THE USE OF PHOSPHATE SOLUBILIZING BACTERIA, PHOSPHATE SOURCES AND ANTIOXIDANTS FOR IMPROVING FRUIT QUALITY OF EARLIGRANDE PEACH TREES

Authors

1 Dept. Plant Prod., Fac. Environ. Agric. Sci., Suez Canal Univ., Egypt.

2 Dept. Soil and Water, Fac. Environ. Agri. Sc., Suez Canal Univ., Egypt.

Abstract

This work was carried out during the two seasons of 2009 and 2010 to study the effect of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (Enterobacter aerogenes ECu3, Bacillus subtilis AC2 and Enterobacter aerogenes ECu3×Bacillus subtilis AC2) and some phosphorus resources (rock phosphate, phosphoric acid, pentoxide phosphate and super phosphate) under foliar application of antioxidants (Ascorbic acid, vitamin E, and aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa) on fruit quality of EarliGrande peach trees at private Farm of El-Kharafeen region, North Sinai Governorate, Egypt. Results proved that all physical and chemical fruit parameters of treated trees with Bacillus subtilis AC2 under spraying aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa were significantly increased. All phosphate fertilization sources markedly affected fruit parameters of EarliGrande peach trees. Generally, the highest values of fruit parameters were found with the interaction between phosphoric acid and spraying H.sabdariffa extract. As for yield, fruit yield was significantly increased as phosphate solubilizing bacteria were applied. Bacillus subtilis AC2 spraying under aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa treatment recorded the highest yield compared with the remained treatments. At the same time treated trees with pentoxide phosphate and / or phosphoric acid under spraying H. sabdariffa and vitamin C extracts produced high values of fruit yield. Whereas, the interaction between E. aerogenes x B. subtilis with spraying Vitamin C produced lowest values of acidity and highest values of vitamin C content. Bacillus subtilis AC2 under spraying aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa treatment recorded the highest values of T.S.S and moisture content in both seasons.

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