The Influence of the Soil Application of Vermicompost Combined with the Spraying of Chitosan and Glycine Betaine on Fruit Retention and Some Fruit Quality Characteristics of Plum

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Plant Production Department (Horticulture-Pomology), Faculty of Agriculture, Saba Basha, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21531, Egypt.

2 Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt.

10.21608/eajbsh.2025.433801

Abstract

This study was conducted on five-year-old plum trees (Prunus domestica L.), cultivar "Solar", grafted onto "Mariana" rootstock. These trees were planted in sandy soil and irrigated by drip systems at a private farm in El-Nubaria, El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt, during the 2023-2024 seasons. The research aimed to investigate the effects of applying Vermicompost (VC) at rates of 0, 3, and 5 kg to the soil, along with foliar applications of Chitosan (Cs) at 0 and 0.5 g/L, and Glycine Betaine (GB) at 0 and 90 mg/L, 3 kg VC + 0.5 g/L Cs, 3 kg VC +  90 mg/L GB, 5 kg VC + 0.5 g/L Cs, 5 kg VC + 90 mg/L GB, 3 kg VC + 0.5 g/L Cs + 90 mg/L GB, 5 kg VC + 0.5 g/L Cs + 90 mg/L GB, compared to a control group that received only water. Each treatment was replicated five times and arranged in a split-plot design. VC was applied to the soil as the main plot factor in January of each season, while Cs and GB were applied to the foliage at four different stages: pre-flowering, full bloom, fruit set, and 20 days after fruit set.  Results (p < 0.05) showed that the combination of 5 kg of VC with foliar applications of Cs at 0.5 g/L and GB at 90 mg/L was most effective in promoting fruit retention percentages. Additionally, this treatment significantly improved physical attributes like pulp and seed weight.

Keywords

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics