The performance of moringa leaf extract application and bagging the bunches to improve fruits quality of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Al-Khadrawi and Al-Buraim

Abstract

The study was conducted at the Fadak farm of the Husseiniya shrine/ Karbala governorate during the growth season 2021 to test the role of application with Moringa leaf extract and the paper bagging of the bunches in improving some qualitative characteristics of the fruits of two palm cultivars, Al-Khadrawi and Al-Buraim. The bunches were sprayed with three concentrations of moringa leaf extract (0, 100, 200 ml. L-1) three times after 7, 10, and 13 weeks of pollination and then bagging the bunches after each application process according to the schedule and plan of the experiment. The results indicated that application with moringa extract and bagging increased the proportion of total dissolved solids (T.S.S.), total sugars and reducing sugars, and decreased the total acidity neutralizing, sucrose, and tannins. Al-Khadrawi cultivar was superior in most of the studied traits. The study's findings suggest that natural plant extracts (such as Moringa leaf extract) can be utilized as organic amendments or fertilizer additives in conjunction with particular farming practices to enhance the quality of the fruits of some varieties of date palms. Keywords: T.S.S.; natural extract; Phoenix dactylifera; Arecaceae; Moringaoleifera.