Effects of Fogging System and Nitric Oxide on Growth and Yield of 'Naomi' Mango Trees Exposed to Frost Stress

Hosny F Abdel-Aziz; Ashraf E Hamdy; Ahmed Sharaf; Abd El-Wahed N Abd El-Wahed; Ibrahim A Elnaggar; Mahmoud F Seleiman; Magdy Omar; Adel M Al-Saif; Muhammad Adnan Shahid; Mohamed Sharaf

doi:10.3390/life13061359

Effects of Fogging System and Nitric Oxide on Growth and Yield of 'Naomi' Mango Trees Exposed to Frost Stress

Life (Basel). 2023 Jun 9;13(6):1359. doi: 10.3390/life13061359.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
² Soils and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
³ Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Agriculture Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11651, Egypt.
⁵ Horticultural Science Department, North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida/IFAS, Quincy, FL 32351, USA.
⁶ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, AL-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11651, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.

Abstract

In years with unfavorable weather, winter frost during the blossoming season can play a significant role in reducing fruit yield and impacting the profitability of cultivation. The mango Naomi cultivar Mangifera indica L. has a low canopy that is severely affected by the effects of frost stress. As a result of the canopy being exposed to physiological problems, vegetative development is significantly inhibited. The current investigation aimed to study the influence of spraying nitric oxide and fogging spray systems on Naomi mango trees grafted on 'Succary' rootstock under frost stress conditions. The treatments were as follows: nitric oxide (NO) 50 and 100 μM, fogging spray system, and control. In comparison to the control, the use of nitric oxide and a fogging system significantly improved the leaf area, photosynthesis pigments of the leaf, the membrane stability index, yield, and physical and chemical characteristics of the Naomi mango cultivar. For instance, the application of 50 μM NO, 100 μM NO, and the fogging spray system resulted in an increase in yield by 41.32, 106.12, and 121.43% during the 2020 season, and by 39.37, 101.30, and 124.68% during the 2021 season compared to the control, respectively. The fogging spray system and highest level of NO decreased electrolyte leakage, proline content, total phenolic content, catalase (CAT), peroxidases (POX), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme activities in leaves. Furthermore, the number of damaged leaves per shoot was significantly reduced after the application of fogging spray systems and nitric oxide in comparison to the control. Regarding vegetative growth, our results indicated that the fogging spray system and spraying nitric oxide at 100 μM enhanced the leaf surface area compared to the control and other treatments. A similar trend was noticed regarding yield and fruit quality, whereas the best values were obtained when the fogging spray system using nitric oxide was sprayed at a concentration of 100 μM. The application of fogging spray systems and nitric oxide can improve the production and fruit quality of Naomi mango trees by reducing the effects of adverse frost stress conditions.

Keywords: Mangifera indica L.; chilling stress; enzyme activities; fruit quality; nitric oxide; protection; survival.

Grants and funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deputyship for Research and Innovation, “Ministry of Education” in Saudi Arabia for funding this research (IFKSUOR3-133-2).