Combined Impact of Irrigation, Potassium Fertilizer, and Thinning Treatments on Yield, Skin Separation, and Physicochemical Properties of Date Palm Fruits
Author:
Ghazzawy Hesham S.12ORCID, Alqahtani Nashi13ORCID, Munir Muhammad1ORCID, Alghanim Naser S.4, Mohammed Maged15ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Date Palm Research Center of Excellence, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia 2. Central Laboratory for Date Palm Research and Development, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12511, Egypt 3. Department of Food and Nutrition Sciences, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia 4. Date Palm Research Center Al-Ahsa, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Al Mubarraz 36321, Saudi Arabia 5. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University, Shebin El Koum 32514, Egypt
Abstract
Orchard cultural practices, i.e., irrigation, fertilizer, and fruit thinning, are crucially encompassed to enhance fruit yield and quality. Appropriate irrigation and fertilizer inputs improve plant growth and fruit quality, but their overuse leads to the degradation of the ecosystem and water quality, and other biological concerns. Potassium fertilizer improves fruit sugar and flavor and accelerates fruit ripening. Bunch thinning also significantly reduces the crop burden and improves the physicochemical characteristics of the fruit. Therefore, the present study aims to appraise the combined impact of irrigation, sulfate of potash (SOP) fertilizer, and fruit bunch thinning practices on fruit yield and quality of date palm cv. Sukary under the agro-climatic condition of the Al-Qassim (Buraydah) region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To achieve these objectives, four irrigation levels (80, 100, 120, and 140% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), three SOP fertilizer doses (2.5, 5, and 7.5 kg palm−1), and three fruit bunch thinning levels (8, 10, and 12 bunches palm−1) were applied. The effects of these factors were determined on fruit bunch traits, physicochemical fruit characteristics, fruit texture profile, fruit color parameters, fruit skin separation disorder, fruit grading, and yield attributes. The findings of the present study showed that the lowest (80% ETc) and highest (140% ETc) irrigation water levels, lowest SOP fertilizer dose (2.5 kg palm−1), and retaining the highest number of fruit bunch per tree (12 bunches) had a negative effect on most yield and quality attributes of date palm cv. Sukary. However, maintaining the date palm water requirement at 100 and 120% ETc, applying SOP fertilizer doses at 5 and 7.5 kg palm−1, and retaining 8–10 fruit bunches per palm had significantly positive effects on the fruit yield and quality characteristics. Therefore, it is concluded that applying 100% ETc irrigation water combined with a 5 kg palm−1 SOP fertilizer dose and maintaining 8–10 fruit bunches per palm is more equitable than other treatment combinations.
Funder
Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Institute of Research and Consulting and Date Palm Research Center of Excellence, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia Date Palm Research Center, Al-Ahsa, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture
Subject
Plant Science,Ecology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
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