IMPROVING FRUIT QUALITY OF MANFALOTY AND WONDERFULL POMEGRANATES BY USING BAGGING AND SOME SPRAY TREATMENTS WITH GIBBERELLIC ACID, CALCIUM CHLORIDE AND KAOLIN.

Abstract

This study was carried out during the two successive seasons of 2012 and 2013 on Manfaloty and Wonderful pomegranate trees at5 and 3-years old respectively, the trees were spaced at 4x4 m. grown in a sandy soil. The highest values of yield and its components i.e., fruit weight, fruit number /tree and yield /tree were recorded when Manfaloty and Wonderful pomegranate trees treated with GA3 at 50 or 100ppm, CaCl2 4 %, kaolin 2.5 or 5 % and bagging treatment. The lowest percentage of fruit creaking and sunburn were obtained with bagging treatment followed by kaolin 5% and spraying by CaCl2 and GA3 treatments compared with the control treatment .All treatments caused a highly significant increase in Marketable fruits %. Bagging treatment gave the highest Marketable fruits percentage compared with the control and other treatments. The highest fruit length and diameter obtained by GA3 50 or 100ppm and CaCl2 2 or 4% treatment. Furthermore,GA3, kaolin and bagging treatments improvedSSC, total acidity and SSC/acid ratio ,meanwhile the highest anthocyanin content in juice and peel was obtained by bagging and spraying kaolin 5% treatments in both cultivars. Therefore, these treatments could be recommended for improving Manfaloty and Wonderfull pomegranate cvs performance under similar conditions of this study.