Biostimulants and their impact on growth and fruit quality of Pomegranate trees via foliar spray

A technique of agricultural management and production known as "clean agriculture" avoids or reduces the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, thereby reducing air, soil, and water pollution. In order to achieve this, during the two succeeding growing seasons of 2021 and 2022, a field experiment was conducted on Manfalouty and Hejazy pomegranate cultivars, grown in a loamy soil at 4*4 m apart under a surface irrigation system in the pomology department orchard, faculty of agriculture, Assiut university. Four foliar treatments using vermicompost (16.5 and 25 ml/ L water) and fish fertilizer (0.5 and 1.5 ml/ L water) at two times (at full bloom and a month after full bloom) were applied to fifteen trees of both cultivars. The results demonstrated that all used foliar fertilizers significantly enhanced vegetative, physical and chemical measurements, where fish fertilizer at 0.5 ml/ L recorded the best increment in leaf area. Moreover, fish fertilizer at 1.5 ml/ L recorded the best increase in fruit, arils, rind weight, juice volume, TSS/ acid while decreased acidity. Where vermicompost at 16.5 and 25 ml/L recorded the best increment in TSS and reducing sugars.