INFLUENCE OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS

RATES ON NUMBER AND QUALITY OF

STRAWBERRY TRANSPLANTS

By

AMR ABDELFATTAH HAMED AHMED METWALLY

B.Sc. Agric. Sc., Horticulture, Ain Shams University, 2007

M.Sc. Agric. Sc., Vegetable Crops, Ain Shams University, 2013

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Of

The Requirements for the Degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

in

Agricultural Sciences

(Vegetable Crops)

Department of Horticulture

Faculty of Agriculture

Ain Shams University

2018

INFLUENCE OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS

RATES ON NUMBER AND QUALITY OF

STRAWBERRY TRANSPLANTS

By

AMR ABDELFATTAH HAMED AHMED METWALLY

B.Sc. Agric. Sc., Horticulture, Ain Shams University, 2007

M.Sc. Agric. Sc., Vegetable crops, Ain Shams University, 2013

Under the supervision of:

Dr. Mohamed Emam Ragab

Prof. of Vegetable Crops, Department of Horticulture, Faculty of

Agriculture, Ain Shams University (Principal Supervisor).

Dr. Salah El-Din Mahmoud El-Miniawy

Associate Prof. of Vegetable Crops, Department of Horticulture,

Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University.

Dr. Sabry Mousa Soliman Youssef

Associate Prof. of Vegetable Crops, Department of Horticulture,

Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University.

ABSTRACT

Amr Abdelfattah Hamed Ahmed Metwally: Influence of

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Rates on Number and Quality of

Strawberry Transplants. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Department of

Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, 2018.

Due to the expansion of strawberry nursery cultivation, transplant

production has become an important industry in Egypt. Nitrogen and

phosphorus are the most important nutrients affecting the number and

quality of strawberry transplants. However, no empirical research exists

addressing the optimal requirements of nitrogen and phosphorus

fertilization rates for strawberry nurseries in Egypt, until now.

This study was conducted in a private farm in Abo Ghalib, Giza

Governorate, Egypt during the two successive summer seasons of 2015

and 2016 to determine the optimal requirements of nitrogen and

phosphorus fertilizations for Festival strawberry cultivar nurseries via

evaluating the influence of four nitrogen rates (83, 100, 117 or 134 kg

N/feddan) and five phosphorus rates (38, 62, 74, 86 or 98 kg P2O5/feddan)

in a factorial experiment. Results revealed that increasing the rates of

nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizations increased the number of main

runners/mother plant and marketable transplants/m2, and enhanced all

vegetative growth parameters, leaf SPAD readings, leaf relative water

content, leaf membrane stability index, crown diameter, crown

carbohydrates, and leaf mineral contents in both growing seasons. On the

contrary, both elements had an inverse effect on leaf total soluble phenols.

Thus, the study recommends to the nurserymen of Festival strawberry

cultivar to apply 117 or 134 kg N with 98 kg P2O5 per feddan under pure

sandy soil condition which gave the highest number of marketable

transplants with high quality and subsequent high quality crop in the field.

Keywords: Fragaria x ananassa, Nursery, Fertilization, Growth,

Transplant quality.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, thanks to Allah for offering me the strength to fulfill

this hard mission

I'm deeply indebted to Professor Dr. Mohamed Emam Ragab,

Professor of Vegetable Crops and Former Vice Dean for Community

Service and Development of Environment Affairs, Faculty of Agriculture,

Ain Shams University for suggesting the current study, supervision and

continuous guidance. Also, I would like to thank him for his kind support

and revision of the manuscript of this thesis.

I'm grateful to Dr. Salah El-Deen Mahmoud El-Miniawy,

Associate Professor of Vegetable Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain

Shams University for his supervision, great support and continued help

during the preparation of this work.

I'm deeply indebted to Dr. Sabry Mousa Soliman Youssef

Associate Professor of Vegetable Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain

Shams University for his kind supervision, patriotic patience, energetic

guidance, valuable advices in preparing and for writing and revision of

the manuscript. I will always remember his generous help.

I would like to thank Dr. Manal Moubarak Mohamed Mostafa

Associate Professor of Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams

University for her great help and support.

