Response of some parameters of local orange seedling (Citrus Sinensis L.) budding on Sour Orange to organic waste addition and Zinc spraying

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Soil and Water Techniques, Technical College of Al-Mussaib, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Iraq.

2 Department of Plant Production Technologies, Technical College of Al-Mussaib, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Iraq.

Abstract

Objective
The goal of this study was to assess the effects of organic matter application and zinc foliar spraying on the vegetative growth of local orange seedlings (Citrus sinensis L.) grafted onto sour orange rootstock. Improving seedling growth and nutritional status under nursery conditions was the main aim of this research.
Materials and Methods
Cattle manure was used as a source of organic matter and applied at four levels: 0, 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75 kg per seedling. Zinc was applied as a foliar spray at three concentrations (0, 20, and 40 mg Zn L⁻¹) using hydrated zinc sulfate as the zinc source. The experiment was arranged in a factorial completely randomized design with three replications. We recorded several vegetative growth parameters. These parameters were: leaf nutrient content, seedling height, seedling dry weight, stem diameter, number of leaves, chlorophyll content (SPAD value), and leaf area. analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze data. Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at the 5% probability level was used to perform mean comparisons.
Results
The results of our study showed that if we increase the level of organic matter, all measured vegetative growth parameters can be significantly improved. For our study, the highest value was obtained at 0.75 kg per seedling. The values of the parameters also reached the following values: leaf nitrogen content of 1.88%, seedling height of 98.87 cm, seedling dry weight of 116.6 g, stem diameter of 1.23 cm, chlorophyll content of 45.37 SPAD units, number of leaves of 95.27 leaves per seedling, and leaf area of 21.27 dm2 per seedling. Zinc foliar spraying at 40 mg L⁻¹ also caused a significant increase in all growth traits, including height (94.45 cm), stem diameter (1.20 cm), leaf number (91.9 leaves per seedling), leaf area (20.7 dm²), chlorophyll content (45.48 SPAD units), dry weight (117.3 g), and improved leaf mineral content. The combined application of 0.75 kg organic matter with 40 mg Zn L⁻¹ resulted in the highest values for all studied characteristics.
Conclusions
It can be concluded that the combined use of organic matter and zinc foliar application effectively enhances the vegetative growth and nutritional status of local orange seedlings. The treatment consisting of 0.75 kg organic matter per seedling combined with 40 mg Zn L⁻¹ was the most effective, and can be recommended to improve seedling quality in citrus nurseries and support better orchard establishment.

Keywords

References

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Agricultural Biotechnology Journal
Volume 18, Issue 2
February 2026
Pages 347-364

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