galls/g of root by 55 and 42% compared to control, in the two experiments, respectively, but none of these treatments resulted in significant positive effects on the growth or yield of the studied cucumber cultivar. When macronutrients were evaluated, results showed that N₁₂₀P₂₅K₂₅ (120 mg/kg of Nitrogen, 25 mg/kg of phosphorus and 25 mg/kg of potassium) and N₁₂₀P₅₀K₂₅ (120 mg/kg of nitrogen, 50 mg/kg of phosphorus and 25 mg/kg of potassium) significantly reduced the number of galls by 96 and 81% (experiment 3) and 79 and 70% (experiment 4) when compared with control, respectively. These both treatments also improved cucumber growth parameters such as shoot dry and fresh weights, root fresh weight and fruit yield.

---

Most areas of the world where rainfall is limiting are characterized by low agricultural output and, ironically, high population growth rates that generate increased food de-mand. Arid and semi-arid regions permit a range of vegetative biomass production, from rainfed crops to native pasture, and sparse steppe shrubs to true desert. Given the harsh climatic conditions in areas such as West Asia-North Africa, where less than 10% of the land area is amenable to rainfed cropping, soil resources are fragile and cropping condi-tions precarious. Yet with appropriate manipulation of soil fertility and crop management within a systems context, including breeding of improved cultivars, conservation tillage, and rotations, substantial production increases can occur at the farmer's level. While irri-gation has increased considerably in the past few decades, having a major impact on crop yields, surface and ground water sources remain limited. Applied research specific to the region has shown that crop output can be considerably enhanced with adequate nutrition, most of which has to be added as commercial fertilizer. The substantial yield increases that have taken place in several countries of the region have been attributed to three fac-tors: water, fertilizers, and improved varieties. Technologies that potentially produce such high yield increases include identification of nutrient stresses and taking corrective action, and, where appropriate, adapting the plant to the soil conditions. If managed properly, innovative cropping systems to overcome these constraints can improve rather than de-grade soil conditions. Regardless of the advances in biotechnology, crop adaptation, and integrated cropping systems, chemical fertilizers will, in future, play an even greater role in the nutrition of both rainfed and irrigated crops in Mediterranean agriculture. Crop nutrition research will have to keep pace with agronomic developments. The future chal-lenge in soil fertility-crop nutrition lies as much in overcoming obstacles to technology transfer as in the generation of new knowledge. This selective review is based mainly on the author’s research experiences in the field of soil fertility and crop nutrition in the WANA region for the past 32 years. It seeks to highlight research developments within the context of the region's crop production constraints, culminating in a perspective on future research challenges within the framework of cooperation between international in-stitutions and the region’s national research and development programs.