USING AGRO-CHEMICAL TREATMENTS FOR CONTROLING FRUIT DEFECTS AND IMPROVING FRUIT QUALITY AND MARKETABILITY OF "WONDERFUL" POMEGRANATE

The purpose of the present investigation was to study to assess the effectiveness of using some different agro-chemical spraying treatments for controlling fruit defects and improving fruit quality and marketable value of pomegranate at harvest. The pre-harvest foliar sprays were applied as follows: Control was water spray (T-1); 50 mg/L GA(3) (T-2), 2% Ca Cl-2 (T-3), 2% Boric acid (T-4) and 2% CPPU (T-5). The results indicated that all foliar applications improved fruit quality and fruit defects of pomegranate, especially CPPU of 10 ppm (T-4) and treatment 3 (GA(3)) during both investigated seasons. Among different treatments CPPU 10 ppm (T-5) produced the best values of fruit density, fruit cracking percentage, sunburned percentage, total arils weight, SSC/acid ratio, fruit peel anthocyanin and marketable percentages This study recommended different agro-chemical treatments as foliar applications for pomegranate trees specially both treatments (CPPU and GA(3)) that could be adopted in commercial pomegranate orchards as a practice to control fruit defects and improve fruit quality and marketable value at harvesting.