Enhancement of Canino Apricots Yield and Quality by Foliar Application of Potassium Silicate, Salicylic Acid and Citric Acid

A field experiment was conducted in two successive seasons (2019 and 2020) to study the effect of potassium silicate (K₂SiO₃), salicylic acid (SA) and citric acid (CA) on productivity and fruit physicochemical properties of Canino apricots. The experiment was done at a private farm located at Cairo-Assiut Western desert road of Minia Governorate. A randomized complete block design was used. The obtained results confirmed that spraying trees with K₂SiO₃ (at 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.2%), SA and CA each at 250 and 500 ppm significantly enhanced Canino apricots (yield; kg/tree), fruit number/tree, fruit physicochemical properties, as well as proline content (mg/100g FW). The maximum values in above mentioned parameters were observed when the trees received the three examined compounds at higher concentrations compared to the control trees or other treatments. However, no significant differences were observed between the two higher concentrations of K₂SiO₃ (0.1% and 0.2%). Generally, the results of the present work demonstrated that application of K₂SiO₃, SA and CA play a remarkable role in improving fruit set, yield and fruit physical and chemical properties of Canino apricots cultivated at El-Minia Governorate conditions under salinity stress.