INTRODUCTION
Annona crop belongs to the family of Annonaceae, and is originated from Central and mostly South America (Anuragi et al., 2016; de Q.
Pinto et al., 2005). The commercial species are A.
squamosa, A. cherimola, A. atemoya, A. muricata and A. reticulata (Nakasone & Paull, 1998). This subtropical crop has been successfully introduced to Lebanon in the last decades. In fact, the suitability of Lebanese agroclimatic conditions has led to an increase in the annona–cultivated areas coupled with certain constraints related to adaptation and acclimatization of the crop. Annona orchards
are mainly scattered on the Southern coast of Lebanon at low altitude (Yassine, 2014; Hammoud et al., (2021). These orchards are characterized by calcareous and alkaline soils with pH higher than 7 (Naim, El–Sebaaly, Sajyan, & Sassine, 2018).
Such soils are not considered as optimal for annona cultivation due to their deficiency in organic matter and iron (Naim, El–Sebaaly, Sajyan, & Sassine, 2018). Although areas cultivated with annona are constantly increasing however problem related to soil type and iron deficiency has been causing constraints to annona growers in Lebanon. On the other hand, the choice of the well-adapted Annona species to be cultivated is also a major ARTICLE INFO
Keywords:
Adaptation Annona Iron fertilization Lebanon Soil type Article History:
Received: March 19, 2020 Accepted: March 18, 2022
*) Corresponding author:
E-mail:[email protected]
ABSTRACT
In the last decade, annona crop was introduced to Lebanon. This experiment was conducted to enhance the adaptation of annona to local conditions. Three scion/rootstock combinations were obtained from self– and cross– cleft grafting of Annona squamosa (Sq) and Annona cherimola (Ch), planted in calcareous “white soil” and clay–loamy “red soil”, and fertilized or not by iron (Fe) through fertigation. In the third year, the treatment red soil–iron fertilization–Sq/Ch had significantly highest plant height, trunk diameter, leaf number, number of primary roots, fruit number and yield. In the third year, despite iron fertilization, plants of the three graft combinations cultivated in red soil had higher flower number, fruit number, individual fruits weight and yield, than those planted in white soil. In the same year, iron fertilization in white soil had only affected total dry mass, leaf mass fraction and leaf iron content. However, iron fertilization of Sq/Ch planted in red soil has improved leaf number, primary root number, primary root length, leaf chlorophyll index, and leaf iron content compared to non–fertilized plants. Conclusively, iron fertilization in red soil could be a useful method improving the performance and yielding capacity of annona crop mainly in Sq/Ch combination.
ISSN: 0126-0537Accredited First Grade by Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of The Republic of Indonesia, Decree No: 30/E/KPT/2018
Cite this as: Hammoud, M., Sebaaly, Z. E., Alturki, S., Kattar, S., and Sassine, Y. (2022). Performance of annona plants subjected to different graft combinations, soil types and iron fertilization. AGRIVITA Journal of Agricultural Science, 44(2), 235-247. http://doi.org/10.17503/agrivita.v44i2.2626
Performance of Annona Plants Subjected to Different Graft Combinations, Soil Types and Iron Fertilization
May Hammoud1,3*), Zeina El Sebaaly3), Saleh Mobarak Alturki2), Salim Kattar4) and Youssef Najib Sassine3)
1) Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Forestry, 10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd, 1797, Sofia, Bulgaria
2) Arid Land Agriculture Department, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
3) Department of Plant Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
4) Department of Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
concern for farmers. Cherimoya (A. cherimola) and sugar apple (A. squamosa) are the main species cultivated in Lebanon. Sugar apple can only tolerate a narrow range of soil types (Yassine, 2014). While, Cherimoya has a high level of adaptation to a wide range of soil types, altitudes and temperatures (El Omar et al., 2020). Grafting is a major technique used to improve crop performance based on the interaction between rootstocks and scions that can induce a high vigor of root system and a greater water and mineral uptake (Eltayb, Abdel Magid, Ibrahim, & Dirar, 2014). Suitable rootstock species should be selected for the grafting of each scion species. One of the grafting problems is the compatibility of rootstocks and scions, since extreme incompatibility can cause death of grafted trees (Baron et al., 2018; Gainza, Opazo, & Muñoz, 2015; Indriyani & Karsinah, 2011).
Scion/rootstock combination, iron fertilization and soil type were the three tested factors in the current study. The aim was to evaluate the performance of annona crop subjected to various cultural practices during three consecutive growing seasons. Such aim was attained by planting three different scion/rootstock combinations obtained through self and cross cleft grafting of A. cherimoya and A. squamosa in iron–fertilized or not white (already found in Lebanese orchard) or red (externally added) soils.
