https://doi.org/10.37229/fsa.fja.2026.10.11

This investigation was conducted for consecutive seasons (2021-2022 & 2022-2023) on 21-year-old "Balady" mandarin trees (Citrus reticulata) budded on sour orange rootstock in a private farm located in Ashmon, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt, to study effect of foliar spraying with salicylic acid and calcium lactate on yield, fruit quality and storability of Balady mandarin trees. The trees were planted at 5x5 meters spacing, grown in clay loam soil and irrigated by flood irrigation system. Eight treatments were performed as follows: foliar spraying with salicylic acid at 500 ppm and three concentrations of calcium lactate (1%, 2% and 3%) were applied either solely or in combined with each other, in addition to the control treatment (spraying with water). All different treatments were foliar sprayed twice: after fruit set stage when the fruit diameter reaches 3-4 mm (Mid May) and the pre-coloring stage (Late September). Fruits of all treatments were cold stored at 5±1°C and 90-95% relative humidity (RH) for 60 days. Fruit quality was evaluated at harvest and during cold storage. The study revealed that the combined application of 500ppm salicylic acid and 3% calcium lactate had the best results in terms of ensuring the best increasing yield and improving fruit quality attributes as well as enhancing the storability of Balady mandarin fruits via reducing physiological loss in weight and decay, maintaining firmness and ascorbic acid and delaying the changes in total soluble solids, acidity compared to control during extended cold storage in both seasons.