Effect of removing the spring flush and phosphor-nitrogenous fertilizing on fruit yield and quality of the late fruiting of cactus pear Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the effect of removing the spring flush (scozzolatura practice) and phosphor-nitrogenous fertilizing on fruit yield and quality of the late fruiting of cactus pear Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. To meet this objective, trials were carried out on an adult plantation of ‘Aissa’ cv in the experimental station of Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine in Agadir. The scozzolatura practice consisted of removing the whole spring flush of flowers and cladodes during full blooming (50% flowers in bloom). The amount of fertilization provided are: 0-0, 120-18 and 195-33 kg N-P2O5 ha-1. The soil of the site of trials contains a reserve of 30-12 kg N-P2O5 ha-1 and the treatments of fertilization studied are: (T0) (control without supply, only the reserve of soil) 30-12 kg N- P2O5 ha-1, (T1) 150-30 kg N-P2O5 ha-1 and (T2) 225-45 kg N-P2O5 ha-1. Obtained results showed that the scozzolatura practice reduced fruit yield, while it improved fruit size. Nitrogen and phosphorus (N-P) fertilizing increased fruit yield and size of scozzolaturated and not scozzolaturated plants with more effect on scozzolaturated plants and T2 treatment yielded more than the other treaments of fertilization. Interaction of the two factors scozzolatura practice and N-P fertilizing does not affect (p ˃ 0.05) fruit yield and size of scozzolaturated plants.