Abstract
Field and laboratory studies were conducted to determine the effect of plant spacing and rate of swine manure application on the growth, yield, nutrient concentration, uptake and proximate composition of muskmelon (Cucumis melo). The experiments were laid out as a 3×4 factorial fitted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 3 replications. The treatments consisted of four rates of swine manure (0 t ha-1, 5 t ha-1, 10 t ha-1 and 15 t ha-1) and three crop spacing (50 × 50 cm, 75 × 75 cm, 100 × 100 cm). The results showed that spacing had no significant effect on the number of leaves, leaf area, stem diameter and number of branches, but substantially increased the vine length at 100 × 100 cm. Number of flowers and fruit weight per plant increased with raw spacing, while the number of fruits per plot and fruit yield (t ha-1) increased with a decrease in plant spacing, whereas the narrowest spacing of 50 × 50 cm produced the significantly highest fruit yield (25.47 t ha-1). The concentrations of P, Ca, Mg and Fe (4.28, 6.81, 4.55 and 0.80 mg kg-1) were the highest at 100 × 100 cm spacing compared to other treatments. However, N concentration (1.18) and uptake of N, P, Ca, Mg, Fe and Na was highest at spacing of 75 × 75 cm and at 10 t ha-1 swine manure rate. The effect of spacing on proximate composition of muskmelon did not follow a particular pattern; however, wider spacing of 75 × 75 cm and 100 × 100 cm at 10 t ha-1 favoured most of the proximate composition compared to the narrowest spacing of 50 × 50 cm and other manure rates. Although there was no significant difference in fruit yields of 10 and 15 t ha-1, application of 15 t ha-1, swine manure out-yielded 10 t ha-1, by 8.55%.
Highlights
Muskmelon (Cucumis melo) belongs to the family Curcurbitaceae
The results of the swine manure showed that it is a rich source of primary plant nutrients adequate for crop production (Table 1)
The narrowed spacing had significantly higher fruits/plot and fruit yield per ha, while yield and yield components increased with higher swine manure applied
Summary
Muskmelon (Cucumis melo) belongs to the family Curcurbitaceae. The fruits are an extremely healthful food choice (Hodges and Lester, 2006). They could serve protective roles in reducing chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Muskmelon is rich in bioactive compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids and vitamins, as well as carbohydrates and minerals (especially potassium). It is low in fat and calories (about 17 kcal/100 g) and contains a large amount of dietary fibre, 90% water and 9% carbohydrates, with less than 1% of protein and fat respectively (USDA, 2014)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.