Response of Apple Trees Performance to Moringa Extract, Humic Acid, and Liquid Organic Fertilizers (Vit-Org)

Abstract

To explore the potential synergistic effects of combining bio-stimulants and organic fertilizers on the growth performance of five-year-old Ibrahimi apple trees grafted on Quince rootstock, a research study was conducted aiming to examine the effects of moringa leaf extract applied through the foliar application, along with liquid organic fertilizer applied to the soil, and soil addition of humic acid at different doses. The moringa leaf extract was applied at doses of 0.0, 10.0, and 20.0 g/L, while the liquid organic fertilizer was applied at doses of 0.0 and 10.0 ml/tree. Additionally, humic acid was applied to the soil at doses of 0.0, 5.0, and 10.0 g/tree. The primary focus of this research was to assess the combined impact of these treatments on the growth performance of the Ibrahimi apple cultivar trees. The growth performance of the apple trees was evaluated using various parameters, including leaf area, leaf chlorophyll contents, leaf dry weight, and shoot length. The results indicated that increasing the rate of moringa leaf extract led to an increase in these parameters, while the control treatment showing the lowest values. Similarly, the application of liquid organic fertilizer resulted in increased values for all the studied parameters. Additionally, as the rate of humic acid increased, the values of the parameters also increased, while the control treatment exhibited the lowest values. Moreover, the interactions between the study factors, both twice and triple had a significant impact on all the studied aspects of vegetative growth.