EFFECT OF SALICYLIC AND ASCORBIC ACIDS ON YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY OF WONDERFUL POMEGRANATE TREES

AN experiment trial was carried out during 2017 and 2018 seasons on Wonderful pomegranate trees about 7 years old grown in sandy soil under drip irrigation system from well at private orchard located on Cairo-Alexandria desert road (about 50 km from Cairo), Egypt. Treatments of salicylic acid (50,100 and 150 ppm), ascorbic acid (500, 750 and 1000 ppm) and tap water control were foliar sprayed twice a year i.e. at full bloom and four weeks later. Abstractly, salicylic and ascorbic acid treatments enhanced leaf characteristics, yield and fruit quality traits as well as minimized sunburned and cracked fruit percentages. Ascorbic acid treatment at 1000 ppm proved to be most efficient treatment in this respect.