EFFECT OF FOLIAR SPRAY WITH ZINC AND BORON ON GROWTH, YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY OF STRAWBERRY (Fragaria × ananassa Duch cv. Camarosa) PLANTS GROWN IN SANDY SOIL

Al-Esaily, Ibrahim

doi:10.21608/jpd.2011.42451

EFFECT OF FOLIAR SPRAY WITH ZINC AND BORON ON GROWTH, YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY OF STRAWBERRY (Fragaria × ananassa Duch cv. Camarosa) PLANTS GROWN IN SANDY SOIL

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ibrahim Al-Esaily

Hort. Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt

10.21608/jpd.2011.42451

Abstract

This experiment was carried out during the two successive summer seasons of 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 at EL-Kassasien Horticultural Research Station, Ismailia Governorate, Egypt, to study the effect of foliar application with ZnSO₄ at rates of 0,150 and 200 mg/ l as and boric acid H₃BO₃ (17 % boron)at rates 0, 100 and 150 mg/l on vegetative growth, photosynthetic pigments, chemical constituents in branches and fruit, yield productivity, fruit quality at harvest time Strawberry plants (Fragaria × ananassa Duch cv. Camarosa) grown under sandy soil conditions with drip irrigation system.
Result showed that spraying strawberry plant with 150 mg/ l ZnSO₄ or 150 mg/l H₃BO₃ significantly increased all studied parameters, such as vegetative plant growth, early and total yield as well as fruit quality in both seasons as compared to control treatment (0 mg/ l), which recorded the lowest values of all studied parameters. In generally, spraying plants with 150 mg/ l ZnSO₄+ 150 mg/ l H₃BO₃gave the best results for increasing plant growth , yield and its components as well as fruit quality, i.e., Vit. C, TSS and total sugar in both seasons as compared other interaction treatments.
Conclusively, application of ZnSO₄ or H₃BO₃ at 150 mg/l of each alone or mixture improved vegetative growth in the tested plants and increased yield and fruit quality.

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