摘要：The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of foliar potassium (K) application on yield and fruit quality of ‘Medjool’ date palm. Five different levels of potassium (0 as control, 800, 1600, 3200, and 4000 mg. L-1 K) were used. Potassium were applied as a foliar treatment in 3 doses over the study period (May, June and July) at a rate of 20 L-tree4-dose-1, while control trees sprayed with tap water. Date fruits were harvested at Tamer stage (fruit moisture < 25%) for yield and quality measurements. Foliar application of 800 mg-L-1 K significantly increased total yield by 31%, fruit size 10.3%, fresh weight 25.1%, total reduced sugar 20.6%, fructose content 14.7% and glucose content 24.5% as compared to control. However, 4000 mg-L-1 K treatment reduced fruit firmness by 43% and DPPH antioxidant activity by 19% when compared to control. In addition, skin separation was statistically similar across the treatments. Overall, foliar application of K (specifically, 800 mg-L-1) can be used to improve fruit yield and quality of ‘Medjool’ dates.
