Reducing adverse effects of salinity in peach trees grown in saline clay soil

الملخص EN

A field experiment was carried out during 2016 and 2017 seasons on heavy clay soil, somewhat affected by salinity located at Sidi Salem District , Kafr EL-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, to study the effect of some treatments including; Uni-sal (U), Humic acid (H), Magnetic iron (Fe) and Mycorrhizae (M) on "Florda Prince " peach trees growth, productivity and fruit quality.

The data indicated that the application of these treatments increased vegetative growth parameters, leaf chlorophyll content, leaf-macro and micronutrients content, fruit set percentage, yield/tree, total soluble solids (TSS), and fruit firmness, while decreased leaf-Na and proline content, pre-harvest fruit drop percentage and fruit acidity as compared to that of the control.

Uni-sal treatment achieved the highest values of vegetative growth parameters, leaf-N, K, Ca, Mn and Zn contents, fruit set percentage, fruit weight, yield and fruit firmness and recorded the least pre-harvest fruit drop percentage and fruit acidity compared to that of the other treatments followed by humic treatment in this respect.

Magnetic iron was most pronounced on rising leaf-chlorophyll content and reducing leaf-Na and proline more than H, U and M treatments.

Micrrhyzae was superior to leaf-P and Mg contents.

The combined application of treatments were more effective as compared to the individual applications.

Uni-sal and micrrhyzae (U+M) treatments gave significant increase over all treatments in vegetative growth parameters, leaf-N, P, K, Mg and Ca contents, fruit set percentage, fruit weight and yield and least pre-harvest fruit drop percentage and fruit acidity as compared to those of the other treatments, followed by (H+U) treatment.

Uni-sal and magnetic iron was superior to other treatments in increasing leaf-chlorophyll content and total soluble solids (TSS) and decreasing leaf-Na and proline content more the other treatments.