الفهرس 
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Abstract
Field experiment was carried out at the Vegetable Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agricultural Assiut University during the two successive seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. The trail was conducted to study the effect of foliar application of Asetyl Salicylic acid and potassium silicate on growth and productivity of hot pepper
The experimental design was a split-plot, arranged in random complete block design using split plot arrangement in three replicates randomized complete blocks in three replications with cultivars in the main -plots and treatments in the subplots.
Treatments included:
In the main plot: (Caynne pepper cultivars) arranged as follows
1- Big mama3
2- Elagance.
In the sub plot arranged the Treatments: Foliar application as follows:
Spraying made once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest
1. Control (pepper plants treated with distilled water until complete covering of the plant foliage.
2. Spraying with salicylic acid at concentration level of (8 mg/l).
3. Spraying with salicylic acid at concentration level of (16 mg/l).
4. Spraying with Potassium silicate at concentration level of (4 ml/l).
5. Spraying with Potassium silicate at concentration level of (8 ml/l).
Foliar treatments were performed during the experimental period starting 15 days after transplant (DAT) and finishing after 120 DAT.
The experiment consists of 2 pepper cultivars X 5 foliar application =10 treatment with 3 replicates for each treatment. The unit plot size was 3 m × 3.5 m and the total number of plots was 30 experimental units.
The obtained results of this study could be summarized as follow:
1. Plant height (cm):
1. The results show the superiority of the Elagance cultivar over the Bigmama3 on increasing plant height (cm).
2. Plant height was significantly affected by both foliar application, either by Salicylic Acid (SA) or Potassium Silicate (PS). Results proved that using potassium silicate at 4 ml/l gave the maximum plant height in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
3. Foliar application of Elagance cultivar with Potassium silicate (T4) at 4 ml/l gave the highest average values of plant height compared to the other treatments in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
2. Number of branches on main stem
1. Average number of branches on main stem of pepper was insignificantly affected either by cultivars, by foliar application or by their interactions.
2. In spite of the insignificantly effects of foliar application on number of branches on main stem, Results recorded that the number of branches on main stem slightly and positively responded to foliar application either with SA or with PS than control treatment in both seasons.
3. Number of nodes
1. Data stated that main values of number of nodes for pepper cultivars were not affected by cultivars under the study in both seasons.
2. Moreover, mean number of nodes did not affected by foliar application in both season of 2019/20.
4. Flowering
1. Results stated that main values of beginning of flowering for pepper cultivars significantly slightly affected by cultivars in the 1st season only. Results show that Bigmama cultivar started early (35.66 days) to flowering compared Elagance cultivar (36.15 days) in the first season. Results proved that Number of days to flowering and maturity were significantly affected by cultivar.
2. The obtained results in the 1st season show that foliar application of Salicylic or potassium silicates with the two levels tended to increased the beginning to flowering. This increase is considered a slight in evaluating the number of days of flowering because it falls within parts of the day. The variation between minimum value in T1 control treatment (35.48 days) and the maximum value in T3 treatment (36.27 days) did not exceed one day.
3. Interaction effects between cultivar and foliar application on mean value of beginning flowering show that spraying Bigmama3 cultivar with salicylic acid at a rate of (8 mg/l) (T2) once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest, started to beginning early (35.44) compared to the control treatment (35.49) in the 1st season. Increasing concentration of either SA or PS foliar application increased number of days taken to 50% flowering.
4. Date show that starting flowering did not affected by harvest frequency. Moreover, days to flowering gave the minimum values at the 1st harvest then increased to reach the maximum values at the 5th harvest. This held true in both seasons.
5. Fruit Setting
1. Days to fruit setting of Bigmama cultivar (45.45days) decreased in comparison to Elagance cultivar (45.81 days) in the 1st season of 2018/19. These results gave the advantage of earliest to Bigmama cultivar, than Elagance cultivar. In addition, the days of the of fruit setting as affected by pepper cultivar was not significant in the 2nd season of 2019/20
2. The obtained results show that foliar application of Salicylic Acid significantly decreased the days to fruit setting in (T2) compared to control treatment in the 1st season. These results mean that foliar application of salicylic acid at level 8 mg/l (T2) decreased the fruit setting time (the days to fruit setting) from (45.57 days) compared to (44.94 days).
