EFFECT OF FOLIAR SPRAY WITH SOME PLANTS EXTRACTS AND DIFFERENT CALCIUM SOURCES ON PRODUCTIVITY AND QUILTY OF STRAWBERRY FRUITS. I. VEGETATIVE GROWTH , PRODUCTIVITY AND FRUIT QUALITY

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Two pots experiments were conducted in Baramoon Res. Station, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt during of 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons to study the effect of some exogenous plant extracts and different calcium sources on growth , productivity and fruit quality of strawberry. Three available plants extract namely, green tea, thyme and mushroom at 2 ml /l of each as well as chitosan at 1% and different calcium sources, i.e., calcium chloride (1 %), calcium citrate (2.5 ml/l) and calcium nitrate ( 0.5 ml /l) were evaluated plus control treatment ( spraying with tap water) . The obtained results could be summarized as follows: All treatments of plant extracts, chitosan and different calcium sources had significantly increased vegetative growth, yield and its components and fruits quality of strawberry than control treatment ( sprayed with tap water) in both seasons. Spraying strawberry plants with green tea extract at 2 ml / l gave the maximum values of all vegetative growth parameters, such as plant height, fresh weight/ plant, number of leaves per plant and leaf area, concentrations of chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll in leaf tissues, both number of runners, flowers and crown / plant, crown diameter/plant and total yield/ plant as well as average fruit weight, also the highest fruit quality , i.e., pectin, Vit. C , TSS, total sugars, reducing and nun reducing and lowest values of total acidity, followed by spraying with mushroom extract at 2 ml / l or calcium nitrate at 0.5 ml/l . The increases in total yield/ plant were about 78.94 and 68.48 % for spraying plants with green tea extract and 55.93 and 62.56 % for spraying plants with calcium nitrate over unsprayed plants (control treatment ) in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively. Conclusively, from the foregoing results of this study, it could be concluded that, under the same conditions , spraying strawberry plants with plants extracts such as green tea or mushroom extracts at 2 ml / l or calcium nitrate at 0.5 ml/l were the best treatments for increasing growth , yield and gave the best fruits quality .