MATERIALS AND METHODS Experimental Orchard
The current study was conducted during three consecutive years starting from 2013 until 2019. The experimental field was located at 33°12’48.9”N 35°16’10.7”E in Bebliye–South Lebanon governorate at an altitude of 245 m above sea level. The climate in the orchard was a mild climate with a temperature of 25±5°C in summer and 10±5°C in winter. August and January are respectively the hottest and coldest months with a mean temperature of respectively 30.4°C and 5.2°C. Rainfall occurs mainly between October and April and was of 900±100 mm per winter season during the three experimental years. Finally, relative humidity on the experimental site was of 60–80%
during growing season.
Preparation of Planting Materials
Three scion/rootstock combinations were prepared through 12 months old self– or cross–
grafting of Annona squamosa (Sq) and Annona cherimoya (Ch) namely: Sq/Sq, Ch/Ch, and Sq/
Ch. Cleft grafting method was adopted. All planting materials were selected in the basis of the same age and trunk diameter. Seedlings were conditioned for the following 12 months at the nursery prior to transplantation. The young annona trees were planted with spacing distance of 4 × 4.5 m at spring 2013. In the first year, plants were irrigated twice per month starting from May with the volume of 7 l/
plant. In the second and third years, 10 l/plant water was provided twice per month starting from May.
Soil Preparation and Iron Fertilization
Soil analysis was carried out at the chemical and textural properties. Analysis revealed that the original “white soil” of the orchard was calcareous and clay loamy, mildly alkaline with a pH of 7.6. It had a low salinity and was poor in potassium (110 ppm), magnesium (154 ppm) and iron (1.2 ppm) while rich in phosphorus (17 ppm), nitrogen (81 kg/
ha), sodium (170 ppm) and calcium (5948 ppm). To study the effect of soil on growth of annona trees, additional “red soil” was added or not according to the experimental design. Occasionally, prior to plantation, the planting holes with the size of 1 m3 were prepared and filled with “red soil” which was also analyzed (Table 1). The soil volume (1 m3) added was estimated as the optimal root depth and surface required by the tree during its growth.
“Red soil” was a sandy loamy soil with a pH of 6.5, considered as moderately acidic soil referring to Hazelton and Murphy (2007). The total CaCO3, measured by Bernard Calcimeter, was low (0.8%).
Moreover, the soil was very poor in organic matter (0.39%) nitrogen (6.98 kg/ha), and potassium (75.26 ppm) with acceptable values of calcium content (2800 ppm) and iron (6.1 ppm). However, it was rich in phosphorus (27.7 ppm) and magnesium (478 ppm).
In both type of soils (white soil or red soil), fresh organic manure (goat manure) was added with an application rate of 12.5 kg/tree during soil preparation in spring 2013. Finally, iron was added in the corresponding plots with a rate of 30 g/tree once per month.
Experimental Design
In the current study, three annona scion/
rootstock combinations were planted in two types of soils which were fertilized or not with iron during the growth cycle. A split plot design was adopted with three factors namely cultivars, soil type and iron fertilization. “Soil type” factor including 2 types was considered as the main plot. The main plot covers 3 ha per soil type and and each and each rootstock/
scion combination acquired 0.75 ha. Finally, the factor “Iron fertilization” was considered as a sub–
subplot (0.375 ha/type of fertilization). Treatments including the three cultivars planted in white soil with non fertilized by iron were considered as control treatments. Conclusively, the following treatments were tested: T1: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Sq, T2: Red soil–Fe–Ch/Ch, T3: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch, T4: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq, T5: Red soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch, T6:
Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch, T7: White soil–Fe–Sq/Sq, T8: White soil–Fe–Ch/Ch, T9: White soil–Fe–Sq/
Ch, T10: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq, T11: White soil–
No Fe–Ch/Ch and T12: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch.
At the end of each growing season, monitoring of growth and production was done on thirty randomly selected plants per treatment.
To note that the subplot including the scion/
rootstock combination: Ch/Sq was eliminated from the experiment at 6 months after plantation due to unsuccessful growth and death of the majority of trees within this subplot.
Measurements on Plants
In each growing season, measurements were recorded on plant height prior to flowering (using a measuring tape), number of leaves (through visual observation), trunk diameter at 15 cm above grafting point (using a sliding caliper at the widest point of the trunk). Additionally, at the end of each season, a destructive sampling was carried out by
removing thirty trees per treatment from soil for further measurements; Plant parts were separated after measuring the total number of lateral shoots and the internode length in each shoot. Roots were washed carefully and then number and length of primary roots and number of secondary roots were recorded. Fresh weight of plant parts was first measured, and then separated plant parts were oven–dried at 100°C until reaching a constant weight. Total dry mass was calculated as the sum of dry weights of the three plant parts. Based on dry weights of plant parts, root mass fraction (RMF), stem mass fraction (SMF) leaf mass fraction (LMF) and leaf area ratio (LAR) were calculated based on Poorter et al. (2012):
Reproductive Indicators
In the third growing season, total number of flowers, total number of fruits and individual fruit weight (g) were measured. Consequently, the total fruit yield (kg/plant) was recorded for the total number of plants per treatment.
