“Study the Responses of Injection Method of NPK Fertilization on Quality of Date Palm cv. Halawy”

The present study entitled “Study the responses of injection method of NPK fertilization on quality of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Halawy” was conducted from November 2022 to July 2024 at the Date Palm Research Centre, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, located in a hot arid agro-ecological zone with sandy, low-retention soils. The experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of different levels of NPK fertilizer (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of the basal dose) applied through trunk and soil injection methods on the biochemical parameters of date palm fruits.

The findings revealed that both trunk and soil injection methods significantly improved fruit quality traits including total soluble solids (TSS), total sugars, and reducing sugars, while reducing acidity. The highest quality improvements were recorded under the 75% NPK level (T3 and S3), with soil injection (S3) marginally outperforming trunk injection (T3) in enhancing TSS (36.88%), total sugars (36.61%), and reducing sugars (32.11%). Acidity levels were lowest in S3 (0.261%), supporting a better sugar-to-acid ratio, an important indicator of fruit palatability. Phenol and soluble tannin contents showed a slight but non-significant decrease across increasing NPK levels. These results underscore the potential of NPK injection fertilization—particularly through soil application—as a sustainable, efficient strategy to boost the quality of date palm fruits under arid conditions, offering a promising alternative to traditional fertilization practices.