No abstract

Fertilization is one of the most important cultural practices in date palm orchards. Spraying micro-nutrients has an important role in fruit set, fruit retention, development, improved total yield, and fruit characteristics. The present study was conducted during the two successive seasons, 2011 and 2012, in order to investigate the effect of bunches sprayed with boron and/or zinc on fruit set, yield, and fruit quality of 10-year-old “Mnifi” date palm. Bunches were pollinated by placing 10 “Meghal” fresh male strands among female clusters during both seasons. Nine spraying treatments were performed twice; 2 h before pollination and 4 weeks after pollination. Results of the two seasons indicated that application of 1500 ppm boron +300 ppm zinc (B1 + Zn1) increased total yield/palm, fruit weight and volume, flesh weight, soluble solids content (SSC), and total and reducing sugars. Fruit set and titratable acidity were improved with spraying of 1500 ppm boron (B1). Fruit dimensions and moisture content increased with B1 treatment in the first season and B1 + Zn1 treatment in the second season. Application of boric acid alone (1500 ppm) or combined with zinc sulphate (300 ppm) to get a positive effect on fruit set, total yield, and fruit quality of “Mnifi” date palm could be recommended.

The experiment was conducted in the Abi Al-Khaseeb orchard, Basrah, Iraq during the 2019 season, on date palm (Hillawi cv.). The effect of foliar nano-fertilizer on the response of the growth and fruit ripening rate was amid. Adding nano-fertilizer to the annual date palm fertilization program improved growth and increased production. A comparison of foliar NPK (1, 2 g L-1) as nano-fertilizer and traditional fertilizer, and combined, was applied. The results revealed that the treatment of foliar traditional and nano-fertilizers together increased the weight of fruit and bunches, water content, indoleacetic acid, and gibberellic acid relative to other treatments. Nano-fertilizers (1g L -1) led to an increase in fruit ripening rate, dry mass, and total soluble solids, activity of the enzymes peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, and abscisic acid content. The leaflet protein expression shows that the appearance of protein bands 1 to 5 and 6 was up-regulated by control and traditional fertilizer. Whereas the protein bands 6 and 7 were down-controlled under nano-fertilizer. Hierarchical cluster analysis of proteins in the leaf in response to traditional and nano-fertilizer showed two distinct clusters. The use of nano-fertilizer individually leads to the acceleration of fruit ripening. while the production fruit that is increased using foliar nano-fertilizer with traditional fertilizer.