EFFECT OF SOLARIZATION AND ORGANIC FERTILIZER ON YIELDAND QUALITY OF ROCKET AND PARSLEY FRESH HERBS

These studies were conducted at the Vegetable Experimental Farm, Ain Shams University and Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC) in 2005/2006 and 2006/2007. Solarization for 6 weeks reduced significantly total weeds/m^2 after 21 days from rocket and parsley seed sowing compared with non-solarized treatment. Also solarization improved rocket and parsley yield and quality. Organic fertilizer showed significant decrease in total weeds/m^2 and significant increase in rocket and parsley yield and quality. Also yield and quality of rocket and parsley increased by combined treatment of solarization with organic fertilizer over control treatment and maintained visual quality, freshness, chlorophyll reading percentage (SPAD) and dry matter percentage and reduced the weight loss percentage and decay. From the previous results it can be generally concluded that solarization for 6 weeks after adding organic fertilizer is a successful method to control weeds without using pesticides and increasing yield and keeping quality for rocket and parsley fresh herbs.