Globe Artichoke Yield and Quality as Affected by Foliar Application of Seaweed Extract and Cooling Periods of Crown Pieces

This study was carried out at private farm located at Shubrakhet City, in Behiera Governorate during the two successive seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019, to evaluate the effect of foliar application with seaweed extract and cooling periods of crown pieces on vegetative growth, yield and quality of Globe Artichoke. The experiments were carried out in a split plot design with three replicates. Each experiment included three cooling periods (0, 15 and 30 days) at 5 C were arranged in the main plots, then the four seaweed extract (control, 250, 500 and 750 mg/l) were arranged in the sub plots. The collected data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the aid GENSTAT 5 package, and significant means were separated and announced using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) at 5%, probability level. The gained results indicated that cooling period at 30 days and foliar application of seaweed extract at 750 mg/l; brought about the maximum vegetative growth characters values of Globe Artichoke, i.e. survival rate, plant height, leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight and dry matter percentage, also, yield and yield components (early yield/plant, total yield/plant, head length, head diameter, neck diameter,  head fresh weight, head dry weight and head dry matter percentage), as compared with the control treatment during both seasons. Likewise, increasing cooling periods up to 30 days and seaweed extract up to750 mg/l; gave the highest average values of all chemical compositions such as total sugars, reducing sugars and total soluble solids but inulin, recorded the highest percentage at 15 days cooling and foliar application of seaweed extract at 750 mg/l, as compared with control treatment.