Two field experiments were conducted in a private farm at Al-Nubaria region, Behira Governorate, Egypt, during the successive seasons of 2009 and 2010, to study the effect of some organic manures, i.e., poultry, sheep and farmyard manures as well as three concentrations of chitosan foliar treatments (0, 400 and 800 ppm) on growth, chemical composition, yield and quality of Cape gooseberry plants cv. “Balady" under an organic farming system.
The main results could be summarized as follows:
- The highest and significant values of plant height, number of branches, fresh and dry weights of Cape gooseberry plants was obtained with the addition of sheep manure combined with foliar application of chitosan at 800 ppm.
- N, P and K contents as well as total chlorophyll concentration of Cape gooseberry leaves significantly increased by the addition of sheep manure as a soil amendment combined with foliar application of chitosan at 800 ppm.
- Application of sheep manure combined with foliar spraying with chitosan at 800 ppm resulted in the highest significant values of fruit setting, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight and total yield.
- Cape gooseberry plants, which fertilized with sheep manure combined with 800 ppm chitosan foliar application gave the highest values of reducing sugars, carotenoids, polyphenolic substances and vitamin C content of fruits, while the addition of farmyard manure combined with chitosan or without treatments (control) gave the lowest one.
This study demonstrated that it is possible to produce highest growth, yield and quality of Cape gooseberry plants by applying sheep manure as an organic amendment in combination with foliar application of chitosan at 800 ppm during the organic production system under Al-Nubaria conditions.