Effect of Pruning and Spraying with Gibberellins (GA3) and Cytokinins on Certain Traits of Fig Trees (Ficus carica L.)

Abstract

This study was conducted on 5-year-old fig trees of the Black Diyala variety during the 2023-2024 season in a private orchard in Kirkuk Governorate. The one-year-old branches were pruned at rates of 20% and 40%, and the trees were sprayed with gibberellic acid and benzyl adenine at a concentration of 100 mg/L each, either individually or combined, on the 20th of March. The results showed that the treatment involving 40% pruning combined with spraying (GA3 + BA) significantly increased the leaf content of GA3, IAA, BA, total chlorophyll, and methoxalen. The highest recorded values for these traits were (39.9), (46.39), (30.68), (116.83), and (4.35), respectively. Additionally, there was a significant increase in branch length, number of branches, and total carbohydrate percentage, along with a significant reduction in fruit drop percentage and an increase in total yield, reaching (22.74), (10.73), (18.84), (4.37), and (27.1), respectively. Furthermore, there was an improvement in T.S.S. percentage, vitamin C content, anthocyanin pigment, and fruit firmness, with values of (18.13), (9.17), (455.3), and (1.689), respectively, compared to the control treatment, which exhibited the lowest values for these traits.