https://doi.org/10.37229/fsa.fjh.2026.03.29

Field experiments were carried out at the Horticulture Research Station, El-Kanater El-Khiria, Qalyubia Governorate, Agricultural Research Centre, Egypt during the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 growing seasons. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of varying irrigation water levels (100%, 80%, and 60% of crop evapotranspiration, ETc) combined with foliar applications of stimulant substances, including 5 mg/L selenium, 100 mg/L Salicylic acid, and 3 mg/L cerium oxide on vegetative growth, chemical composition, fruit yield and its components, as well as fruit quality of strawberry plants cv. Festival. The results show that irrigation levels at 100% and 80% combined with spraying plants four times with selenium, salicylic acid and cerium oxide after 45 days from transplanting significantly increased all vegetative growth characters, N. P. K. and total carbohydrate in plant foliage, fruit yield and its components as well as physical and chemical fruit quality. While the percentage of proline increased significantly at the 60% irrigation level. Deficit irrigation at 60% Etc. when paired with selenium resulted in the highest water productivity (11.17 kg/m³ and 10.29 kg/m³ in the two seasons, respectively), followed by salicylic acid indicating that both selenium and salicylic acid significantly improve strawberry crop water productivity (water-use efficiency) under conditions of water stress compared with the control, with selenium demonstrating the most pronounced effect across both seasons.