الفهرس 
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Abstract
Studies on Growth and Productivity of Bottle Gourd Plant under Different Irrigation and Fertilization Levels
This experiment was carried out during the two successive summer seasons of 2008 and 2009 at Al-Bousaily site, Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate (CLAC), Agricultural Research Center (ARC) using bottle gourd cv. Local. The aim of this experimental was to study the effect of different irrigation regimes and nitrogen levels on growth, yield of fruit, seed and oil as well as its content of fatty acids. Seeds were sown on March 15 in the nursery seed- bed, the nursery tray media was mixture of peat moss and vermiculite (1:1 v/v) and the seedlings were transplanted on April 1st during both seasons.
The investigated treatments were:
1. Irrigation regimes
Three irrigation regimes were applied [80%, 100% and 120% of Class A pan evaporation].
2. Nitrogen fertilizer levels
Three nitrogen levels were used (40, 80 and 120 Kg N per
fed.) added as ammonium sulphate.
Treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with three replicates. Irrigation treatments were located in the main plots while the subplots contained nitrogen levels.
The obtained results can be summarized as follows:
a- Vegetative growth
• There was a significant effect of different irrigation treatments on different growth characteristics, i.e., plant length, number of leaves and branches per plant, vine diameter, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of plant. In this connection, using the highest irrigation level (120% of Class A pan) gave the highest values of all vegetative growth characters.
• The highest values of vegetative growth characteristics were recorded at the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.) While, the lowest values of growth parameters (plant length, number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant, vine diameter, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of plant) were obtained by using the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level ( 40 Kg N / fed. ) in both growing seasons.
• The highest values of vegetative growth characteristics were recorded at the highest irrigation level (120% of Class A pan) combined with the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.) compared with other interaction treatments.
b- Chemical composition of plant foliage
• The highest irrigation level (120% Class A pan) gave the lowest chlorophyll and the highest N, P and K percent in leaves, while, the highest values of chlorophyll, Ca and Mg were obtained by the lowest irrigation level (80% Class A pan) during the two tests seasons.
• The results showed that the highest values of chlorophyll, N, K, Ca and Mg percent in leaves were found by nitrogen fertilizer at 120 Kg N / fed. While, the highest value of P in leaves was obtained by the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level at 80 Kg N / fed. during the two tests seasons.
• The results showed that the highest chlorophyll, N and K values in leaves were found when irrigation at 120% of Class A pan combined with nitrogen fertilizer at 120 Kg N / fed. were used, while, the highest value of Ca and Mg was obtained by the lowest irrigation level (80% Class A pan) combined with the highest nitrogen fertilizer level at 120 Kg N / fed. On the contrary, the highest irrigation level (120% of Class A pan) combined with the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level (40 Kg N / fed.) improved P content in leaves during the two growing seasons.
c- Flowering and earliness
• The results showed that there was no significant effect for different irrigation regimes on sex ratio (male flowers / female flowers) during both growing seasons. The longest period from transplanting to initiation of first male flower, female flower, harvest edible fruit and ripped fruit were obtained with using the highest irrigation regime (120% of Class A pan), while, the shortest period was obtained by using the lowest irrigation regime (80% of Class A pan) during both growing seasons.
• The results showed that there was no significant effect of different nitrogen fertilizer levels on sex ratio (male flowers / female flowers) during both growing seasons. The longest period from transplanting to initiation of first male flower, female flower, harvest edible and ripped fruit were obtained with the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.). While, the shortest period was obtained by the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level (40 Kg N / fed.) during both seasons of study.
• The longest period from transplanting to initiation of first male flower, female flower, harvest edible and ripped fruit were obtained with the highest irrigation regime (120% of Class A pan) combined with the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.). While, the shortest period was obtained by using the lowest irrigation regime (80% of Class A pan) combined with the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level (40 Kg N / fed.) during both seasons of study.
d- Fruit yield and its components
• The positive effect was recorded on fruit yield characteristics (fruit number and weight per plant, and total yield per feddan) by 120% of Class A pan while, the lowest irrigation level decreased yield characteristics (average fruit weight per plant and total yield per fed.) during both seasons of study.
• The positive effect was recorded on fruit yield characteristics (fruit number and weight per plant, and total yield per feddan) by nitrogen fertilizer at 120 Kg N / fed. While, the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level decreased yield characteristics (average fruits weight per plant and total yield per fed.) during the two seasons of study.
• The highest values of fruit yield characteristics (fruits number and weight per plant and total yield per fed.) were recorded by irrigation at 120% of Class A pan combined with nitrogen fertilizer at 120 Kg N / fed. while, the lowest irrigation level (80% of Class A pan) combined with the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level (40 Kg N / fed.) decreased previous fruit yield characteristics during both seasons of study.
e- Physical characteristics of fruit
• The positive effect was recorded on physical characteristics of fruit (average fruit weight, length and diameter) by 120% of Class A pan treatment. While, the lowest irrigation level (80% of Class A pan) decreased the values of physical characteristics of fruit (fruit length, average fruit weight and fruit diameter) during the two tests seasons.
