LEAVES AND FRUITS CONTENT OF N, P, AND K AS WELL AS FRUIT QUALITY OF SWEET PEPPER PLANT AS AFFECTED BY IRRIGATION LEVELS AND SOIL AMENDMENTS UNDER EL-ARISH REGION CONDITIONS

Abstract

This study was carried out during summer season of 2017 and 2018 at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, Egypt to investigate the effects of water irrigation levels and soil amendments on content of N, P and K in leaves and fruits as well as fruit quality of sweet pepper plant. Sweet pepper cv. “Top star” was subjected to three irrigation levels (100,80 and 60% of irrigation requirements) and three soil amendments; i.e., control (without amendment), gypsum and pressed olive cake and their interactions in a factorial experiment using the randomized complete block design with three replications. Drip irrigation system was used and soil texture was sandy loam. The obtained results indicated that the highest contents of N, P and Kin leaves and fruit were recorded with applying 100% irrigation level + pressed olive cake as soil amendment followed by 80% irrigation levels + pressed olive cake in both seasons. All fruit quality studied traits; viz., fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit wall thickness, hardness, TSS%, and vitamin C content had their highest values with applying 100% of irrigation water + pressed olive cake as a soil amendment in both seasons, except length/diameter (L/D) ratio and pH values, where the highest values of fruit L/D ratio were recorded with applying 80% of irrigation water level + pressed olive cake in both seasons, while the highest values of fruit pH were recorded with applying 80% of irrigation water + pressed olive cake without significant difference than the same treatment of soil amendment with 100% or 60% irrigation water level in both seasons.