IMPACT OF SPRAYING MELATONIN, POTASSIUM, AND ZINC ON KUMQUAT FRUIT TRAITS AND SOME CHEMICAL CONCENTRATIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36103/n077ds85Keywords:
fruit size, ascorbic acid, tss, phenols, carotenoidsAbstract
This experiment was conducted at the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, during 2022 season to investigate the effect of spraying with melatonin, potassium sulfate, and organic zinc on the flowering and production stage, of 3-year old Kumquat saplings grafted onto lemon rootstock. The experiment was factorial within Randomized Completely Block Design using three replications. The factors of the experiment were foliar spraying with melatonin, potassium sulfate, and organic zinc. The treatments were applied at two times, spring and autumn. Each of the three factors independently influenced both the fruit characteristics and the concentration of chemical elements within the fruits. Melatonin application at a concentration of 20 mg.L-1 resulted in a remarkable improvement in fruit traits, specifically by increasing the number of fruits, fruit size, and fruit weight. This treatment also demonstrated a positive impact on the concentrations of various chemicals within the fruits, including TSS, total sugars, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and phenols. Potassium sulfate applied at a concentration of 3000 mg.L-1 and organic zinc applied at a concentration of 1000 mg.L-1 exhibited the most pronounced effects on the same fruit traits that were positively influenced by melatonin.
References
1.Anwar, S., M. Y. Ashraf, M. Saleem, F. Shafiq, N. Khan, R. A. Khan, and M. Ashraf, 2022. Integrated hormonal and nutrient management promote fruit retention and quality traits of Citrus reticulata. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 46(1), 83-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2022.2064301
2. Alinejad Elahshah, A., H. Moradi, and H. Sadeghi, 2018. Effect of foliar application of zinc and boron on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of strawberry fruit (fragaria ananassa cv. aromas) in hydroponic system. Journal of Horticultural Science, 32(2), 213-226. https://doi.org/10.22067/jhorts4.v32i2.57665
3.Al-Rawi, K M and A. A. H. Khalafallah 2000. Design and Analysis of Agricultural Experiments. Second Edition – University of Mosul, Iraq.pp:95-136
4.Al-Tahafy, S A A. M. 2011 The effect of potassium and boron spraying on fruit drop and some quantitative characteristics. Kufa Journal for Agricultural Sciences. 3(1).38-46
5.Amjad, M, J. Akhtar, M. Anwar-Ui-Haq, S. Imran, and S. Jacobsen 2014 Soil and foliar application of potassium enhances fruit yield and quality of tomato under salinity. Turkish J. Bio. 38:208-218.
https://doi.10.3906/biy-1305-54
6.Arnao, M. and J. Hernández-Ruiz 2019b. Role of melatonin to enhance phytoremediation capacity. Applied Sciences. 9(24):5293. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9245293
7.Arnao, M B; J, Hernández-Ruiz; A, Cano, and R J, Reiter 2021. Melatonin and carbohydrate metabolism in plant cells. Plants.10(9).1917 https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091917
8.Bahcesular B, E. D. Yildirim, M. Karaçocuk, M, Kulak, and S, Karaman 2020 Seed priming with melatonin effects on growth, essential oil compounds and antioxidant activity of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) under salinity stress. Ind. Crops Prod. 146:112165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.112165
9.Buch-Pedersen, M J; E L, Rudashevskaya, T. S, Berner; K, Venema, and M. G, Palmgren, 2006. Potassium as an intrinsic uncoupler of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 281(50):38285-38292. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M604781200
10.Chang, Y. C; I. Z, Chen; L. H, Lin; and Y. S, Chang 2014 Temperature effects on shoot growth and flowering of kumquat trees. Kor. J. Hort. Sci. Technol.32:1–9. https://doi.org/10.7235/hort.2014.12188
11.Dai L; J. Li and H, Harmens. 2020. Melatonin enhances drought resistance by regulating leaf stomatal behaviour, root growth and catalase activity in two contrasting rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) genotypes. Plant Physiol Biochem.149:86–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.01.03
12.Dass, A; G A, RajannaBabu; S,S K, Lal; A K, Choudhary; R, Singh, and B, Kumar 2022 Foliar application of macro-and micronutrients improves the productivity, economic returns, and resource-use efficiency of soybean in a semiarid climate. Sustainability.14(10):5825. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105825