Also I wish to express my deep thanks to my wife; Zeinab Abdel

Aziz and my children; Tasniem and Ahmed for their kind

encouragement and sincere help.

Sincere thanks and gratitude are due my brothers; Emad El-Din

Abdel-Fattah and Khaled Abdel-Fattah.

Finally, I am indebted as gift to my parents for their continuous

encouragement and praying for me.

CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF TABLES…………………………………….……. V

1. INTRODUCTION……………………………….……...... 1

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE…………………………...... 3

2.1. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates……………………......... 3

2.1.1. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on strawberry nursery

productivity……………………………………………….

4

2.1.2. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on the vegetative

characteristics of strawberry transplants …………………

5

2.1.3. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on SPAD of

strawberry leaves……………………………………...….

7

2.1.4. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on total soluble

phenols of strawberry leaves…………………………..…

7

2.1.5. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on leaf relative water

content and membrane stability index of strawberry………

8

2.1.6. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on crown quality of

strawberry………………………………………………...

8

2.1.7. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on leaf mineral

analysis of strawberry…………………………………….

9

2.2. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates…………………....... 11

2.2.1. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on strawberry

nursery productivity ……………………………….……..

11

2.2.2. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on the vegetative

characteristics of strawberry transplants………………….

12

2.2.3. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on SPAD of

strawberry leaves…………………………………………

13

II

Page 2.2.4. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on total soluble

phenols of strawberry leaves……………………………..

13

2.2.5. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on leaf

relative water content and membrane stability index of

strawberry………………………………………………...

14

2.2.6. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on crown quality of

strawberry………………………………………………..…

15

2.2.7. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on leaf mineral

analysis of strawberry…………………………………….

15

2.3. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

interactions………………………………………………..

15

2.3.1. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization interactions

on strawberry nursery productivity………………………...

15

2.3.2. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization interactions

on the vegetative characteristics of strawberry transplants...

16

2.3.3. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization interactions

on SPAD of strawberry leaves……………………………..

19

2.3.4. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization interactions

on total soluble phenols of strawberry leaves……………...

20

2.3.5. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization interactions

on leaf relative water content and membrane stability index

of strawberry……………….................................................

20

2.3.6. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization interactions

on crown quality of strawberry…………………………….

21

2.3.7. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization interactions

on leaf mineral analysis of strawberry……………………..

21

3. MATERIALS AND METHODS……………………………. 24

III

Page 3.1. Experimental site, study aim and soil type………………….. 24

3.2. Cultivation and fertilization treatments……………………... 25

3.3. Experimental design………………………………………… 25

3.4. Data recorded………………………………………………... 26

3.4.1. Number of runners and marketable transplants………........ 26

3.4.2. Vegetative growth characteristics……………………......... 26

3.4.3. SPAD readings.…………………..……………………...... 26

3.4.4. Total soluble phenols.…………………..…………………. 27

3.4.5. Leaf relative water content………………………………... 27

3.4.6. Leaf membrane stability index………..…………………... 27

3.4.7. Crown diameter and crown carbohydrate determination…. 28

3.4.8. Leaf mineral analysis…………………………………........ 28

3.5. Statistical analysis………………………………………….... 29

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION……………………………... 30

4.1. Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates……………………......... 30

4.1.1. Number of runners and marketable transplants………........ 30

4.1.2. Vegetative growth of transplants………………………….. 32

4.1.3. SPAD readings……………………………………………. 34

4.1.4. Total soluble phenols…………………………………........ 34

4.1.5. Leaf relative water content and membrane stability index... 36

4.1.6. Crown diameter and crown carbohydrate content…............ 36

4.1.7. Leaf mineral analysis…………………………………........ 38

4.2. Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates……………………... 40

4.2.1. Number of runners and marketable transplants………........ 40

4.2.2. Vegetative growth of transplants………………………….. 40

4.2.3. SPAD readings…………………………………………… 43

4.2.4. Total soluble phenols…………………………………........ 43

IV

Page 4.2.5. Leaf relative water content and membrane stability index... 43

4.2.6. Crown diameter and crown carbohydrate content…............ 45

4.2.7. Leaf mineral analysis…………………………………........ 45

4.3. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization interactions... 47

