Effects of foliar application with calcium chloride and calcium nitrate during growth and development stages on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of barberry fruit (Berberis vulgaris L.)

Calcium is one of the most important minerals involved in determining the quality of the fruit. Excessive waste and quality loss of seedless barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) during harvesting, post-harvest, and storage are some of the important problems in production areas. Foliar application with minerals can increase the quality, yield, marketability, and reduce post-harvest losses through the provision of plant nutritional needs. Therefore, in this study, the effect of foliar application of calcium chloride and calcium nitrate on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of barberry fruit was carried out in a randomized complete block design. Treatments included control (distilled water), calcium chloride (0.5%), and calcium nitrate (0.5%). The foliar spray was performed in four stages of the growing season. The results showed that the highest mean number of panicles per branch, the number of berries per panicle, the number of berries per branch, and the fruit yield on the branches belonged to the calcium chloride treatment and the lowest amount in the control. The calcium chloride treatment increased the fresh weight diameter and length of branch compared to the control treatment. The highest amount of chlorophylls a and b and total chlorophyll was observed in the leaves of control trees. The effect of calcium chloride and calcium nitrate treatments on the appearance quality and texture of barberry fruit was significant, although it did not affect the chemical properties of the fruit. In general, the results showed that foliar application with calcium chloride and calcium nitrate salts improved the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the fruit compared to control.