الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Two field experiments were conducted during 2013/2014 and
2014/2015 in a private Farm, Ibshway district, Fayoum, Egypt to
study possibility of enhancing the morphological characters,
tissue health measurements (RWC, MIS and EL), leaf
photosynthetic pigments, osmoprotectants, antioxidant activity,
NPK nutrients, yield and their components, yield response factor
(Ky) and water use efficiency (WUE) of broccoli plants grown
under deficit surface irrigation water (60, 80 and 100% ETc) via
foliar application of ascorbic acid (0, 200 and 400 mg l-1).
The obtained results clarified that, irrigation rate at 80% or
100% ETc, significantly, resulted in higher mean values of stem
length and diameter, number of leaves plant-1, leaf MSI, RWC,
carotenoids, DPPH-radical-scavenging, total free amino acids
and N content and yield and its components (diameter of central
head, number and average weight of lateral heads plant-1, lateral
heads : branches ratio, and central, lateral and total head yield
weight plant-1 and fed-1) than irrigation rate at 60% ETc. While,
irrigation water at an rate of 60% or 80% ETc was superior and
significantly recorded higher mean values of Ky or WUE than
100% Etc, in two seasons. On other side, irrigation amounts,
irrespective the level used, did not reflect any noticeable impact
number of branches plant-1, head contents of ascorbic acid and
leaf P and K content, in both seasons. Increasing irrigation water
from 60% up to 100% ETc decreased the contents of leaf EL,
chlorophyll A, B, A + B, anthocyanin, free proline and TSS, in
both seasons. Exogenous application of ascorbic acid at
concentrations of 200 and 400 mg l-1 significantly improved
most studied growth parameters, RWC, MSI, anthocyanin,
DPPH, total free amino acids, endogenous head ascorbic acid,
leaf N content, and central, lateral and total head yield weight
plant-1 and fed-1 as well as WUE and Ky, particularly under 80%
ETc. However, leaf EL decreased gradually with increase in
ascorbic concentration in both growing seasons. Moreover, the
foliar application of ascorbic acid did not reflect any significant
influence on A, B and total chlorophylls, total carotenoids, free
proline and total soluble sugars, diameter of central head,
number and average of lateral heads plant-1 and lateral heads :
branches ratio compared to the control treatment, in the two
experimental seasons