Effects of Granular Silicate on Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) Growth, Yield, and Characteristics of Soil Under Greenhouse

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of granular type of silicate fertilizer on watermelon growth, yield, and characteristics of soil in the greenhouse. Four different levels of silicate fertilizer, 0(control), 600, 1,200, 1,800 kg ha -1 were applied for experiment. The silicate fertilizer was applied as a basal fertilization before transplanting watermelon. Compost and basal fertilizers were applied based on the standard fertilizer recommendation rate with soil testing. All of the recommended P₂O 5 and 50% of N and K₂O were applied as a basal fertilization. The N and K₂O as additional fertilization was split-applied twice by fertigation method. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.) cultivar was ‘Sam-Bok-KKuol and main stem was from rootstock (bottle gourd: Lagenaria leucantha Standl.) ‘Bul-Ro-Jang-Sang’. The watermelon was transplanted on April, 15. Soil chemical properties, such as soil pH, EC, available phosphate and exchangeable K, Mg, and available SiO₂ levels increased compared to the control, while EC was similar and the concentrations of soil organic matter decreased. Physical properties of soils, such as soil bulk density and porosity were not different among treatments. The growth characteristics of watermelon, such as stem diameter, fresh and dry weight of watermelon at harvest were thicker and heavier for silicate treatment than the control, while number of node was shorter than the control. Merchantable watermelon increased by 3-5% compared to the control and sugar content was 0.4 to 0.7 °Brix higher than the control. These results suggest that silicate fertilizer application in the greenhouse can improve some chemical properties of soils and watermelon stem diameter and dry weight, which are contributed to watermelon quality and marketable watermelon production.