Response of mango trees to foliar spray with urea and some micronutrients under El-Fayoum governorate conditions.
El-Shewy A. A.
Author Affiliation: Agric. Botany Dept., Fac. of Agric. El-Fayoum, Cairo Univ., Cairo, Egypt.
Annals of Agricultural Science, Moshtohor 37 : 1721-1732
Abstract : In the two successive seasons of 1996/1997 and 1997/1998, in El-Fayoum, Egypt, adult mango trees aging 15-years-old were sprayed with urea solution (0.80%) alone or in combination with zinc, manganese and/or iron. All tested treatments delayed panicle emergence and full bloom and increased panicle length and number of male and perfect flowers. It also decreased the sex ratio when compared to the control. Spraying urea+iron+zinc+manganese+copper proved to be the most effective treatment in increasing fruit set, number of harvested fruits and yield per tree as well as in decreasing fruit drop. The studied treatments did not affect the total soluble solids (TSS), acidity, TSS/acid ratio and vitamin C content of mango fruits. Regarding leaf mineral content, all tested treatments (including urea application) increased nitrogen percentage in leaves, and the combination of the different studied mineral elements increased leaf potassium and calcium content.