3. The interactions reveal that treating both pepper cultivars with salicylic acid at 8mg/l decreased the days to fruit setting in compared to control treatment in the 1st season
4. Beginning of fruit setting was not affected at all harvesting times. Observation tended to increasing in days of fruit setting values with increasing harvest time in both seasons, respectively.
6. Fruit length (cm)
1. Mean value of Elagance cultivar (28.60 cm) surpassed Bigmama cultivar (27.58 cm) in increasing mean fruit length in the 1st season with increasing percent 3.69%. In addition, values of mean fruit length in the 2nd season followed the same trend for Elagance cultivar (28.50 cm) over cultivar (27.52 cm) with increasing percent 3.56%.
2. The obtained results show that foliar application of both Salicylic Acid and Potassium silicate significantly increased the mean fruit length compared to the control in (T1). The increase in fruit length reached (2.2 and 3.7%) and (1.86 and 3.73%) due to foliar application with salicylic acid at 8 and 16 mg/l over the control treatment in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively. Meanwhile, foliar application with potassium silicate at 4and 8 mg/l increased fruit length by (7.10 and 10.44%) and (6.72 and 10.07%) over the control in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively. It is worthwhile to mention here that, potassium silicate is considered more effective than salicylic acid.
3. Interaction effects between cultivar and foliar application revealed that spraying Elagance cultivar with potassium silicate at a rate of 8 ml/l (T5) gave the maximum fruit length compared with all other foliar treatments. The increase percentage were 2.39 and 3.09) control in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
4. The demonstrated data recorded that harvest frequency was significantly affected by the type of cultivar and the foliar treatments and their interaction. Moreover, foliar applications with potassium silicate gave longer fruit length than Salicylic Acid. The results show the superiority of the Elagance cultivar over the Bigmama3 on fruit length at all harvest frequency. The highest mean values of fruit length (32.32and 32.39 cm) were obtained as a result of spraying Elagance cultivar with potassium silicate at a rate of 8 ml/l at the 5th harvest (HT5) compared to all other interactions in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
5. Data tabulated show clearly the highest values of mean fruit length were recorded for Elagance cultivar treated with foliar potassium silicate (T5) under each harvest time. In addition, Observation tended to show that the increase in fruit length increased with increasing harvest time and the highest fruit length was obtained at the 5th harvest time compared to the 1st harvest time in both seasons, respectively.
6. Obtained results reveal that fruit length was significantly improved with foliar application of potassium silicate which gave longer Elagance pepper fruit in comparison to the Bigmama 3 cultivar at the 5th harvest.
7. Fruit diameter (cm)
1. Fruit diameter (cm) significantly affected by pepper cultivars in the 1st and 2nd, respectively. Elagance cultivar gave wider fruit diameter than Bigmama3 in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
2. Foliar application with potassium silicate once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest at a rate of 4 ml/l (T4) gave the highest values of (2.142 & 2.262 cm) in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively. On the other hand, control treatment gave the lowest values of fruit diameter (cm) (1.955 & 1.948 in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively.
3. The interaction effects between cultivars (A) and foliar treatments (B) show insignificant effect on mean values of fruit diameter (cm)
4. Data indicated that fruit diameter (cm) insignificantly affected by type of cultivars in both seasons except at the 5th harvest. Meanwhile, fruit diameter (cm) increased with increasing harvest time in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively.
5. All values of fruit diameter significantly affected by foliar treatments under each harvest time either by SA (T2, T3) or by PS (T4 and T5) compared to the control treatment (T1) in both seasons. The maximum values of fruit diameter (2.333 and 2.849) were obtained at the 5th fruit harvest time (HT5) in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively.
