Effect of foliar application with potassium silicate and glycine betaine on growth and early yield quality of strawberry plants [electronic resource]

Includes bibliographic reference

At private farm in Demiana village, Bilqas district, El-Dakahlia governorate, Egypt during the two consecutive winter seasons of 2018 and 2019, experimental field was carried out to study the response of vegetative growth, chemical components in leaves, yield and fruit quality of strawberry (Fragaria ssp.) cv. Fortuna to foliar spray with potassium silicate (KSi), glycine betaine (GB)and their interaction treatments. The experiment was done in split-plot within complete block randomized design. Potassium silicate treatments were four concentrations as (0, 2, 4 and 6 g/l) and glycine betaine were three concentrations as (0, 2.5 and 5 g/l). The obtained results referred to that KSi and GB significantly affected on vegetative growth, chemical components in leaves, yield and quality. Furthermore, foliar application with KSi at 6 g/l gave the highest values of vegetative growth, leaves contents, yield and fruit quality. As well as, foliar application with GB at any concentration significantly improved vegetative growth, chemical components in leaves, yield and fruit quality compared to control. In general, the best interaction treatment in this concern was that KSi at 6 g/l interacted with GB at 5 g/l as foliar spray compared to the other ones under study. Thus, it can be recommended that spraying strawberry plants with potassium silicate at 6 g/l and glycine betaine at 5 g/l can promote vegetative growth and increase the early yield and fruit quality under cold condition that are likely to occur in this period (November to February) which meet main export season..
Keywords: Strawberry, foliar application, potassium silicate, glycine betaine, early fruit yield and quality.

Summary in Arabic