Enhancing olive trees growth and productivity by using hydrogel and potassium humate under rain-fed condition in northern western coastal zone

Abstract EN

his study was conducted under water stress conditions at Ras-El Hekma region, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt for two successive seasons, 2015 and 2016 on Egazy olive trees (Olea europaea L.).

This investigation was performed to study the effect of soil with addition of hydrogel polymer at 0, 100, 150 and 200 g/tree and potassium humate at 0, 40, 60 and 80 g/tree.

The obtained results cleared that both hydrogel and K-humate significantly enhanced vegetative growth parameters, yield and fruit physio-chemical properties and leaf mineral contents in both studied seasons, either singly or in combinations.

Using 200 g/tree of hydrogel with 80 g/tree K-humate were surpassed control and other hydrogel or K-humate rates and improved all vegetative growth parameters, yield, fruit physio-chemical properties and leaf mineral contents during 2015 and 2016.

It can be concluded that the different application treatments significantly improved the studied vegetative growth parameters, yield, fruit physio-chemical properties and leaf mineral contents of Egazy olive trees that were cultivated under water stress conditions in the following arrangement; interaction of hydrogel + K-humate>hydrogel > K-humate