Effect of Different Concentrations of Irrigation Water Salinity and Potassium Humate on Productivity and Fruit Quality of the Prickly Pears Plants (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) (2)

Faried, Sahar; Fahmy, Fahmy Ibrahim

doi:10.21608/ejoh.2023.173097.1224

Effect of Different Concentrations of Irrigation Water Salinity and Potassium Humate on Productivity and Fruit Quality of the Prickly Pears Plants (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) (2)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

sahar faried ¹
fahmy ibrahim fahmy ²

¹ plant production department - ecology &amp; Dry lands agriculture Division - desert research center

² plant production department - ecology &amp;amp; Dry plants agriculture Division - desert research center

10.21608/ejoh.2023.173097.1224

Abstract

This investigation was carried out during two successive seasons (2020 and 2021) on a 9-year-old El-Shamia cactus pear cultivar grown in a private orchard located in the Alumni villages’ area, along the “Cairo-Alexandria desert” road about 170 km from Cairo, Egypt. The effects of irrigation water salinity levels (control (orchard irrigation water), 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 ppm) and potassium humate (0, 50 and 100 g/tree/year) and their interactions on yield, fruit quality and root anatomy of El-Shamia cactus pear plants were studied. The best results were recorded with control treatment of salinity level and potassium humate at 100 g/tree/year, which improved fruit set, number of fruits per tree, yield, fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, fruit volume, pulp weight, fruit T.S.S., fruit T.S.S./acid ratio and ascorbic acid. while reducing fruit drop, peel weight, the number of seeds, seeds weight and the fruit’s total acidity content. So this treatment proved to be the most efficient in enhancing the yield and fruit quality of El-Shamia cactus pear plants.

Keywords