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Table 1. Textural and chemical characterization of red and white soils.
Character Obtained values
Recommended values Red soil White soil
Sand (%) 76.96 24.0 –
Silt (%) 6.0 38.0 –
Clay (%) 17.04 38.0 –
Organic matter (%) 0.39 0.41 2.5
pH 6.5 7.6 –
Electrical conductivity (mS/cm) 0.135 0.270 0.4
Total CaCO3, lime (%) 0.8 88.0 –
Active CaCO3, lime (%) – 18.0 –
Available Nitrogen (kg/ha) 6.98 81.0 70
Olsen Phosphorus (ppm) 27.7 17.0 15
Available Potassium (ppm) 75.26 110.00 400
Available Sodium (ppm) – 170.0 100
Exchangeable Magnesium (ppm) 478 154 250
Exchangeable Calcium (ppm) 2800 5948 3500
Available Iron (ppm) 6.1 1.2 10
Chlorophyll Index and Leaf Iron Concentration Chlorophyll SPAD reading were determined using a SPAD–502 meter (Konica–Minolta, Japan).
For the determination of iron content in leaves, ash of plant leaves was heated to 550°C in a muffle furnace for 5 hours and were later dissolved in 10 ml HCl (2N) with a few drops of Nitric acid. Iron content was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry.
Statistical Analysis
All data were subjected to ANOVA by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25® software. Means were compared by Duncan’s multiple range tests at p ≤ 0.05. A standardized principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using Statistica software version 12® on the mean of all indicators in all treatments for the determination of correlations between variables and the contribution of each
treatment from these variables. Finally, cluster analysis by agglomerative hierarchical clustering was performed using SPSS software version 25®.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Above Ground Parts
Red soil had a significant impact on plant height in all treatments during three years of experimentation despite iron addition. For instance, in the third year, plant height was of 146.40, 185.10 and 198.70 cm for T4, T5 and T6 respectively in the red soil which was significantly higher compared to corresponding treatments in white soil (Table 2). The effect of cultivar was more pronounced in red soil where Sq/Ch had the highest plant height (217.8 cm) followed by Ch/Ch (206.48 cm) in the third year.
Table 2. Effect of soil type, iron fertilization and cultivars on plant height, diameter of trunk and number of leaves of Annona in the 3 consecutive years of the experiment
Treatment Plant height (cm) Diameter of trunk (cm) Number of leaves Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 T1: Red soil–Fe–
Sq/Sq 80.46e 115.98b 150.790b 1.68c 1.75e 3.43d 42.07d 182.63e 230.03cd T2: Red soil–Fe–
Ch/Ch 90.70h 158.83de 206.48e 1.19a 1.316ab 4.47g 23.27ab 215.23f 244.97de T3: Red soil–Fe–
Sq/Ch 83.88g 167.537f 217.80f 2.3e 2.43g 6.13i 76.27g 302.27h 307.37f T4: Red soil–No
Fe–Sq/Sq 70.15d 110.20ab 146.40b 1.63c 1.61d 2.80c 38.73d 123.43b 201.30bc T5: Red soil–No
Fe–Ch/Ch 83.62g 152.57d 185.10d 1.25a 1.43bc 3.90e 25.10ab 138.30c 223.80cd T6: Red soil–No
Fe–Sq/Ch 80.63e 160.50ef 198.70e 2.04d 2.20f 5.90h 72.40fg 241.30g 265.60e T7: White soil–Fe–
Sq/Sq 66.81bc 105.18a 132.40a 1.23a 1.29a 1.80a 32.47c 118.50b 129.20a T8: White soil–Fe–
Ch/Ch 75.23e 134.19c 167.70c 1.24a 1.27a 2.40b 24.83ab 123.27b 144.50a T9: White soil–Fe–
Sq/Ch 73.83e 138.58c 171.60c 1.44b 1.83e 4.20f 71.00f 183.67e 191.30b T10: White soil–No
Fe–Sq/Sq 60.19a 103.19a 130.40a 1.14a 1.20a 1.70a 27.23b 98.33a 128.80a T11: White soil–No
Fe–Ch/Ch 68.72cd 130.70c 164.70c 1.14a 1.27a 2.40b 21.20a 118.60b 143.50a T12: White soil–No
Fe–Sq/Ch 65.48b 135.60c 169.70c 1.24a 1.49c 4.00ef 63.93e 172.30d 188.70b Remarks: Sq: Annona squamosa L.; Ch: Annona cherimola Mill.; Means within the same column followed by the same letters are not significantly different at p ≤ 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test
Trunk diameter increased significantly in red soil compared to white soil starting from second growing season. Regarding the type of cultivar, in the first two growing seasons, Sq/Ch showed higher trunk diameter than Ch/Ch and Sq/Sq in red soil.
