EFFECT OF SPRAYING WITH POLLEN EXTRACT AND BIO-FERTILIZER (Oligo green) IN SOME CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL AND PRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF DATE PALM FRUITS (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Al-SHOITHI CULTIVAR

Abstract

This study was conducted during the growing season 2016 on date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Al-Shoithi cultivar, with 20 years age which cultivated at Akd Palms station belonging to General Palm Organization, Ministry of agriculture at Al-Bada in Al-Shatrah district north center of Dhi Qar province. The major principles from this study are to know the effect of foliar spraying by pollen extract (10, 20 gm.L-1) and Oligo green (100, 200 mg.L-1) as well as control treatment, also to know the effect of number of spraying times (once spraying, twice spraying) on some of Al-Shoithi date fruits. The first spraying was conducted during the first three weeks after pollination (hand pollination, 15/4/2015), the second spraying was conducted six weeks after pollination (mid-Kimri stage). The results showed that the foliar spraying by pollen extract, with concentration of (20 g.L-1) led to a significant increase in all the qualitative traits of the fruits, including reducing Sugars, concentration of the mineral elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), the percentage of fruits and the weight of brunch in the Khalal and rutab stages. The results also showed that the treatment with a concentration of (200 mg.L-1) of Oligo green fertilizer (which was not significantly different from the pollen extract treatment at a concentration of 20 g L-1 in most of the studied traits) had a significant effect compared to the control treatment in all studied traits. It was also observed that the twice spraying treatment was significantly excelled by giving it the highest increase in the fruit content [from reducing Sugars (nitrogen and phosphorus) in the rutab stage and potassium in Khalal stage]. The effect of the interactions was significantly greater in the studied traits: the interaction (20 g.L-1 pollen extract + twice spraying) was significantly excelled in the reducing Sugars, concentration of the mineral elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), the percentage of mature fruits and the weight of bunches.