Leaf Application of Humic Acid on Morphologic, Flowering and Fruit Traits of ‘Local’ and ‘Selva’ Strawberry Cultivars under Different Cultivation Beds

علوم باغبانی

Article 11, Volume 35, Issue 1 - Serial Number 49, February 2021, Pages 135-151   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jhs.2021.61935.0

Authors

Mohammadreza Safari Motlagh; Behzad Kaviani^* ; Jaleh Ashegh

rasht

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years, applying humic acid has been common in enhancing the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of crops. The use of biofertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers has an effective role in increasing the health of plants, animals, and humans, and reducing environmental pollution. Chemical fertilizers are gradually being replaced by biofertilizers. Strawberry is a fruit with high nutritional value. Choosing the right nutritional conditions such as fertilizers and suitable cultivation beds to achieve high quantitative and qualitative yield in this plant is inevitable. In recent years, the use of humic acid has been common in enhancing the vegetative and generative characteristics of crops. Humic acid is a rich source of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. The method of application of humic acid has an effective role in improving the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of plants. Combining some cultivation beds such as perlite, composts, and fertilizers including agricultural waste (such as rice bran and tea wastes) into soil cultivation beds have had an effective role for improving the quantity and quality of plants.
Materials and Methods: A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of foliar application of humic acid and different cultivation beds on morphology, flowering and fruiting of two strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) cultivars ‘Local’ and ‘Selva’ in Islamic Azad University, Rasht Unit, on 2016. Different concentrations of humic acid (0, 300, 600, and 1000 mg l⁻¹) were applied as foliar application in two steps (late March containing three leaves and late April containing five leaves) on strawberries cultivated in different beds (usual soil and usual soil with rice bran, or perlite, or  tea wastes). The experiment was carried out as factorial based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Some traits including plant height, root number, root length, leaf length, shoot number, shoot length, shoot diameter, leaf number, node number, flowering time, flower diameter, flower number, fruit number and fruit weight were measured.
Results and Discussion: Analysis of variance showed that the interaction effect of humic acid × cultivation bed ×cultivar on plant height, shoot length, shoot number, leaf number, root length, root number, flower diameter (p≤0.01), fruit weight, and fruit number (p≤0.05) was significant. The interaction effect of these three factors on shoot or stolon diameter, leaf length, flowering time and flower number was not significant. Results of mean comparison showed that the highest shoot or stolon number (14.82) were obtained in ‘Selva’ cultivar treated with 1000 mg l⁻¹ humic acidcultivatedin usual soil with tea wastes. The highest fruit weight (35.45 g) and fruit number (15.41 per plant) were obtained in ‘Selva’ cultivar treated with 1000 mg l⁻¹ humic acidcultivatedin usual soil with perlite. The maximum leaf number (16.03 per plant) was obtained in the treatment of 300 mg l⁻¹ humic acid and the cultivation bed of usual soil and rice bran in ‘Local’ cultivar. Minimum fruit number (3.58) and fruit weight (8.23 g) were obtained in ‘Local’ cultivar cultivated in usual soil bed without humic acid. The highest number of root (19.56) was obtained in the treatment of 600 mg l⁻¹ humic acid and the cultivation bed of usual soil with perlite in ‘Local’ cultivar. The highest amount of flower diameter (7.85 mm) was calculated in the treatment of 1000 mg l⁻¹ humic acid and the cultivation bed of usual soil with tea wastes on ‘Selva’ cultivar. These results suggest that humic acid foliar application might be benefit to enhance fruit characteristics of strawberry. Totally, humic acid application increased growth and yield of strawberry. Since the most important parameters for increasing the quality of strawberry fruit is fruit characteristics, it is recommended to use 1000 mg l⁻¹ of humic acid cultivated in the usual soil mixture with tea wastes. Strawberries are widely cultivated worldwide due to their high nutritional value. Chemical fertilizers have been used as a way to increase crop yields, but have led to problems such as nitrate accumulation, pot life, and poor quality and environmental pollution. Therefore, organic fertilizers have been used. Humic acid can improve quantitative and qualitative production by having properties such as providing more available essential elements and increasing plant resistance to various biological and non-biological stresses. A positive association has been reported between the use of humic acid and the increases in growth, yield and product quality in strawberries and other plants. Proper cultivation bed plays an important role in the optimal growth and development of plants. Salinity increases osmotic stress, ion toxicity, oxidative stress and food imbalance. The use of compost fertilizer and foliar application of humic acid increased the growth, yield and quality of strawberry fruit.
 