However, no significant differences between trunk diameters of the three combinations were observed in white soil in first year despite iron application.
In the third year, all treatments including iron fertilization had higher trunk diameter compared to their corresponding treatments without fertilization.
For instance, trunk diameter of Sq/Sq, Ch/Ch and Sq/Ch, in the red soil was 3.43, 4.47 and 6.13 cm with fertilization, and 2.80, 3.90 and 5.90 cm respectively when without fertilization (Table 2).
Number of leaves was higher in red soil than that in white soil. For instance, planting in white soil in the third year number of leaves of T4, T5 and T6 were higher respectively than T10, T11 and T12 by 72.5, 80.3 and 76.9 leaves (Table 2). Sq/Ch always had the highest number of leaves compared to the remaining cultivars. This superiority was amplified by iron fertilization in the red soil mainly in the third
year. Similar to the previous indicators, internode length in the third growing season was improved at red soil compared to white soil for Sq/Sq, Ch/Ch and Sq/Ch (by 0.7 cm) with higher internode length observed for Sq/Ch (Table 3). Number of lateral shoots has followed a similar pattern under the effect of cultivar and soil type.
Underground Parts
Red soil induced a significantly higher number of primary roots in all cultivars. For example, the number of roots of Sq/Sq, Ch/Ch and Sq/Ch were 36.5, 45.2 and 46.9 respectively in the red soil, and these were higher compared to their corresponding treatments in white soil (Table 3). Again, iron fertilization showed the best amplificatory effect on Sq/Ch causing an increase of approximately 6 primary roots in red soil (Table 3). Length of primary roots and number of secondary roots were similarly affected by the combination of the three factors:
cultivar, soil type and iron fertilization; with the shallowest root system and the highest number of secondary roots observed in Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch (59.79 cm depth and 463 secondary roots).
Table 3. Effect of soil type, iron fertilization and cultivars on number of primary roots, length of primary roots, number of secondary roots, internode length, number of lateral shoots of Annona in the third year of the experiment
Treatment Internodal
length (cm) Number of
lateral shoots Number of primary roots
Length of primary roots
(cm)
Number of secondary
roots
T1: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Sq 3.17d 10.27c 41.83bcd 31.46d 410.13de
T2: Red soil–Fe–Ch/Ch 3.73f 14.17e 48.90ef 48.68f 381.77cd
T3: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch 3.77f 15.70f 52.73f 59.79h 463.00e
T4: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq 3.00cd 9.80bc 36.50b 29.20c 382.40cd
T5: Red soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch 3.40e 13.70e 45.20cde 45.80e 362.80bcd
T6: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch 3.60f 15.40f 46.90de 55.61g 451.17e
T7: White soil–Fe–Sq/Sq 2.40a 7.10a 28.90a 13.20a 315.20ab
T8: White soil–Fe–Ch/Ch 2.70b 9.40bc 39.20b 26.10b 322.10ab
T9: White soil–Fe–Sq/Ch 3.00cd 12.50d 41.80bcd 27.30b 350.20abc
T10: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq 2.30a 6.50a 27.90a 12.80a 300.00a
T11: White soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch 2.70b 8.80b 37.00b 25.80b 315.30ab
T12: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch 2.90bc 11.80d 40.40bc 26.70b 339.50abc
Remarks: Sq: Annona squamosa L.; Ch: Annona cherimola Mill.; Means within the same column followed by the same letters are not significantly different at p < 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test
Combinations involving A. cherimoya as a rootstock had better performance under the same conditions. Based on previous findings regarding family Annonaceae; it was observed that some species in Annonaceae are erroneously recognized as “graft incompatible”. These includes A. squamosa when used as rootstocks. Accordingly, A. atemoya showed incompatibility when grafted on many rootstocks including A. muricata, A. glabra, A. montana and A. reticulata (Fu et al., 2012).
According to Naim, El–Sebaaly, Sajyan, & Sassine (2018), A. cherimoya as a rootstock is more vigorous and tolerant mainly to different soil conditions than A. squamosa. Accordingly, Ch/Ch showed better growth compared to Sq/Sq in white soil indicating that Ch rootstock had a preference for a wider range of soil pH (ranging between 6.5 and 7.5) (de Q. Pinto et al., 2005) compared to Sq rootstock. As a result of vigorous Ch rootstock, Sq/Ch grafting combination had a better growth performance under current conditions compared to self-grafted Sq/
Sq combination. According to Fallik, Alkalai-Tuvia, Chalupowicz, Popovsky-Sarid, & Zaaroor-Presman (2019) and Koepke & Dhingra (2013) scion growth performance is markedly affected by the type and vigor of rootstock. Moreover, Sq/Ch combination seemed to be the most suitable one especially
due to the high adaptation of the rootstock to soil conditions and high tolerance of the scion to wide range of temperatures (de Q. Pinto et al., 2005;
Nakasone & Paull, 1998).