• The positive effect was recorded on physical characteristics of fruit (average fruit weight, length and diameter) by nitrogen fertilizer at 120 Kg N / fed. While, the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level (40 Kg N / fed.) decreased the values of physical characteristics of fruit (fruit length, average fruit weight and fruit diameter) during the two seasons of study.
• The highest values of physical characteristics of fruit (average fruit weight, length and diameter) were recorded by using irrigation at 120% of Class A pan combined with nitrogen fertilizer at 120 Kg N / fed. While, the lowest irrigation level (80% of Class A pan) combined with the lowest level of nitrogen fertilizer (40 Kg N / fed.) decreased the values of previous physical characteristics of fruit during the two tests seasons.
f- Chemical composition of fruit
• The positive effect was recorded on chemical characteristics of fruit (N, P, K, TSS, fibers, carbohydrates and vitamin C) by the highest irrigation regime (120% of Class A pan) and decreased Ca and Mg percent of fruit. While, the lowest irrigation regime (80% of Class A pan) decreased chemical characteristics of fruit (N, P, K, TSS, fibers, carbohydrates and vitamin C) but increased Ca and Mg content during the two seasons of study.
• The positive effect was recorded on chemical characteristics of fruit (N, K, Ca, Mg, TSS, fibers, carbohydrates and vitamin C) by the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.). while, the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level at 40 Kg N / fed. decreased chemical characteristics of fruit (N, K, Ca, Mg TSS, fibers, carbohydrates and vitamin C) but increased P content during the two seasons of study.
• The highest values of chemical constituents of fruit (N, K, TSS, fibers, carbohydrates and vitamin C) were recorded by the highest irrigation regime (120% of Class A pan) combined with the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.). While, the highest irrigation regime (120% of Class A pan) combined with the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level (40 Kg N / fed.) gave the highest P percent of fruit. Whereas, Ca and Mg percent were increased by the lowest irrigation regime (80% of Class A pan) combined with the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.)
g- Seed yield and its components
• The positive effect was recorded on seed yield characteristics (average 100 seed weight, seed yield per plant and per feddan) by 120% of Class A pan treatment. While, the lowest irrigation level (80% of Class A pan) decreased all studied characteristics of yield during the two tests seasons.
• The positive effect was recorded on seed yield characteristics (average 100 seed weight, seed yield per plant and per feddan) by nitrogen fertilizer at 120 Kg N / fed. While, the lowest nitrogen fertilizer level (40 Kg N / fed.) decreased yield characteristics during the two tests seasons.
• The positive effect was recorded on seed yield characteristics (average 100 seed weight, seed yield per plant and per fed.) by using irrigation regime at 120% of Class A pan combined with nitrogen fertilizer level at 120 Kg N / fed. compared with other interaction treatments.
h- Oil yield and its components
• The positive effect was recorded on oil yield and its component characteristics, i.e., oil percentage, oil yield per plant and per feddan, as well as fatty acids (oleic, lenolic and lenolenic) content by 120% of Class A pan compared with other irrigation treatments during both seasons of study.
• The positive effect was recorded on oil yield and its component characteristics i.e., oil percentage, oil yield per plant and per feddan, as well as fatty acids (oleic, lenolic and lenolenic) content by the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.) compared with other nitrogen fertilizer treatments during both seasons of study.
• The positive effect was recorded on oil yield and its component characteristics, i.e., oil percentage, oil yield per plant and per feddan, as well as fatty acids (oleic, lenolic and lenolenic) content by the highest irrigation regime (120% of Class A pan) combined with the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.) compared with other interaction treatments during both seasons of study.
i- Water use efficiency (WUE)
• Results showed that there was a significant effect for different irrigation regimes on WUE of all yield parameters, i.e., fruit yield, seed yield and oil yield in both growing seasons. Using of the lowest irrigation regime (80% of Class A pan) gave the highest values of WUE of edible fruit yield compared with medium (100% of Class A pan) and highest (120% of Class A pan) irrigation regimes in both growing seasons.
• Results showed that nitrogen fertilizer levels significantly affected WUE of all yield parameters, i.e., fruit yield, seed yield and oil yield in both growing seasons. Using of the highest nitrogen level (120 Kg N / fed.) gave the highest values of WUE of edible fruit yield compared with other nitrogen fertilizer level in both growing seasons.
• The interaction between irrigation and nitrogen fertilization treatments significantly affected WUE of all yield parameters, i.e., fruit yield, seed yield and oil yield in both growing seasons. Using the lowest irrigation regime (120% of Class A pan) combined with the highest nitrogen fertilizer level (120 Kg N / fed.) gave the highest values of WUE compared with other interaction treatments during both seasons of study.
CONCLUSION
from our study on bottle gourd plant it could be recommended using of the high irrigation level which gave the highest values of yield parameters, i.e., fruits, seeds, oil and its content of fatty acid. In addition, it could be recommended using of the high nitrogen fertilizer rate which also gave the maximum yields of fruit, seeds and oil.