Effect of Addition City Garbage As A Nitrogen Source Either Alone or in Combination with Each Nitrate or Urea on Zaghloul and Samany Date Palm Cultivars

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Hort. Res. Institute, Agric. Res. Center, Egypt.

2 Hort. Res. Institute, Agric. Center, Egypt.

Abstract

Field investigation was carried out during 2006/2007and 2007/2008 seasons on Zaghloul and Samany date palm cultivars grown in Alexandria, Egypt to study the effect of different sources of nitrogen namely, city garbage as organic source and urea or ammonium nitrate as chemical sources on yield, fruit quality, and some minerals content on fruits and pinnae, moreover chlorophyll content in pinnae.
Applying 1200 g N/palm/year from city garbage alone or in combination with chemical nitrogen sources improved yield, fruit length and fruit diameter while fruit weight was not affected significantly by the different treatments in both cultivars.   TSS and total sugars content were highly when trees fertilized with city garbage in combination with urea for Zaghloul and Samany cultivars. City garbage decreased chlorophyll content in pinnae of Zaghloul and Samany. The highest value was obtained with control (1200 g N/palm/year from ammonium sulphate as well as 10 kg cattle manure) and urea in Zaghloul and Samany, respectively. 
Fruit and pinnae mineral content (N, P, K and Mg) was not affected significantly by the different treatments in both cultivars. As for the effect of fertilization treatments on fruit heavy metals,in both study seasons the highest value of cadmium in Zaghloul and Samany fruits were recorded when trees treated with combined urea with city garbage. Concerning fruit lead content the highest concentration was obtained with ureaand combined urea with city garbage in Zaghloul and Samany, respectively.   

Main Subjects