Mass Fraction of Plant Parts
Annona plants cultivated in red soil had significantly higher dry weight and mass fraction compared to those cultivated in white soil. Those two indicators were the highest in Sq/Ch, followed by Ch/Ch then Sq/Sq in both soil types. For instance, in red soil, LMF of T4, T5 and T6 was 0.11, 0.13 and 0.20 g/g, respectively (Table 4). In red soil, iron fertilization has caused a decrease in the dry weight of leaves and LMF only in T1 and T3 compared to T4 and T6 respectively. However, in the white soil, leaf dry weight was not affected by iron fertilization except when comparing T9 and T12 where iron fertilization has caused a significant increase in leaf dry weight. LMF increased following iron fertilization in white soil. Red soil induced the increment of SMF in all treatments except when comparing T6 and T12 (Table 4). In the red soil, despite iron addition, SMF of Sq/Ch (0.63 g/g) was higher compared to that of Ch/Ch (0.57 g/g) and Sq/Sq (0.57 g/g). In fact, the treatment of Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch had the highest dry weight of shoots (309.8 g). Iron fertilization did not show any ameliorative effect on this indicator.
Table 4. Effect of soil type, iron fertilization and cultivars on leaf dry weight, leaf mass fraction (LMF), shoot dry weight, shoot mass fraction (SMF), root dry weight, root mass fraction (RMF) and total dry mass of Annona in the third year of the experiment
Treatment Leaf dry
weight (g) LMF
(g/g) Shoot dry
weight (g) SMF
(g/g) Root dry
weight (g) RMF
(g/g) Total dry Mass (g) T1: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Sq 7.60a 0.07a 69.80cd 0.61d 38.38ab 0.33d 115.78ab T2: Red soil–Fe–Ch/Ch 16.01ef 0.13ef 61.44bcd 0.50ab 45.26bc 0.36e 122.70b T3: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch 60.08h 0.14f 225.05e 0.53b 139.62e 0.33d 424.75d T4: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq 12.50cd 0.11cd 67.10bcd 0.57c 37.20a 0.32cd 116.80b T5: Red soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch 16.50f 0.13e 71.50d 0.57c 38.20ab 0.30c 126.20b T6: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch 98.30j 0.20h 309.80g 0.63de 86.40d 0.17a 494.50e T7: White soil–Fe–Sq/Sq 10.90bc 0.11cd 49.70a 0.50a 38.70ab 0.39fg 99.30a T8: White soil–Fe–Ch/Ch 13.80de 0.12d 59.80abc 0.51ab 44.20abc 0.38ef 117.80b T9: White soil–Fe–Sq/Ch 67.40i 0.16g 263.80f 0.63e 86.80d 0.21b 418.00d T10: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq 8.90ab 0.08b 57.90ab 0.53b 42.50abc 0.39fg 109.30ab T11: White soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch 12.10cd 0.10c 56.80ab 0.49a 47.50c 0.41g 116.40b T12: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch 44.90g 0.12d 258.90f 0.66f 86.70d 0.22b 390.50c Remarks: Sq: Annona squamosa L.; Ch: Annona cherimola Mill.; Means within the same column followed by the same letters are not significantly different at p < 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test
In red soil, the decrement of root dry weight was detected only on Ch/Ch, while. the decrease of RMF was observed in all cultivars. However, root dry weight of Sq/Ch was higher than one of Sq/Sq and Ch/Ch in both soil types (Table 4). Iron fertilization showed an ameliorative effect on Sq/Ch mainly when coupled with red soil type as indicated on the highest root dry weight in T3 (139.62 g). The red soil only significantly increased the total dry mass of Sq/Ch with no significant effect on both other cultivars. Sq/Ch had the highest total dry mass among all cultivars in both soil types and the highest value was obtained in the treatment of Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch (494.5 g) (Table 4).
Reproductive Indicators
Regarding number of flowers, annona trees of all cultivars, cultivated in red soil had more flowers than those cultivated in white soil. For instance, the number of flower of annona were recorded 69.2, 38.4 and 14.7 for T6, T4 and T5, while T12, T10 and T11 were 43.5, 20.2 and 8.0 flowers, respectively (Table 5). The cultivar type had similar effects on number of flowers in the red and white soil, where Sq/Ch produced the highest, followed by Sq/Sq and Ch/Ch. Iron fertilization significantly increased number of flowers of all cultivars mainly in the red soil. Similarly, number of fruits was affected by soil type and cultivar despite iron. In the red soil, Sq/
Ch produced the highest number of fruits (37.8
fruits), followed by Sq/Sq (12.6 fruits) and Ch/
Ch (2.0 fruits). Iron fertilization improved number of fruits in red soil in the three cultivars with the best improvement observed in Sq/Ch (60.9 fruits).
