Effect of Garlic Extract and Mineral Oil Spray on Flowering, Harvesting Time, Yield and Fruit Quality of Peach (Prunus persica) Trees cv. 'Florida prince'

摘要

This investigation was carried out during two successive seasons on six years-old peach trees cv. 'Florida prince' grown in the Nubaria district, Behera Governorate, Egypt, to study the effect of garlic extract and mineral oil spray on flowering, harvesting time, yield and fruit quality attributes. Trees were sprayed once at the dormant bud stage after winter pruning (mid-November) to run-off with 1, 2 and 4 percent (v/v) of garlic extract and 2 percent mineral oil alone or in combinations. The following data was determined: flowering time (full bloom), harvesting percentage at 5-day intervals with four harvests, yield, average fruit weight, volume, and diameter, fruit firmness, percentages of seed/fruit and flesh/fruit weight, total soluble solids(TSS), titratable acidity (TA), total sugars, total chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents. 4 percent garlic extract advanced full bloom by 20 and 16 days, increased yield by about 57 and 37 percent and also advanced the beginning of harvest time by about5 and 10 days than the control in the first and second seasons, respectively. Fruits obtained from trees sprayed with 4 percent garlic extract had the heaviest and largest fruits with the highest TSS and the lowest TA than other treatments in both seasons.