Effect of Ethrel Foliar Spray on Changes of Some Morphological Characters of Shoot and Root Systems of Date Palm Seedlings PDF

Keywords

Ethrel, date palm, seedlings, shoot system, root system

Abstract

This investigation was conducted to study the effect of Ethrel foliar spray at concentrations of 0, 200, and 400 ppm on changes in morphological characters of shoot and root systems of Menefi and Barhi cultivars of date palm seedlings (normal), and other seedlings that had had their seed residual removed (emasculated at three stages of leaf formation (first, second, and third leaf). The morphological characters were studied when the seedlings reached about 20 months old. Data showed that Ethrel treatments had no effects on the morphological characters of the seedlings at the first leaf stage. At the second leaf stage, stem diameter and fresh and dry weights of shoot system in all seedlings of both cultivars. Ethrel foliar spray at 200 ppm increased leaf length in the seedlings that had had their seed residual removed in both cultivars. However, at the third stage, this treatment increased lead number in Menefi and increased lead length in Barhi as compared with the untreated seedlings. The results showed that Ethrel treatments at the second leaf stage had no effect on most root morphological characters of the normal seedlings of both cultivars an in Barhi seedlings had had their seed residual removed. However, Ethrel treatments decreased fresh and dry weights of the root system in Menefi seedlings that had had their seed residual removed. Ethrel treatments at the third leaf stage decreased the weight of the root system in the normal seedlings of both cultivars. Generally, in the second and third leaf stages of the Menefi seedlings, there were no significant differences in most of the morphological characters of shoot and root systems between the normal seedlings and the seedlings that had had their seed residual removed, but there were significant differences in most shoot and some root characters in Barhi seedlings.