Plant Growth, Fruit Yield and Mineral Content of Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria M) as Affected by Plant Density and Nitrogen Fertilizer

Abstract

This experiment was carried out during two successive summer seasons of 2012 and 2013 on bottle gourdlandrace El-Arishy (Lagenaria siceraria M) at the Experimental Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, SuezCanal University, Ismailia, Egypt to study the effect of plant density and nitrogen fertilizer on plant growth, yield andits components as well as mineral content. The obtained results showed that the low plant population (1750 plant perfad.) gave the highest shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, average fruit weight, average fruit length and nitrogencontent in shoots and fruits. However, the significant highest fruit yield and fruit number per faddan were associatedwith the high plant population (3500 plant per faddan). All previous mentioned parameters in addition to shoot and fruitphosphorus contents significantly improved by application of high nitrogen rate (20g/plant). Shoot and fruit potassiumand phosphorus contents were not affected significantly by plant spacing. Fruit potassium content did not affectsignificantly by nitrogen fertilizer. All the above mentioned parameters were significantly higher with the interactionbetween low plant population (1750 plant per fad.) was combined with high nitrogen rate (20g/plant), except fruit yield(ton/fad.) and fruit number which increased by the combination of high plant population with high nitrogen rate.Potassium content did not affect by the interaction between plant spacing and nitrogen fertilizer.