EFFECT OF MAGNETIZATION AND NANO POTASSIUM PARTICLES ON GROWTH, YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY OF CUCUMBER UNDER PLASTIC HOUSE CONDITIONS

Abstract

Two experiments were carried out under unheated plastic house conditions during the two seasons of 2014/15 and 2016/17 on cucumber cultivar (Hesham F1 hybrid) at the Protect Agriculture Location, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University in the first season and at the Experimental Farm, Sakha Horticulture Research Station, Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center in the second one, to study the effect of magnetization (control, magnetite, magnetized water and magnetite plus magnetized water), nano potassium particles (bulk 100% and nano form; 100, 75, 50 and 25% of recommended rate) and their combined interaction on vegetative growth parameters, fruit yield and its components, fruit quality and leaves chemical content. The results can be summarized as follows: Cucumber plants treated with magnetite plus magnetized water treatment produced the highest values of vegetative growth parameters, i.e., plant height, number of internodes, number of leaves, number branches, leaf area index and dry matter of the 6th leaf, early and total fruit yield (weight and number), fruit quality; fruit length, diameter, soluble solids content and firmness and leaves chemical content; total green color reading (SPAD), N, P and K compared to nontreated plants (control) which had the lowest values. As for nano potassium application treatments, 100 and 75% nano potassium particles followed by bulk potassium form treatments resulted in an increment of abovementioned vegetative growth characters, early and total fruit yields, fruit quality and leaves chemical content, while 25 % nano potassium particles treatment gave the lowest values in both seasons. The combined interaction between magnetite plus magnetized water and either 100 or 75% nano potassium particles followed by bulk potassium form treatments were better than the other combined interactions which gave the highest records of abovementioned characters in both seasons. Conclusively, it could be recommended that the treatment of combination between magnetite + magnetized water with both of 100 or 75 % nano potassium particles were more suitable for obtaining the largest early and total yields with good fruit quality and more profitable for growers and consumers of cucumber grown in the autumn season inside the plastic houses under Kafrelsheikh conditions and similar areas.