In order to alleviate the shortage of irrigation water in dry regions, refining water use efficiency (WUE) is a key issue in sustainable productivity. Furthermore, glycinebetaine (GlyBet) is a vital osmoprotectant produced in crops for improving drought tolerance; however, little is known about its role in improving plant WUE under field conditions in non-accumulating plants such as cucumber. In order to elucidate the effectiveness of GlyBet concentrations (0, 2000, 4000, and 6000 mg/L) in mitigating the deleterious effects of drought (e.g., well-watered (1250 m3/fed), moderate drought (950 m3/fed), and severe drought (650 m3/fed)), field experiments were conducted at Elmia village, Dakahlia, Egypt in the 2020 and 2021 seasons on vegetative growth, some physiological attributes, as well as yield and quality. Drought considerably decreased vegetative growth, yield and its components, leaf relative water content, and photosynthetic pigment concentrations compared with well-watered plants while increasing electrolyte leakage. The most harmful causes were severe drought. However, exogenous spraying with GlyBet substantially boosted the mentioned attributes, but reduced electrolyte leakage within well-watering. Commonly 6000 mg/L contributed to the maximum growth and productivity, preserving cucumber plant water status above other concentrations or untreated plants. Under extreme drought, the application of 6000 mg/L GlyBet had a beneficial effect on moderating the damage of water deficit on cucumber plant growth and productivity. Overall, using GlyBet as a cost-effective and eco-friendly biostimulant six times (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 days from sowing) has the potential to mitigate drought damage while also increasing yield; however, more research is needed to determine the optimal rate and timing of application.
High fertilization rates and pesticides are required for the intensive production of strawberries, which offer several therapeutic health benefits. Recently, chitosan (CHI), and phosphorus fertilizer based on Micro Carbon TechnologyTM (MCT-P) were applied to encourage strawberry sustainable production and enhance phosphorus-use efficiency. Field trials were conducted throughout 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, to evaluate the effectiveness of MCT–P and CHI in improving strawberry cv. Fortuna growth and yield as well as their quality. Foliar spraying of CHI and MCT-P considerably improved strawberry plant growth (i.e., plant height, secondary crown number per plant, leaf number and area per plant, and foliage fresh weight), photosynthetic pigment concentration (chlorophylla, chlorophyllb, and carotenoids), as well as its yield and quality (early fruit yield, total yield, average fruit weight, fruit firmness, fruit dry matter %, soluble solid content, total sugars (%), ascorbic acid, acidity, and anthocyanin). Compared to untreated plants, 1200 mgL−1 MCT-P and 1000 mg/L CHI supplementation was the most effective concentration for improving all studied characteristics. The interaction between CHI and MCT-P had a greater impact on all examined characteristics. It is recommended to spray strawberry cv. Fortuna with 1200 mg/L MCT-P plus 1000 mg/L CHI every two weeks, from 60 days after transplanting until two weeks before the end of harvesting season for the best fruit yield and quality.
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