Printing ISSN2708-857X
Online ISSN 2708-8588
Online ISSN 2708-8588
Abstract... The study was conducted in collaboration between the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research and the Faculty of Agriculture- Damascus University. The experiment was carried out in Taiba Research Station of General Commission for Agricultural Research during the two seasons 2017/2018 in order to investigate the effect of foliar application of maleic hydrazide (MH) at 20 days before harvest with /4/ concentrations 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 mg/l in addition to the control (spray with water) in some qualitative characteristics and storability indicators of local red and imported Onion variety "Dora" during of storage at natural conditions. The experiment was designed according to the complete randomized design. The results indicated that local red Onion variety had significant difference compared to the second one in qualitative characteristics and the storability studied indicators (dry matter percentage, total soluble solids percentage, weight loss percentage, and sprout percentage).
The foliar spray of high concentrations (2000 and 2500 mg/l) led to significant increase in dry matter content and total soluble solids percentage at the harvest and the end of storage, it also resulted in significant decrease in sprout percentage and weight loss compared with the control. There was also a significant interaction between spray date and the applied concentrations in sprout percentage, weight loss, dry matter content and total soluble solids during the storage. In conclusion the use of malic hydrazide at the concentration of 2000 or 2500 mg/l at 20 days before harvest led to decrease the sprout and weight loss percentage and improve bulb's qualitative characteristics during storage of onion crop.