13.Gaoh, Zhang Z. K; H. K, Chai; N, Cheng Y, Yang; DN, Wang; T, Yang; and W, Cao 2016. Melatonin treatment delays postharvest senescence and regulates reactive oxygen species metabolism in peach fruit. Postharvest Biol Technol. 118:103–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2016.03.006
14.Gu, X; L, Xue; L, Lu; J. Xiao; and H, Zhang 2020 melatonin enhances the waterlogging tolerance of prunus persica by modulating antioxidant metabolism and anaerobic respiration. J. Plant Growth Regul. 40, 2178–2190.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-020-10263-5
15.Gao, T., X. Liu,. K. Tan, D. Zhang, B. Zhu, F. Ma, and C. Li, 2022. Introducing melatonin to the horticultural industry: physiological roles, potential applications, and challenges. Horticulture Research, 9, uhac094. https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhac094
16.Ishtiaq, H ; S, Bhardwaj; A , Ashraf and D, Kapoor 2021 Versatile role of auxin and its crosstalk with other plant hormones to regulate plant growth and development. PlantArchives,21(1).1621-1627https://doi.org/10.51470/PLANTARCHIVES.2021.v21.no1.221
17.Jafari, M, and A, Shahsavar 2021. The effect of foliar application of melatonin on changes in secondary metabolite contents in two citrus species under drought stress conditions. Frontiers in Plant Science. 12(10):692735. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.692735
18.Jiao, Y; C, Sha and Q, Shu; 2022 Integrated physiological and metabolomic analyses of the effect of potassium fertilizer on Citrus fruit splitting. Plants. 11(4):49911(1), 99. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11040499
19.Kadhom, A and AY Salih 2019 The effect of foliar fertilization and root stimulate at the growth of Olive's (Olea europaea L.) saplings (Nabali and Ashraci). Plant Archives. (19):169-175
20.Liaqat, S; S, Chhabra; P, Saffeullah; N, Iqbal and T O, Siddiqi 2022 Role of Potassium in Drought Adaptation: Insights into Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics of Plants. book: Role of Potassium in Abiotic Stress, pp:143-162.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4461-0_7
21.Luo, Z; J, Zhang; M, Xiang; J, Zeng; J, Chen; and M, Chen, 2022 Exogenous melatonin treatment affects Ascorbic acid metabolism in postharvest 'Jinyan' kiwifruit. Frontiers in Nutrition.9-2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1081476
22.Nehela, Y., and N. Killiny, 2020. Melatonin is involved in citrus response to the pathogen huanglongbing via modulation of phytohormonal biosynthesis. Plant Physiology, 184(4), 2216-2239. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.20.00393
23.Robinson, T, S Hoying, K Iungerman, and K Viklys 2010 Retain combined with NAA controls pre-harvest drop of McIntosh apples better than either chemical alone. New York Fruit Quart. 18(3):9-13.
24. Riaz ,A., R., M. Manzoor, M. D., Muhammad, H. M. A. Altaf, and A. Shakoor, 2023. Exogenous melatonin spray enhances salinity tolerance in Zizyphus germplasm: a brief theory. Life, 13(2), 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/life13020493
25.Sadek, E. S; D. P, Makris; and P, Kefalas 2009 Polyphenolic composition and antioxidant characteristics of kumquat (Fortunella margarita) peel fractions. Plant Food Hum Nutr,64(4):297-302. https://doi: 10.1007/s11130-009-0140-1
26.Salih, A. Y., and H. Kh Ibraheem 2023. Effect of gibbrllen spraying and soil fertilizing with Humic acid at vegetative and root system growth at Mandarin saplings (Citrus reticula L.).Bionatura.8(2):1-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.21931/RB/CSS/2023.08.02.68
27.Sardans, J., and J. Peñuelas, 2021. Potassium control of plant functions: Ecological and agricultural implications. Plants, 10(2),419. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10020419
28.Zahedi, S. M., Hosseini, M. S., Abadía, J., and Marjani, M. 2020. Melatonin foliar sprays elicit salinity stress tolerance and enhance fruit yield and quality in strawberry (Fragaria× ananassa Duch.). Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 149, 313-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.02.021
29.Zahedi, S M; M, Karimi and J. A, Teixeira da Silva 2020 The use of nanotechnology to increase quality and yield of fruit crops. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.100(1):25-31 https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10004
30. Zhao, L., S. Yan, Y. Wang, G. Xu, and D. Zhao, 2023. Evaluation of the effect of preharvest melatonin spraying on fruit quality of ‘Yuluxiang’pear based on principal component analysis. Foods, 12(18), 3507. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12183507
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 IRAQI JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
2.jpg)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5774-5906 2.jpg)
