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Zinc and Boron Application at Different Phenological Stages Alleviates Tree Growth, Fruit Yield and Quality of Sweet Orange Cv. ‘Blood Red’

Die Anwendung von Zink und Bor in verschiedenen phänologischen Stadien verbessert das Wachstum, den Fruchtertrag und die Qualität von Süßorangen der Sorte ‘Blood Red’

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Abstract

The deficiency of micronutrients, particularly zinc (Zn) and boron (B) has affected vegetative growth, yield and fruit quality of sweet orange in many citrus growing areas of Pakistan. The present study was conducted in 2015 and 2016 to determine the impact of Zn and B supplementation on growth and quality of sweet orange cv. ‘Blood red’. Pre-harvest foliar application of variant Zn and B levels was done at different phenological stages of fruit growth and development, i.e., full bloom, fruit set and premature stage. Results have concluded that pre-harvest foliar application of Zn and B augmented phosphorous, Zn, B, potassium, iron, and manganese contents in leaves, particularly Zn and B content from deficient to optimal level. Moreover, the combined application of Zn and B has also significantly enhanced vegetative characters such as tree height and spread along with reproductive characters, i.e., incremented numbers of fruit, fruit weight, total soluble solids, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid contents. However, among stage comparison, outcomes depicted that foliar application of Zn and B at full bloom + fruit set + premature stage resulted in maximum production with high quality fruits.

Zusammenfassung

Der Mangel an Mikronährstoffen, insbesondere an Zink (Zn) und Bor (B), hat das vegetative Wachstum, den Ertrag und die Fruchtqualität von Süßorangen in vielen Zitrusanbaugebieten Pakistans beeinträchtigt. Die vorliegende Studie wurde in den Jahren 2015 und 2016 durchgeführt, um die Auswirkungen einer Zn- und B-Supplementierung auf das Wachstum und die Qualität von Süßorangen der Sorte ‚Blood Red‘ zu ermitteln. Die Blattapplikation vor der Ernte mit unterschiedlichen Zn- und B-Konzentrationen erfolgte in verschiedenen phänologischen Stadien des Fruchtwachstums und der Fruchtentwicklung, d. h. in der Vollblüte, beim Fruchtansatz und im Frühstadium. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die Blattapplikation von Zn und B vor der Ernte den Phosphor‑, Zn‑, B‑, Kalium‑, Eisen- und Mangangehalt in den Blättern erhöhte, insbesondere den Zn- und B‑Gehalt von einem mangelhaften zu einem optimalen Niveau. Darüber hinaus hat die kombinierte Anwendung von Zn und B auch die vegetativen Merkmale wie Baumhöhe und -ausdehnung sowie die reproduktiven Merkmale, d. h. die Anzahl der Früchte, das Fruchtgewicht, die gesamte lösliche Trockenmasse, die titrierbare Säure und den Ascorbinsäuregehalt, deutlich verbessert. Beim Vergleich der Stadien zeigten die Ergebnisse jedoch, dass die Blattapplikation von Zn und B zum Zeitpunkt der Vollblüte, des Fruchtansatzes und im Frühstadium zu einer maximalen Produktion mit qualitativ hochwertigen Früchten führte.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank and acknowledge this work to the late Prof. Dr. Nadeem Akhtar Abbasi for his considerable mentoring and his help that made this work possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

    Sammen Walli, Ishfaq Ahmed Hafiz, Rashid Iqbal Khan, Sareer Uddin, Shakir Ullah Khan & Usman Ajmal

  2. Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Rashid Iqbal Khan

  3. Department of Agriculture and Forestry Science (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo de Lellis, 01100, Viterbo, Italy

    Muhammad Ajmal Bashir

  4. Department of Horticulture, The University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan

    Sareer Uddin

  5. Department of Horticulture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, 60800, Multan, Pakistan

    Sajjad Hussain

  6. Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, 2713, Doha, Qatar

    Muhammad Fasih Khalid

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  1. Sammen Walli
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Correspondence to Muhammad Fasih Khalid.

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S. Walli, I.A. Hafiz, R.I. Khan, M.A. Bashir, S. Uddin, S.U. Khan, U. Ajmal, S. Hussain and M.F. Khalid declare that they have no competing interests.

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Walli, S., Hafiz, I.A., Khan, R.I. et al. Zinc and Boron Application at Different Phenological Stages Alleviates Tree Growth, Fruit Yield and Quality of Sweet Orange Cv. ‘Blood Red’. Gesunde Pflanzen 74, 385–396 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-021-00616-9

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