Effect of Foliar Application of Methionine and Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract on some Growth and Yield Characteristics Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Zahdi

• Eman Hekmet Hassan1* Ahmed thamer homed2* And Abdul Kareem A.J. Mohammad Saeed 3*

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      The study was conducted in a private orchard located in Al-Huwaider district, Baqubah district, Diyala Governorate, during 2024, growing season to investigating the  effect of spraying methionine and moringa leaf extract on some growth characteristics and yield of date palm cv. Zahdi. The experiment consisted of  two factors. The first factor was foliar application of the amino acid methionine at three concentrations (0, 50, and 100 mg L⁻¹), while the second factor was foliar application of moringa leaf extract at three concentrations (0, 4%, and 8%). A Randomized Complete Block Design (R.C.B.D.) was used with three replicates. Thus, the total number of experimental units was 27, with one palm tree representing each experimental unit ،The results showed that the interaction between the studied factors resulted in significant differences in most of the studied traits compared with the control. The interaction between spraying methionine at 100 mg L⁻¹ and moringa leaf extract at 8% resulted in significant increases in leaf chlorophyll content and mineral nutrient concentrations (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). It also improved the physical fruit characteristics, including fruit weight, length, and diameter, with values of (12.98 mg g⁻¹, 1.91%, 1.95%, 9.15 g, 34.39 mm, and 25.34 mm), respectively, compared with the control, which recorded the lowest values of (10.43 mg g⁻¹, 1.52%, 0.43%, 6.42 g, 30.18 mm, and 19.69 mm), respectively.

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