Effect of organic fertilizer source and foliar spray with some microelements on growth, yield, fruit quality and storability of strawberry under sandy soil conditions

Abstract EN

A filed experiment was carried out during the two successive winter seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 at the Experimental Farm of El-Kassasein, Hort.

Res.

Station, Ismailia Governorate, Egypt, to investigate the effect of different organic manure sources, i.

e.

chicken manure (3.75 ton/fad.

) vermicompost (4.44 ton/fad.

) and compost (7.50 ton/fad.

) (equal 120 kg N/fad.

, of each), and foliar spray with some microelements ( B at 25 ppm, Zn at 100 ppm and Fe at 200 ppm) on vegetative growth, yield, fruit quality and storability of strawberry under sandy soil conditions.

Fertilizing strawberry plants grown in sandy soil with 4.44 ton vermicompost /fad increased foliage dry weight, average fruit weight, yield/plant, early yield and total yield/fad, fruit firmness, TSS and Vit.

C and gave the lowest values of deformed fruits (% ) and fruit weight loss (% ) as well as decay (% ) during cold storage periods.

Spraying with Fe at 200 ppm increased foliage dry weight, average fruit weight, yield/plant, early yield and total yield/fad.

Spraying with B at 25ppm increased fruit firmness, TSS and Vit.

C, whereas spraying with Zn at100 ppm gave the lowest values of deformed fruits (% ) and fruit weight loss as well as decay (% ) during cold storage periods The interaction between fertilizing with vermicompost at 4.44 ton/fad.

, and spraying with Fe at 200 ppm, significantly increased foliage dry weight, average fruit weight, yield/plant, early yield and total yield/fad.

, whereas the interaction between fertilizing with vermicompost at 4.44 ton/fad.

, and spraying with Zn at 100 ppm gave the lowest value for each of fruit weight loss (% ) and fruit decay (% ) during cold storage periods.

The interaction between fertilizing with vermicompost at 4.44 ton/fad.

, and spraying with B at 25 at ppm increased fruit firmness, TSS and Vit.

C in fruits and moreover it gave the lowest value of deformed fruits (% ).