Keywords

Humic acid; Cultivar; Cultivation beds; Flowering; Strawberry

References

1-       Ameri A., and Tehranifar A. 2012. Effect of humic acid on nutrient uptake and physiological characteristic Fragaria ananassa cv. Camarosa. Journal of Biological and Environmental Science6(16): 77–79.

2-       Arancon N.Q., Edwards C.A., Bierman P., Metzger J.D., Lee S., and Welch C. 2004a. Effects of vermicomposts on growth and marketable fruits of field-grown tomatoes, peppers and strawberries. Pedobiology 47: 731–735.

3-       Arancon N.Q., Edwards C.A., Bierman P., Welch C., and Metzger J.D. 2004b. Influences of vermicomposts on field strawberries: 1. Effects on growth and yields. Bioresource Technology 93(2): 145–153.

4-       Arancon N.Q., Lee S., Edwards C.A., and Atiyeh R. 2004c. Effects of humic acids derived from cattle, food and paper-waste vermicomposts on growth of greenhouse plants. Pedobiology 47: 741–744.

5-       Atiyeh R.M., Lee S., Edwards C.A., Arancon N.Q., and Metzger J.D. 2002. The influence of humic acid derived from earthworm-processed organic wastes on plant growth. Bioresource Technology 84: 7–14.

6-       Baldotto L.E.B., Baldotto M.A., Canellas L.P., Bressan-Smith R., and Olivares F.L. 2010. Growth promotion of pineapple ‘Victoria’ by humic acids and Burkholderia spp. during acclimatization. Revista Brasileira de Ciênciado Solo34: 1593–1600.

7-       Canellas L.P., Olivares F.L., Aguiar N.O., Jones D.L., Nebbioso A., Mazzei P., and Piccolo A. 2015. Humic and fulvic acids as bio stimulants in horticulture. Scientia Horticulturae 196 (30): 15–27.

8-       Cenellas L.P., Olivares F.L., Okorokova-Facanha A.L., and Facanha A.R. 2002. Humic acids isolated from earthworm compost enhance root elongation, lateral root emergence and plasma membrane H-ATPase activity in maize roots. Plant Physiology 130 (4): 1951–1957.

9-       Chen Y., and Aviad T. 1990. Effects of humic substances on plant growth. p. 161-186. In: MacCarthy P., Clapp C.E., Malcolm R.L., and Bloom P.R. (eds.)Humic substances in soil and crop science: selected readings.  Madison, WI: American Society of Agronomy and Soil Society of America. 

10-   Eshghi S., and Garazhian M. 2015. Improving growth, yield and fruit quality of strawberry by foliar and soil drench applications of humic acid. Iran Agricultural Research 34 (1): 14–20. (in Persian with English abstract)

11-   Hafez M.M. 2004. Effect of some sources of nitrogen fertilizer and concentration of humic acid on the productivity of squash plant. Egyptian Journal of Applied Science 19: 293–309.

12-   Hancock J.F. 1999. Strawberries. University Press, Cambridge, pp. 237.

13-   Hartwigson J.A., and Evans M.R. 2000. Humic acid seed and substrate treatments promote seedling root development. HortScience 35 (7): 1231–1233.

14-   Hosseini Farahi M., Aboutalebi A., Eshghi S., Dastyaran M., and Yosefi F. 2013. Foliar application of humic acid on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of aromas strawberry in soilless culture. Agricultural Communications 1 (1): 13–16.

15-   Kashi A., and Hekmati J. 1991. Strawberry cultivation. Tehran. First Edition, 121 pp. (In Persian)

16-   Khaled H., and Hassan A.F. 2011. Effect of different levels of humic acids on the nutrient content, plant growth, and soil properties under conditions of salinity. Soil and Water Research 6(1): 21–29.

17-   Khodamoradi P., Amiri J., and Dovlati B. 2018. Effect of humic acid on some morphological and physiological characteristics of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch. cv. Sabrina) under salinity stress. Pomology Research 2(2): 109–135. (In Persian with English abstract).

18-   Mart I. 2007. Fertilizers, organic fertilizers, plant and agricultural fertilizers. Agro and Food Business Newsletter pp: 1–4.

19-   Mollahosseini H.V., Bahrami F., Ghayoor F.A., and Baghi A. ‍2014. Complete and illustrated guide to strawberry production by soil cultivation and hydroponics. First Edition. Sarva and Farshiveh Publishers, Tehran (In Persian)

20-   Nardi S., Pizzeghello D., Muscolo A., and Vianello A. 2002. Physiological effects of humic substances on higher plants. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 34: 1527–1536.