6. The highest values of fruit diameter were recorded due to the interaction between cultivar and foliar application (T5) at the 5th harvest in both seasons. Spraying Elagance cultivar with 8 ml/l potassium silicate once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest gave the maximum values of fruit diameters at the 5th harvest in both seasons
7. In summary, the analysis of variance for fruit diameter shows significant difference among treatment at 5% probability level. The maximum fruit diameter was obtained from treating Elagance pepper cultivar with foliar application once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest at 8 ml/l potassium silicate at the 5th harvest time).
8. Fruit weight (gm)
1. Elagance cultivar surpassed Bigmama in fruit weight in both seasons.
2. Foliar application by Salicylic acid and potassium silicate at both concentrations significantly increased fruit weight in comparison to control treatment (T1) in both season. Treating pepper plant with foliar potassium silicate gave the highest fruit weight values (38.49 & 37.89) as compared with all other treatments in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons, respectively.
3. Also, foliar application of SA and PS gave maximum values of mean fruit weight (gm) at the 5th harvest in both seasons.
4. Under the 5th harvest frequency, the increase percentage of fruit weight treated with 16 and 32 ppm SA foliar application recorded (1.21 & 1.73%) and 1.96 & 3.97%) over the control treatment in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively. Also, the increase percentage of fruit weight treated with PS foliar application at 8 ml/l recorded (3.36 & 7.33%) compared to control treatment in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
5. Generally, Elagance cultivar treated with potassium silicate foliar application at 8 mg/l once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest, significantly affected fruit weight (gm) at all harvest times except the 1st, 3rd and 4th harvest time in the 2nd season.
9. Number of fruits per plant
1. Average of number of fruits per plant was significantly affected by pepper cultivars in both seasons. Elagance cultivar gave Number of fruits per plant (4.821 & 4.880) compared to Bigmama3 cultivar (4.761 & 4.798) in both seasons, respectively.
2. Foliar application of potassium silicate at 8 mg/l (T5) once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest, gave the highest value of Number of fruits per plant (5.001 & 5.077) with increasing percentage (9.02 &10.20%) over the control.
3. Number of fruits per plant was significantly affected by the interaction between pepper cultivars and foliar application in both seasons. The highest Number of fruits per plant (5.049 & 5.143) was obtained among treating pepper plant by potassium silicate at 8 ml/l (T5) compared to all other interactions in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
10. Total yield per plant (g)
1. Average of Total yield of fruits per plant of hot pepper was significantly affected by cultivar type in both seasons. Elagance cultivar overlapped the Bigmama3 cultivar in Total yield of fruits per plant with mean values of (201.6 & 201.9 gm) compared to the values (190.9&190.3) in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
2. Foliar application with potassium silicate gave the highest Total yield of fruits per plant (209.6 & 216.6) in (T5) compared with the control treatment (T1) under the study in both seasons, respectively.
3. Interaction effects reveal that treating Elagance cultivar with foliar application of potassium silicate at 8 ml/l once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest was the best to increase Total yield of fruits per plant.
4. Total yield of fruits per plant of pepper plants was significant affected under all harvests in both seasons. The last harvesting (5th harvest) gave the highest Total yield of fruits per plant (384.4 & 397.7) due to spraying Elaganle cultivar with potassium silicate (T5) at 8 mg/l as compared with all other harvest time in both seasons, respectively.
11. Total yield (ton/fed): (sum all fruit weight for each harvest frequency).
1. Total yield of Elagance cultivar, pepper significantly surpassed Bigmama3 cultivar in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively. The increase percentage for Elagance cultivar recorded (10.08 and 9.77 %) comparing to Bigmama3 cultivar in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively.
2. Spraying either SA or PS gave higher yield compared to the control treatment. The most highly values of total yield were obtained due to spraying pepper plant with 8 ml/l potassium silicate (T5) once a week from the beginning of sowing the seeds in the trays and after transplanting until the beginning of the harvest in comparison to all treatments under the study, in the 1st and 2nd season, respectively. Also, spraying pepper plant at 8 ml/l potassium silicate increased total yield by 32.17 % and 30.97% over the control treatment in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively.
3. Interactions proved that spraying pepper plant with 8 ml/l potassium silicate could be recommended to increase pepper fruit yield.