EFFECT OF SPRAYING CACL2 ON SOME PHYSICAL CHARACTERS OF ZIZIPHUS MILL. AND ITS RELATION TO FRUITS CRACKING

Abstract

The present work was conducted over growing seasons (5/9/2004- 20/4/2005) in a private orchard, at Abu- Al- Khaseeb- Basrah- Iraq to study the effect of CaCl2 ( 0, 1000 , 2000 ) mg.L-1 by spraying on some physical characters of Ziziphus Mill. and its relation to fruits cracking. The results showed that spraying trees with CaCl2 concentration ( 2000 ) mg.L-1 had to decrease the percentage, length, and width of cracking in both cultivars Zaytoni and Bambawi which reached ( 8 & 4 ) % & ( 1.85 & 1.44) cm , ( 1.77 & 2.37 ) mm in Zaytoni and Bambawi respectively , while it reached ( 13.33 & 7.33 ) % , ( 2.34 & 2.12 ) cm and ( 3.63 & 3.73 ) mm in the treatment without CaCl2 spraying in both cultivars, but no significant effect of CaCl2 in number of cracking in the fruit in both cultivars . Spraying of CaCl2 cause to increase the length, diameter and volume of fruits compared with control treatment ( without CaCl2) in both cultivars. High percentage and length of cracking was shown in Zaytoni cultivar which reached ( 10.22 ) % compared with Bambawi cultivar ( 5.56% ). A negative correlation was noticed between percentage of cracking and length, diameter and volume of fruits and between cracking length and the length and volume of fruits in both cultivars . This relationship caused by CaCl2 on this characters . Positive correlation was shown between percentage of cracking and length and width of cracking and length and volume of fruit in both cultivars Zaytoni and Bamba