The weight of individual fruit was mainly related to the scion A. squamosa as observed higher in the combination of Sq/Ch (329.6 g) and Sq/Sq (308.2 g) compared to Ch/Ch (125.4 g) in red soil. The weight of individual fruit of Ch/Ch was significantly improved by the effect of iron fertilization in red soil (by 55.9 g). Consequently, yields of annona trees were generally improved in red soil subjected by iron fertilizer treatment, and specifically optimized in the treatment Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch (20.5 kg/plant).
The cultivar Sq/Ch had always had higher yields compared to the remaining cultivars on soil type or iron fertilization.
Chlorophyll Index, Leaf Iron Content and Leaf Area Ratio
Over three years of experimentation, the leaf chlorophyll index was higher in Annona plants cultivated in red soil compared to those planted in white one. In the third year. The chlorophyll content (SPAD unit) was recorded 36.0, 30.0 and 29.0 under red red soil and 22.0, 20.3 and 14.0 under white soil respectively for Ch/Ch, Sq/Ch and Sq/Sq (Table 6).
In the red soil, leaf chlorophyll index was improved following iron fertilization mainly in Ch/Ch and Sq/
Ch in the range of 6 to 7 SPAD.
Table 5. Effect of soil type, iron fertilization and cultivars on number of flowers and fruits, individual fruit weight and yield of Annona in the third year of the experiment
Treatment Number of
flowers Number of
fruits Number of fruits
(g) Yield
(kg/plant)
T1: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Sq 46.00e 25.30d 314.62e 8.12d
T2: Red soil–Fe–Ch/Ch 18.80c 2.67a 69.51a 0.34a
T3: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch 73.60g 60.87f 333.25e 20.50f
T4: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq 38.40d 12.63c 308.19de 3.86c
T5: Red soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch 14.70b 2.00a 125.40b 0.25a
T6: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch 69.20f 37.80e 329.60e 12.42e
T7: White soil–Fe–Sq/Sq 21.20c 7.80b 286.21cd 2.23b
T8: White soil–Fe–Ch/Ch 8.10a 1.20a 80.21a 0.14a
T9: White soil–Fe–Sq/Ch 47.50e 24.20d 325.21e 7.86d
T10: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq 20.20c 7.00b 280.80c 1.96b
T11: White soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch 8.00a 1.10a 82.88a 0.13a
T12: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch 43.50e 22.80d 323.10e 7.34d
Remarks: Sq: Annona squamosa L.; Ch: Annona cherimola Mill.; Means within the same column followed by the same letters are not significantly different at p < 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test
In both soil types the leaf iron content was higher in Ch/Ch followed by Sq/Ch and Sq/Sq over three years observations. Iron fertilization had similar ameliorative effect in red and white soil over three years cultivation. It has significantly increased the leaf iron concentration in the three cultivars. In the third year, leaf iron concentration was recorded at 243 ppm, 328 ppm and 299.37 ppm in Fe fertilizer tretead plants and 189.37 ppm, 309.73 ppm and 275.3 ppm respectively at non–fertilized Sq/Sq, Ch/
Ch and Sq/Ch cultivated in red soil (Table 6).
Leaf area ratio (LAR) was higher in the white soil in the first year. In the second years, however, the plants cultivated in red soil showed higher LAR except for T4 and T10. In the third year, LAR in T4 was higher than that in T10 and LAR in T6 was lower than T12, while T5 and T11 were similar. The highest LAR was also detected Ch/Ch, followed by Sq/Sq and Sq/Ch. Fe fertilization in the red soil, has increased LAR in the first and third years, while less in the second year.
