Research PaperApplying silicate fertilizer increases both yield and quality of table grape (Vitis vinifera L.) grown on calcareous grey desert soil

- Silicate fertilizers significantly increased both yield and quality of grape grown on calcareous grey desert soil.
- Silicate fertilizers enhanced fruit shelf-life by reducing post-harvest decay incidence, weight loss and respiratory intensity.
- There was no significant difference in grape yield and quality between water-cooling slag fertilizer and steel slag fertilizer.

Silicon (Si), as a beneficial element for a number of crops, can significantly improve the growth and yield of crops partly through silicon-enhanced resistance to biotic and/or abiotic stress. However, the mechanisms of Si-improved growth and fruit quality of horticultural crops, in particular, remain poorly understood. In the present study, two-year field experiments were conducted aimed at testing the effects of different sources of silicate fertilizers applied on table grape yield, fruit quality and fruit commercial characteristics during storage period. For this, two table grape cultivars were tested with treatments including: (I) no silicate fertilizer (control), (II) steel slag fertilizer and (III) water-cooling slag fertilizer. The application rate of silicate fertilizer was 600 kg SiO2 ha−1. Fruit yield, cluster weight, berry weight, berry size (i.e. length and width) were significantly increased by application of silicon fertilizers (P < 0.05) in both cultivars. Table grape fruit yield was 13.5% higher in the treatment with either water-cooling slag fertilizer or steel-slag fertilizer than in the control across the two years tested. Silicon fertilization significantly improved fruit total soluble solids, the ratio of total soluble solids to titratable acidity (TSS/TA) and fruit firmness. Applying silicate fertilizer significantly extended the fruit shelf-life by decreasing fruit respiratory intensity, decay incidence and weight loss (P < 0.05). Water-cooling slag fertilizer did not show a significant difference from steel slag fertilizer in grape yield and fruit quality. Our findings suggest that silicate fertilizer could prolong fruit shelf-life and increase the yield and quality of grape in a calcareous grey desert soil.