Effect of Foliar Fertilization with Potassium Silicate on some Morphological Characters of Strawberry Leaves Reducing Sucking Insects

Abstract

The results showed that foliar fertilization with potassium silicate had a clear effect on increasing the thickness of the upper and lower epidermal cuticle layer and increased the thickness of the leaf, as the thickness after the first spray of the upper epidermal cuticle reached 22 microns and the lower epidermal cuticle 11 microns, and the leaf thickness reached 194.8 microns. As for after the second spray, the thickness of the leaf and the upper and lower cuticle layer reached 198.66, 25.33, 16.66 microns, and the third spray was characterized by an increase in the thickness of the leaf compared to the first and second spray, as the thickness of the leaf reached 206.66 microns, and the upper and lower cuticle epidermis was 28.33 and 19 microns, respectively. Compared with the control, the thickness of the paper was 190 microns, and the upper and lower epidermal cuticle layers were 10 and 20 microns, respectively. The results of the study indicated that the treatment of foliar fertilization with silicates with three sprays was superior in reducing the population density of whitefly and aphids on strawberry plant Mergent variety. The effect of the three sprays on the average number of Bemisia tabaci nymphs was 1.16 nymphs / leaf, the first spray had 6.66 nymphs / leaf, and the second spray had 19.66 nymphs / leaf. The effect of the three sprays on nymphs and adults of Aphis gossypii was 0.36 nymphs/leaf and 0.27 adults/leaf. For the second spray, the effect was on nymphs at a rate of 2.33 nymphs/leaf, and on adults at a rate of 1.91 adults/leaf. The first spray had the least effect on reducing the population density, as it reached nymphs at a rate of 8.16 nymphs/leaf. And for adults, 6.33 adults / leaf, with clear significant differences. As for the effect of three sprays of potassium silicate on the numerical density of nymphs and adults of Aphis fabae, the rate of nymphs reached 0.33 nymphs / leaf after the third spray, and for adults, at a rate of 0.27 adults / leaf, which is the most effective compared to the first and second sprays. The average numerical density of nymphs was 9.08 nymphs/leaf and for adults 5.24 adults/leaf after the first spray, while after the second spray the average density was 4.30 nymphs/leaf and for adults 2.16 adults/leaf.