Effect of roots removal on nutrition Status of Khastawy cv. date palm offshoots

Abstract

Nine – years old bearing and non – bearing palm trees , cv. khastawy were used to study the effect of offshoot root system removal on the nutritive status of offshoots .Tow offshoots were left per tree and the root system of one of them was removed . The nutritive status was indicated by starch , reducing sugars, starch + reducing sugars, N,P,K concentrations and dry matter percentage in leaflets offshoots . Results showed that removing of root system had no significant effect on leaflets content of starch , starch+ reducing sugars , N,P,K and dry matter , whereas reducing sugars percentage were significantly high in leaflets of de rooted offshoots .Leaflets of offshoots on bearing palms showed significant reduction in starch + reducing sugars and P content only . Leaflets starch content was high during March ( 4.28% ) and dropped during July (1.69%) . Reducing sugars contents were low during September ( 1.36 %) and increased ( 2.62% ) during January . N,P and K concentration was high during July ( 0.78 , 0.206 and 1.90 % ) and dropped during November ( 0.168 and 1.66 % ) for P and K , whereas N concentration was dropped during May ( 0.57% ) . Yet the dry matter was high during July ( 44.54% ) and low during March (40.06% ).