Table 6. Effect of soil type, iron fertilization and cultivars on leaf chlorophyll index, leaf iron concentration and leaf area ratio of Annona in the 3 consecutive years of the experiment
Treatment Leaf chlorophyll index
(SPAD) Leaf iron concentration
(ppm) Leaf area ratio
(m2/kg)
Year1 Year2 Year3 Year1 Year2 Year3 Year1 Year2 Year3
T1: Red soil–Fe–
Sq/Sq 33.00fg 35.00ef 36.00fg 232.2f 210.53g 243.00g 0.1057f 0.0693e 0.0720g T2: Red soil–Fe–
Ch/Ch 37.33g 40.67g 44.00h 313.5h 323.53k 328.60k 0.0627cd 0.0717e 0.0843i T3: Red soil–Fe–
Sq/Ch 34.33fg 37.67fg 41.33gh 242.6g 255.00i 299.37i 0.0350ab 0.0343b 0.0293c T4: Red soil–No
Fe–Sq/Sq 25.00de 27.00cd 29.00def 177.5d 185.23e 189.37d 0.1003e 0.0723e 0.0667f T5: Red soil–No
Fe–Ch/Ch 33.00fg 34.00ef 36.00fg 244.9g 303.43j 309.73j 0.0613c 0.0743e 0.0790h T6: Red soil–No
Fe–Sq/Ch 30.00ef 30.33de 30.00ef 190.1e 215.40h 275.30h 0.0327a 0.0380b 0.0200a T7: White soil–
Fe–Sq/Sq 12.33ab 15.67ab 16.00ab 152.4bc 170.20b 179.63c 0.1103f 0.0630cd 0.0607e T8: White soil–
Fe–Ch/Ch 22.00cd 24.67c 27.00cde 169.8d 206.46d 211.27f 0.0660cd 0.0607c 0.0770h T9: White soil–
Fe–Sq/Ch 17.00bc 18.67b 24.00cde 159.5c 180.83f 198.97e 0.0373ab 0.0257a 0.0223ab T10: White soil–
No Fe–Sq/Sq 10.00a 13.00a 14.00a 140.4a 151.80a 147.27a 0.1177g 0.0680de 0.0547d T11: White soil–
No Fe–Ch/Ch 18.33c 18.33ab 22.00bcd 160.1c 188.06e 187.03d 0.0673d 0.0623cd 0.0767gh T12: White soil–
No Fe–Sq/Ch 12.00ab 16.33ab 20.33abc 148.5b 176.80c 169.07b 0.0387b 0.0277a 0.0257bc Remarks: Sq: Annona squamosa L.; Ch: Annona cherimola Mill.; Means within the same column followed by the same letters are not significantly different at p<0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test
Remarks: X axis: Agricultural parameter; Y axis: Value (unit of measurement of each agricultural parameter is shown next to each parameter in the X axis)
Fig. 1. Loadings for all indicators at PC1 and PC2 The response of Annona trees to soil type was differed according to the type of scion rootstock combination. For instance, despite the effect of iron, the Sq/Ch and Ch/Ch rootstock-scion combinations in red soil improved showed better growth performance than those planted in white soil. Similar phenomena were also detected on chlorophyll index and leaf iron content. According to Zhang, Liu, Zhang, Wang, & Wei (2019) a positive linear correlation was found between chlorophyll index and iron content. Based on the textural and structural compositions of both soils it was deduced that red soil was more suitable for Annona cultivation than white soil. Regarding the texture, red soil has
higher sand content thus corresponded to a better drainage and aeration compared to white clay loamy soil. According to Nakasone & Paull (1998) soil characters mainly drainage capacity is extremely important for the cultivation of annona. This crop is productive in well drained and aerated soil rich in organic matter (Yassine, 2014). Additionally, the lower pH in red soil also induced better adaptation of annona plants. These findings were inline on the combination of A. cherimoya as the rootstock. de Q. Pinto et al. (2005) stated that the best soil pH for cherimoya growth is in the range of 6–6.5. Such requirements were merely found in red soil than in white soil.
Table 7. Eigen values of correlation matrix, and related statistics Statistical
Measurement PC1 PC2 PC3 PC4
Eigen value 17.06327 5.25663 1.67328 1.23915
Variability (%) 65.62797 20.21782 6.43569 4.76596
Cumulative (%) 65.6280 85.8458 92.2815 97.0474
On the other hand, in the grafted combination of Sq/Ch, iron application in white soil showed less effect on vegetative indicators in the three years compared to the application in red soil. Similar findings with less effect were observed on the remaining two grafted combinations of Sq/Sq and Ch/Ch. This could be due to the mobility and activity of iron and its relation to the soil type and texture. In fact, Fe mobility is affected by the physical and chemical soil processes (Fijałkowski, Kacprzak, Grobelak, & Placek, 2012).
It was previously reported that iron deficiency is a frequent problem in calcareous soils (Nozoye, Otani, Senoura, Nakanishi, & Nishizawa, 2017). This is related to the fact that the precipitation of poorly ordered Fe minerals took place under alkaline and neutral soil pH while the mobilization of Fe minerals considered as available for crops are promoted in acid soil pH (Cornell & Schwertmann, 2003). Other findings reported that deficiency is a problem related to iron utilization in root and leaf apoplast of the plant (Melkikh & Sutormina, 2022; Mengel, 1995). After the transportation of iron to the root, it is trapped by the root apoplast due to the high apoplastic pH under alkaline conditions (Altman & Waisel, 2012).
Results of PCA and Cluster Analysis in Year 3 The data obtained from nine treatments was subjected to PCA to visualize underlying structure in experimental data and relationship among vegetative, reproductive and physiological indicators.
