EFFECT OF SPRAYING SALICYLIC ACID ON GROWTH AND FRUITING OF SULTANI FIG TREES (Ficus carica L.).

This study was achieved during two successive seasons (2017 & 2018). The experiment was conducted on 15 years old uniform in vigor Sultani fig trees CV grown in Minia Governorate (250 km southern Cairo city).The main target of this study was examining the effect of spraying Salicylic acid (SA) at 50, 100 and 200 ppm, once, twice and thrice, on growth and fruiting of Sultani fig trees under Minia Governorate conditions.
Spraying SA at 50 to 200 ppm once, twice or thrice considerably improved all vegetative growth aspects, leaf chlorophyll contents, leaf N, P, K (as %) of Sultani fig CV over the check treatment. However, no significant differences were observed between the two highest concentrations of SA as well as between the two or three frequencies.
Different concentrations of SA represented varying effects on yield and fruit physical and chemical characteristics of Sultani fig trees. Increasing SA concentration resulted in a gradual and significant promotion in T.S.S.%, reducing sugars %, and decreasing total acidity %. The effect was in proportional to the increase in SA frequencies from one to three times. Increasing the frequencies of application from one to three times also improved both physical and chemical properties of fruits.
The best results with regard to yield and fruit quality of Sultani fig trees grown under Minia region conditions were obtained due to treating the trees two times with SA at 100 ppm