4.3.1. Number of runners and marketable transplants……............ 47

4.3.2. Vegetative growth of transplants………………………….. 47

4.3.3. SPAD readings……………………………………………. 51

4.3.4. Total soluble phenols…………………………………........ 51

4.3.5. Leaf relative water content and membrane stability index... 53

4.3.6. Crown diameter and crown carbohydrate content…............ 53

4.3.7. Leaf mineral analysis…………………………………........ 53

5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION…………………………. 58

6. REFERENCES……...……………………………………….. 62

ARABIC SUMMARY………………………………………….. ---

V

LIST OF TABLES

Page Table A Physical and chemical properties of the 0–30 cm soil

layer in the experimental soil before strawberry

cultivation……………………………........................

24

Table 1 Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on number of

main runners/mother plant and number of marketable

transplants/m2 of strawberry cv. Festival in 2015 and

2016 seasons…………………………………………

31

Table 2 Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on some

vegetative growth characters of strawberry cv.

Festival plants in 2015 and 2016 seasons……………

33

Table 3 Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on root and

vegetative growth weights of strawberry cv. Festival

plants in 2015 and 2016 seasons……………………..

33

Table 4 Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on SPAD

readings and total soluble phenols of strawberry cv.

Festival leaves in 2015 and 2016 seasons……...........

35

Table 5 Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on relative water

content and membrane stability index of strawberry

cv. Festival leaves in 2015 and 2016 seasons………..

37

Table 6 Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on crown

diameter and crown carbohydrates of strawberry cv.

Festival in 2015 and 2016 seasons……………..........

37

Table 7 Effect of nitrogen fertilization rates on macronutrient

concentrations of strawberry cv. Festival leaves in

2015 and 2016 seasons………………………………

39

Table 8 Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on number of

VI

Page main runners/mother plant and number of marketable

transplants/m2 of strawberry cv. Festival in 2015 and

2016 seasons................................................................

41

Table 9 Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on some

vegetative growth characters of strawberry cv.

Festival plants in 2015 and 2016 seasons……………

41

Table 10 Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on root and

vegetative growth weights of strawberry cv. Festival

plants in 2015 and 2016 seasons……………………..

42

Table 11 Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on SPAD

readings and total soluble phenols of strawberry cv.

Festival leaves in 2015 and 2016 seasons……...........

44

Table 12 Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on relative

water content and membrane stability index of

strawberry cv. Festival leaves in 2015 and 2016

seasons……………………………………………….

44

Table 13 Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on crown

diameter and crown carbohydrates of strawberry cv.

Festival in 2015 and 2016 seasons……………..........

46

Table 14 Effect of phosphorus fertilization rates on

macronutrient concentrations of strawberry cv.

Festival leaves in 2015 and 2016 seasons…………...

46

Table 15 Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

interactions on number of main runners/mother plant

and number of marketable transplants/m2 of

strawberry cv. Festival in 2015 and 2016

seasons…………………………………………….....

48

VII

Page Table 16 Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

interactions on some vegetative growth characters of

strawberry cv. Festival plants in 2015 and 2016

seasons……………………………………………….

49

Table 17 Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

interactions on root and vegetative growth weights of

strawberry cv. Festival plants in 2015 and 2016

seasons……………………………………………….

50

Table 18 Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

interactions on SPAD readings and total soluble

phenols of strawberry cv. Festival leaves in 2015 and

2016 seasons…………………………………………

52

Table 19 Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

interactions on relative water content and membrane

stability index of strawberry cv. Festival leaves in

2015 and 2016 seasons……………………………....

54

Table 20 Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

interactions on crown diameter and crown

carbohydrates of strawberry cv. Festival in 2015 and

2016 seasons…………………………………………

55

Table 21 Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

interactions on macronutrient concentrations of

strawberry cv. Festival leaves in 2015 and 2016

seasons……………………………………………….

56