Evaluation of the Efficacy of Moringa Leaf Extract Spraying and Bunch Bagging on some Physical and Quantitative Characteristics of Khidrawi and Bream Cultivars

Abstract

. This investigation was conducted in the 2021 growing season at the Fadak farm, which belongs to the Imam Hussein Holy Shrine/Karbala province, to assess the effectiveness of spraying with various concentrations of moringa leaf extract (0, 100, and 200 ml.L^-1) and bunch bagging in some of the physical and qualitative traits of two date palms cultivars (Khidrawi and Bream). Three sprays with the previously stated concentrations were used in the study; the first spray was applied after 7 weeks of pollination (at the end of the Hababuk stage and the start of the Jamri stage), and three weeks passed between each spray. The bunches were then covered with brown paper after each spray. The obtained results revealed the superiority of spraying treatment with 200 ml. L^-1 of Moringa leaf extract with bagging on the Khidrawi cultivar fruit characteristics (length, diameter, size, weight, and flesh weight), bunch weight, and total yield, which did not differ significantly from treatment with spraying at a concentration of 100 ml. L^-1 with coverage for the same cultivar except for the seed weight, was not impacted significantly by the factors under study when comparing the results with the control treatment. The study's findings suggest that natural plant extracts can be used in place of synthetic chemicals to improve the quantitative and qualitative yield of some date palm cultivars and other horticultural crops. These natural plant extracts can be used as growth regulators or fertilizer supplements in conjunction with some agricultural practices.