Organo Mineral Fertilizers Increases Vegetative Growth and Yield and Quality Parameters of Pomegranate cv. Wonderful Fruits

Abstract

In recent years, to improve sustainable production in horticultural crops, many new types of strategies have been developed, including organo-mineral fertilization to complement chemical fertilizers in order to enhance the nutritional status of plants and sustainability of the agroecosystems. This study was performed on a young pomegranate orchard of the “Wonderful” cultivar during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The purpose was to evaluate the effects of three foliar applications (at the red ball, fruit setting, and fruit development stages) of four commercial organo-mineral fertilizers (Hendophyt®, Ergostim XL®, Siapton® 10L, and Allibio Rad®) on vegetative growth, yield, and several other physico-chemical parameters of the fruits, throughout each season. The results obtained showed several differences between the two years. The annual trunk growth of trees under all compared treatments showed significantly lower values in 2018 (average 9.7 mm) than in 2019 (average 11.8 mm). At the end of the two-year period, the biostimulant treatments resulted in significantly larger trunk diameters (average 43.6 mm) than the control (39.6 mm). Only in 2018, significantly higher number of fruits per tree, number of arils per fruit, edible part, and juice yield were obtained under biostimulant treatments compared with the control. No differences among treatments were observed for any color parameters or physico-chemical traits in the fruits for either year. In 2019, fruit morpho-pomological properties tended to be lower than in 2018, while in contrast, total phenol content and antioxidant activity were higher. The warmer and windier weather conditions of 2019 probably led to greater plant stress conditions, with a reduction in fruit size and an increase in the bioactive compounds of juice. In conclusion, due to the various positive results, foliar organo-mineral fertilizers could be recommended to improve the performance of pomegranate Wondeful cv. under similar conditions.

Foliar application of biostimulants and silicon enhances yield and fruit quality of ‘Page’ mandarin via altering physiochemical properties

“…Similarly to our study, increases in fruit color index with the use of biostimulants have been reported in apples (43,44) and grapes [45], which may be due to the ability of biostimulants to modulate the activity of endogenous hormones, resulting in the induction of color biosynthesis pathways in the skin of the fruit (46, 47). Conversely, the results of the current study are contrary to those obtained by Tarantino et al [48,49] on apricots and Tarantino et al [50] on pomegranates, which showed no effect of biostimulants on the fruit color index. Furthermore, our results support those achieved by Abidi et al [51] on peaches and nectarines, showing that the application of potassium silicate enhanced the color indices of fruits.…”

“…Similar to our ndings, increases in fruit antioxidant activity with the use of biostimulants have been reported in tomatoes [63, 68], apples [43,47], and apricots [48]. However, the results of this study are contrary to those obtained by Tarantino et al [49] on apricots and Tarantino et al [50] on pomegranates, who reported that the use of biostimulants does not cause any change in the antioxidant activity of fruits.…”

Comparative analysis of the phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of different parts of two pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Cultivars: ‘Tunisia’ and ‘Qingpi’

“…Pomegranate products, including juice, wine, vinegar, and others, are widely accepted by consumers globally (Kalaycıoglu and Erim, 2017). Pomegranate juice, constituting 78% (w/w) (Singh et al, 2022) of fresh food products, exhibits three times higher antioxidant activity compared to wine and green tea (Arantino et al, 2023). In this study, the TPC, TFC and TMAC of 'Tunisia' and 'Qingpi' fruit juice were respectively 0.53-2.95 mg GAE/g, 0.84-2.55 mg RE/g, and 2.67-208.35 nmol/g, which were lower than 'Wonderful' pomegranate juice (Arantino et al, 2023).…”

“…Pomegranate juice, constituting 78% (w/w) (Singh et al, 2022) of fresh food products, exhibits three times higher antioxidant activity compared to wine and green tea (Arantino et al, 2023). In this study, the TPC, TFC and TMAC of 'Tunisia' and 'Qingpi' fruit juice were respectively 0.53-2.95 mg GAE/g, 0.84-2.55 mg RE/g, and 2.67-208.35 nmol/g, which were lower than 'Wonderful' pomegranate juice (Arantino et al, 2023). El Kar et al (2011 reported TPC, TFC, and TMAC in juice of 'Tunisia' and 'Gabsi' as 458-3299 mg GAE/L, 135-636 mg QE/L, and 11-178 mg CGE/L, respectively, and their ranges were also higher than those in this experiment.…”

Bioactive Compounds, Functional Ingredients, Antioxidants, and Health Benefits of Edible Plants

“…Pomegranate products, including juice, wine, vinegar, and others, are widely accepted by consumers globally (Kalaycıoglu and Erim, 2017). Pomegranate juice, constituting 78% (w/w) (Singh et al, 2022) of fresh food products, exhibits three times higher antioxidant activity compared to wine and green tea (Arantino et al, 2023). In this study, the TPC, TFC and TMAC of 'Tunisia' and 'Qingpi' fruit juice were respectively 0.53-2.95 mg GAE/g, 0.84-2.55 mg RE/g, and 2.67-208.35 nmol/g, which were lower than 'Wonderful' pomegranate juice (Arantino et al, 2023).…”