Abstract

Abstract Use of organic fertilizer in production of organic products is important. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of poultry manure on some growth characteristics and crop yield of Iranian melons. The design was split plot in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Levels of poultry manure (PM) included: 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 tons per hectare which allocated in main plots and three Iranian melon Mashhadi, Soski and Yellow Jalali in sub-plots. Seeds were planted in the second half of the May 2009. Stem length, ratio width to length fruit, dry matter, total soluble solid compounds of fruit (TSS), fruit weight and performance were measured. Results showed that the local populations of melon and poultry manure levels were statistically significant (p <0.05) on performance and growth characteristics. Increasing levels of poultry manure to 15 tons per hectare enhanced the shoot and fruit dry matter percentage. Jalali and Mashhadi had higher dry matter compared to Soski. Length to width ratio of fruit was not affected by levels of manure. Mashhadi showed the highest ratio of fruit width compared to the others. TSS was not affected by manure application. Interaction of manure and local populations of melon was significant (p <0.05). TSS of Mashhadi with the use 10 tons poultry manure/ha was higher than the others. With application of more than 15 tons manure/ha Jalali and Mashhadi had a higher TSS. The highest fruit weight obtained at level of 20 tons manure/ha. As fruit weight of melon is a desirable factor at the market, using 20 tons of poultry manure/ha is recommended for cultivation of melon in Boeenzahra and similar regions and soils. Keywords: Melon, Poultry manure, Yield, Quality

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