Effect of iron foliar application on some physiological characteristics and fruit quality of peach (Prunus persica CV. Alberta)

In calcareous and alkaline soils, which include most of Iran soils, iron deficiency is prevalent. The main cause of iron deficiency chlorosis is high pH of soil. Among fruit trees, peach shows high sensitivity to iron deficiency. Chelated iron fertilizers with a great ability to make iron soluble and readily absorbed by the plant are used for iron deficiency. For this purpose, an experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications was designed and the effect of foliar spray of chelated iron at concentrations of 0, 5 and 10 mg/l on fruit quality of peach (CV. Alberta) was studied. In this experiment the parameters such as amount of soluble solids, titratable acid, flavor index, firmness, antioxidant activity, vitamin C, cell membrane electrolyte leakage, ethylene production and leaf pigments were studied. The results showed that by increasing iron concentration leaf chlorophyll content and antioxidant activity of fruit were increased. Significant effect on carotenoid content of leaves, vitamin C and fruit firmness under different concentrations of iron wasn’t observed. Ethylene production and cell membrane electrolyte leakage also decreased with increasing iron concentration. According to the results, peach fruit quality improved by foliar application of chelated iron during growth.