Eigen values obtained from PCA are represented in Table 7. PC1, PC2, PC3 and PC4 contributed to 65.63%, 20.22%, 6.44% and 4.77% of total variance, respectively. The first 4 PCs reached a cumulative variance of approximately 97.05% which revealed a significant correlation among all indicators. The Eigen vectors for all indicators with respect to first two components are presented in Fig. 1. All indicators had positive contribution to PC1 except LAR and root mass fraction. Weight of individual fruits had positive contribution to PC2 while leaf chlorophyll index and leaf iron content had negative contributions on the same PC.
Based on score values on PC1 (Table 8), treatments involving the cultivar Sq/Ch had higher positive scores compared to the remaining cultivars.
These higher value indicated higher positive contribution (high Eigen vectors) on the same PC. In specific, the treatment Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch had the highest positive score (7.67) among all treatments.
This treatment had consequently the optimal growth and yielding capacity and the lowest leaf area
ratio and root mass fraction among all treatments.
Similarly, it was observed that treatments involving white soil had lower score values compared to those involving red soil. In some cases, score values of treatments involving white soil were negative, reflecting lesser growth and yielding capacity with the worst performance observed in the treatment White soil––No Fe––Sq–Sq (–4.9).
Cluster analysis grouped the twelve treatments into 4 clusters as shown in Table 9. Cluster–I comprised all treatments including the cultivars Ch/
Ch and Sq/Sq (T1, T2, T4, T5, T7, T8, T10 and T11).
Cluster–II, Cluster–III and Cluster–IV comprised respectively T3, T6 and both T9–T12. Treatments involving Sq/Ch were found on different clusters.
Based on the results and Duncan test, the measured traits and indicators in Sq/Ch were different (mainly higher) than those of Ch/Ch and Sq/Sq despite soil type and iron fertilization.
Table 8. Score values representing the interaction between treatments and parameters at PC1
Factor coordinates of cases PC1
T1: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Sq –0.78
T2: Red soil–Fe–Ch/Ch 0.29
T3: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch 7.67
T4: Red soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch –0.37
T5: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq –1.86
T6: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch 6.75
T7: White soil–Fe–Sq/Sq –4.54
T8: White soil–Fe–Ch/Ch –3.17
T9: White soil–Fe–Sq/Ch 2.82
T10: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq –4.90 T11: White soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch –3.66 T12: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch 1.75 Table 9. Distribution of treatments in different clusters
Cluster Treatment
I T1, T2, T4, T5, T7, T8, T10, T11
II T3
III T6
IV T9, T12
Remarks: T1: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Sq, T2: Red soil–Fe–Ch/
Ch, T3: Red soil–Fe–Sq/Ch, T4: Red soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch, T5: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq, T6: Red soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch, T7: White soil–Fe–Sq/Sq, T8: White soil–Fe–Ch/Ch, T9:
White soil–Fe–Sq/Ch, T10: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Sq, T11:
White soil–No Fe–Ch/Ch, T12: White soil–No Fe–Sq/Ch
Fig. 2. Cluster analysis based on all indicators for all treatments Clustering of treatments based on studied
indicators is presented in Fig. 2. Based on this analysis, treatments T8 and T11 had the lowest coefficient and were the closest among all treatments. Both treatments had similar type of soil (white soil) and similar cultivar (Ch/Ch) but different iron application. Similarly, T7–T10 and T9–
T12 were also close among others. Both treatment pairs had similar soil type (white soil) and similar cultivar (Sq/Sq in T7–T10 and Sq/Ch in T9–T12) but
different iron application. This observation reflects that the application of iron in white soil was not highly efficient and did not cause any improvement in plant growth and yield capacity in the three tested cultivars. On the contrary, distance between T3 and T6 (high coefficient) reveals that iron fertilization had a significant contribution on the cultivar Sq/
Ch mainly in red soil. This contribution was defined previously as positive one based on results of Duncan test.
Finally, as a result of the three tested factors (cultivar, soil type and iron fertilization), yielding capacity of Annona crop in the third year was improved mainly in the treatment of Red soil– Sq/Ch– Fe fertilization. In this treatment, the improvement in yield was mainly due to an increase in number of flowers and fruits rather than in weight of individual fruit. According to Anuragi, Jain, Dhaduk, & Kumar (2017) and de Q. Pinto et al. (2005), genotype–environment interaction has high impact on annona yielding capacity. In specific, higher yields are attained from trees grown in well–
drained sandy loam soils (Nakasone & Paull, 1998).
CONCLUSION
The selection of suitable soil type and scion–
rootstock combination is crucial for optimizing benefits from Annona cultivation. Iron fertilization supported plants to better adapt to soil conditions especially when the appropriate Annona rootstock was selected. The present study provided evidences for local farmers to improve their benefits from Annona cultivation under the conditions of South Lebanon.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, for the financial support under Nasher track (Grant No. 186290).
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