Studies on irrigation of banana in new lands / Medhat Hamed Abdelnafea ; Supervised Mohamed Reda Barakat , Samy Elkosary Melegy , Taha Ismail Borham

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Agriculture - Department of Pomology

This investigation was carried out at a private orchard, in El Bostan district, Cairo Alexandria desert road, Giza; on 2Grandnain{u2019} banana plants (Musa Cavendishi Lamb.) during the two successive seasons (2012/2013 and 2013/2014). The experimental site represents newly reclaimed sandy soil irrigated by drip irrigation system. The investigation aimed to study the effect of hydrogel additions under different level of irrigation quantity, as substance holding water in the soil to save irrigation water quantity. The water application treatments were 100, 90, 80, and 70% of plant evapotranspiration requirements (IR) in combination with soil addition of zero, 50, 100, and 150g hydrogel/plant. The obtained results cleared that 80% of IR combined with medium or high dose of hydrogel (100 and 150 g/plant) enhanced the most studied characters. The most efficiency of water use was obtained from irrigation treatment with 70% of IR and soil addition of 150g hydrogel/plant. Using 150g/plant hydrogel as soil addition and irrigation by 80% of IR improved the vegetative growth (plant height, circumference, leaf area and number of green leaves/plant) and banana bunch weight, fruit quality and saved 20% of irrigation water. While, leaf content of P, microelement (Fe, Zn and Mn) and hand number per bunch were not affected by different treatments significantly. Whereas, the lowest irrigation level (70% of IR) without hydrogel increased leaf content of K and fruit content of total soluble solids and total sugar

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