EFFECT OF SPRAYING WATER AND SHADING ON VEGETATIVE GROWTH CHARACTERS AND YIELD OF APRICOT

Abstract

This experiment was conducted at a private apricot orchard located around Baghdad . during the growing seasons of 2009 and 2010 . The experiment included three factors ; shading (S) water spraing (I) and cultivars (C). The first factor was with three levels were used ,0 (S1) , 25% (S2) and 50% (S3) and three levels of sprinkler water , no water (I1) , once a day (I2) and twice a day (I3) and two cultivars , Labeeb 1 (C1) and Turkish cultivar Zenjeely (C2). The experimental results showed that shading at 50% and water spraying at twice a day and Turkish cultivar C2I3S3 significantly gave the highest leaf area of 30,563 and 31,333 cm2 and the highest average yearly growth of 44,817 and 45,210 cm and the highest chlorophyll index of 36,833 and 36,963 SPAD unit and the highest average fruit weight of 25,960 and 26,160 gm. and yield per tree of 34,447 and 35,230 kg for both seasons, respectively. The lowest value of these parameters were found in the C1I1S1 treatment, and the C2I1S1 treatment gave the highest in branches content of carbohydrates of 9,820 and 9,907 % in both seasons , respectively . it could be concluded of this experiment that the shading at level S3 and water spraying treatments at the level I3 improved vegetative and fruits characteristics in apricot trees for two cultivars and we recommended conducting these treatments annually and study the effect of shading and water spraying treatments in the other dates on the apricot cvs.