Response of Date Palms Cv. Zahdi to Foliar Spray with Urea and Seaweed Extract
Humayun Murad, Ahmed F. Z. Al-Dulaimy
Abstract
Abstract This study was conducted in one of the private palm groves in Anbar governorate, Heet city, Al-Furat district during the 2019-2020 growing season on date palm trees (Zahdi cultivar), to study the effect spraying urea at a concentration (0, 1 and 2 g L −1 ) and seaweed algae extract at a concentration (0, 2 and 4 ml L −1 ). Twenty-seven of 20-year-old trees were selected. A factorial experiment was carried out in randomized complete blocks design (RCBD) included 9 treatments and 3 replications. The results showed that urea treatments especially 2 g L −1 have the best yield traits (fruit weight, cluster weight, yield and reducing sugars in fruits which reached (9.62 g, 13.62 kg, 163.2 kg tree −1 and 54.07%), respectively. As to 1g L −1 urea gave the highest volume of fruits which is (6.43 cm 3 ). Whereas the urea has no significant effect on the nitrate content in fruits . On the other hand, the spraying with 4 ml L −1 of seaweed extract has significant effect on volume of fruits and reducing sugars that reached to the highest values of (6.21 cm 3 and 53.86%), respectively. While the concentration of 2 ml L −1 revealed the highest cluster weight of (13.21kg and total yield of 132.1kg tree −1 ). Furthermore, it reduced nitrate content of fruit to the minimum level of (30.95 mg L −1 ).