Plant Physiology
Mozhdeh Yousefi; Seyed Hossein Mirdehghan; Majid Esmaeilizadeh; Fatemeh Nazoori; Seyyed Rasoul Sahhafi
Abstract
Purpose: The pistachio nut is an important product primarily traded as dry nut in-shell kernels. Any damage to the shell during growth and development can cause shell staining and kernel decay in pistachios, rendering them unsuitable for sale. This study aimed to mitigate these issues by evaluating the ...
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Purpose: The pistachio nut is an important product primarily traded as dry nut in-shell kernels. Any damage to the shell during growth and development can cause shell staining and kernel decay in pistachios, rendering them unsuitable for sale. This study aimed to mitigate these issues by evaluating the effects of various calcium nitrate solutions. Research method: Fruit samples from two pistachio cultivars, 'Akbari' and 'Kaleh-Ghoochi,' were collected from 18-year-old trees with moderate tree vigor in a commercial orchard. The calcium nitrate solutions included a control sample (distilled water), 0.4% calcium nitrate, and 0.2% calcium nitrate enriched with lecithin, foliar applied two weeks after full bloom. Findings: Calcium nitrate treatments, both alone and enriched with lecithin, significantly reduced physiological disorders such as endocarp lesions and fruit abscission. In 'Akbari,' calcium nitrate treatments reduced issues such as nut ounce, shell staining, deformed nuts, blank nuts, endocarp lesions, early-split nuts, hull decay, and hull cracking. In contrast, Kaleh-Ghoochi also benefited from reduced occurrences of deformed nuts, early-split nuts, hull decay, and hull cracking. However, when treated with calcium nitrate enriched with lecithin, there was a notable reduction in blank nuts in Kaleh-Ghoochi, whereas calcium nitrate alone led to an increase in blank nuts. These calcium nitrate treatments resulted in positive outcomes and reduced fruit defects, thereby enhancing the overall quality and marketability of pistachios. Notably, the combination of calcium nitrate and lecithin had a more pronounced impact on Akbari, improving the pistachio nut's hull appearance, firmness, and reducing water activity. Research limitations: There were no limitations. Originality/Value: These findings suggest that calcium plays a significant role in enhancing the yield, quality, and marketability of pistachio fruit, providing practical insights for farmers aiming to improve their pistachio production practices.
Plant Nutrition
Bahareh Rahmani; Mahmoud Ghasemnezhad; Reza Fotouhi Ghazvini; Akbar Forghani
Abstract
Purpose: Boron deficiency can be a limiting factor for the flowering and fruit production of olive orchards. The appropriate time for foliar spray needs to be found in each environment. Research method: Effect of foliar spray (350 mg L-1 from boric acid) after fruit harvest (Stage 1), during flower bud ...
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Purpose: Boron deficiency can be a limiting factor for the flowering and fruit production of olive orchards. The appropriate time for foliar spray needs to be found in each environment. Research method: Effect of foliar spray (350 mg L-1 from boric acid) after fruit harvest (Stage 1), during flower bud differentiation (Stage 2), and the anthesis (Stage 3) alone or in combination, on fruit set percentage, leaf and inflorescence boron, zinc, and iron concentration, soluble carbohydrates content in leaves of three commercial olive cultivars was investigated. Findings: Results showed, the maximum fruit set percentage, the highest leaf and inflorescence boron content, was found in the Koroneiki cultivar when boron sprayed two times at stages 1+3 and stages 2+3. The highest leaf and inflorescence zinc content was found when boron sprayed two times at stages 2+3 on the Koroneiki cultivar. The highest leaf and inflorescence iron content was found in Baladi and Mission cultivars, respectively, when sprayed at stage 2 or two times at stages 1+3. Olive cultivar Baladi showed the highest leaf fructose, sucrose, and glucose content when boron sprayed at stage 2 alone or three times at stages 1+2+3. Research limitations: It can be useful to study different concentrations of foliar spray and other cultivars. Originality/Value: The response of different olive cultivars was not the same. It seems that boron spray at the appropriate time increased fruit set percentage, especially in Koroneiki. Therefore, more research is needed to find the best fertilization program in olive orchards of Golestan province.
Plant Nutrition
Isam Al-madhagi
Abstract
Purpose: Cucumber is a very sensitive plant even under standard conditions, and its fruit, reaches the harvest stage rapidly. In addition to, in Yemen a lot of fertilizer and fungicide chemical have used during the production. For this purpose, effect of exogenously applied of bio-stimulators (humic ...
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Purpose: Cucumber is a very sensitive plant even under standard conditions, and its fruit, reaches the harvest stage rapidly. In addition to, in Yemen a lot of fertilizer and fungicide chemical have used during the production. For this purpose, effect of exogenously applied of bio-stimulators (humic acid and yeast) was examined. Research method: Cucumber HATEM F1 Cultivar was used as plant material. Plants were grown during the clean horticulture practices under polyethylene greenhouse condition. The experiment designed as completely randomized blocks design (RCBD). Humic acid at 0, 100 and 300 mg L-1, as well as yeast at 0, 2000 and 4000 mg L-1, sprayed once alone or in combination. Findings: As compared to control, humic at 100 mg L-1 alone increased the yield about 14.88%. Yeast at 4000 mg L-1 alone offered the significantly (P≤0.05) highest of the plant (88.2%) and higher yield (91.00%). Yeast at 2000 mg L-1 significantly increased leaves DM% (26.6%). Yeast significantly increases chlorophyll SPAD. The interaction of 100 humic × 4000 mg L-1 of yeast increased the yield by 168.26% than the control. Research limitations: Further studies were needed to clarify the interaction effect of both substances by using the higher modern technique. Originality/Value: The finding obtained from this study could probably use to manage and successfully applied to the production of organic cucumber. Moreover, it could be suggested that the combination between yeast at 4000 mg L-1 and humic at 100 mg L-1 is the best for the productivity of cucumber.
