Improving of Fruit Set, Yield and Fruit Quality of "Khalas" Tissue Culture Derived Date Palm Through Bunches Spraying with Potassium and/or Boron

The objective of the present paper is for studying the impact of bunches spraying with K and/or B on fruit set, fruit yield and fruit quality characteristics. The present study was carried out during 2008/2009 growing seasons on date palm, "Khalas" cultivar. Bunches were spraying at three times; 2 hrs before pollination, 4 and 8 weeks after pollination. Eight spraying treatments were performed; spraying with potassium citrate solution at rates of 1, 2, and 3%, spraying with boric acid solution at rates of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% , spraying with mixed solution of potassium citrate at 2%+boric acid solution at rate of 0.2% besides the control treatment(spraying with distilled water). The present results indicated that spraying date palm bunches with K and/or B, significantly increased the fruit set. The superior treatment was 2%K-citrate+0.2% boric acid solution, the increment is account as 53.64 and 56.66% over control for both seasons. The same effect was noticed with fruit yield, the highest yield was obtained with K+B solution by 44.67 and 44.19% over control for both seasons. Fruit physical and chemical characteristics were significantly improved with spraying bunches with K or/and B solution except for seed weight and acidity. Potassium and/or boron spraying treatments markedly increased fruit contents of macro and micro-nutrients. The highest nutrients content was noticed with K+B (2%K-Citrat+0.2%Boric acid) solution treatment. In general the results showed that K or B or mixed have a significant effect in increasing the fruit set, fruit yield and improving the fruit quality. Also, the data showed that superiority of K+B spraying treatment (2%K-Citrat+0.2%Boric acid)