21-   Neri D., Bonanomi G., Cozzolino E., Zucconi F. 1998. Studies on the supply of organic matter in the strawberry grove. Rivista di Frutticoltura e di Ortofloricoltura 5: 47–54.

22-   Neri D., Lodolini E.M., Savini G., Sabbatini P., Bonanomi G., Zucconi F. 2002. Foliar application of humic acid on strawberry (cv. Onda). Acta Horticulturae 594.

23-   Nikbakht A., Kafi M., Babalar M., Xia Y.P., Luo A., and Etemadi, N. 2008. Effect of humic acid on plant growth, nutrient uptake, and postharvest life of Gerbera. Journal of Plant Nutrition 31: 2155–2167.

24-   Ozdamarullu H.U., Nlu H., Karakurt Y., and Padem H. 2011. Changes in fruit yield and quality in response to foliar and soil humic acid application in cucumber. Scientific Research and Essays 6(13): 2800–2803.

25-   Panuccio M.R., Muscolo A., and Nardi S. 2001. Effect of humic substances on nitrogen uptake and assimilation in two species of Pinus. Journal of Plant Nutrition 24(4–5): 693–704.

26-   Pilanali N., and Kaplan M. 2003. Investigation of effects on nutrient uptake of humic acid applications of different forms to strawberry plant. Journal of Plant Nutrition26: 835–843.

27-   Rachid A.F., Bader B.R., and Al-Alawy H.H. 2020. Effect of foliar application of humic acid and Nanocalcium on some growth, production, and photosynthetic pigments of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) planted in calcareous soil. Plant Archives20: 32–37.

28-   Rostami M., and Shokouhian A.A. 2018. Evaluation of humic acid application methods and ratios of nitrogen on characteristics of morphological and yield of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) cv. Paros. Journal of Horticultural Science 32(2): 251–261. (In Persian with English abstract)

29-   Sabzevari S., Khazaei H., and Kafi M. 2009. The effect of humic acid on root and shoot growth of Sayunz and Sabalan wheat cultivars. Water and Soil Journal 94: 23–87. (In Persian with English abstract)

30-   Sharifi A., Ghaderi N., Khorshidi J., and Javadi T. 2018. Effect of culture media type and different concentrations of humic acid on yield components and some biochemical characteristics of Fragaria × ananassa Duch. cv. aromas. Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology 19(4): 419–432. (In Persian with English abstract)

31-   Shehata S., Gharib A., Mohamed A.A., El-Mogy M., Abdel Gawad K.f., and Shalaby E.A. 2011. Influence of compost, amino and humic acids on the growth, and yield and chemical parameters of strawberries. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 5(11): 2304–2308.

32-   Theunissen J., Ndakidemi P.A., and Laubscher C.P. 2010. Potential of vermicompost produced from plant waste on the growth and nutrient status in vegetable production. International Journal of Physical Science 5(13): 1964–1973.

33-   Turhan E., and Atilla E. 2004. Effect of sodium chloride application and different growth media on ionic composition in strawberry plant. Journal of Plant Nutrition 27: 1653–1665.

34-   Turkmen O., Dursun A., Turan M., and Erdinc C. 2004. Calcium and humic acid affect seed germination, growth and nutrient content of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) seedlings under saline soil conditions. Soil and Plant Science54: 168–174.

35-   Yildrim E. 2007. Foliar and soil fertilization of humic acid affect productivity and quality of tomato. Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section B - Soil & Plant Science 57: 182–186.

36-   Zaky M.H., Zoah E.L., and Ahmed M.E. 2006. Effects of humic acids on growth and productivity of bean plants grown under plastic low tunnels and open field. Egyptian Journal of Applied Sciences 21(4): 582–596.

37-   Zandonadi D.B., Canellas L.P., and Facanha A.R. 2007. Indolacetic and humic acids induce lateral root development through a concerted plasmalemma and tonoplast H⁺ pumps activation. Planta225: 1583–1595.

38-   Zare M., 2011. Effect of foliar application of Algarin, Derin and Humic acid on flowering, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of strawberry fruit cv Selva. M.Sc. Thesis in Horticultural Sciences. 96 p.

39-   Zimmer G. 2004. Humates and humic substances. National Journal Sustainable Agricultural 34(1): 1–2.