Abstract
ABSTRACT Watermelon plays an important role in Brazilian agribusiness. The objective of present study was to evaluate the effect of different irrigation managements and water salinity levels, on the main productive and postharvest characteristics of mini-watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) cv. ‘Sugar Baby’. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse in a completely randomized design, arranged in a 2 x 4 factorial scheme, with four replicates. The treatments consisted of two types of irrigation management (conventional and pulse) and four saline levels of nutrient solution of fertigation (2.5; 4.5; 5.5; 6.5 dS m-1). The control treatment corresponded to the electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution prepared with local supply water. The irrigation depth was calculated by the product of reference evapotranspiration and crop coefficient. The number of pulses were defined and fractionated according to the atmospheric demand. The salinity of the fertigation solution affects some variables of the production, but does not reduce the quality of the mini-fruit cv. ‘Sugar Baby’. The management of pulse irrigation shows better results in low salinity, while conventional drip management is more suitable for high salinity (6.5 dS m-1).
Highlights
Watermelon has significant economic importance in Brazilian agribusiness
According to the F test result (Table 1), salinity had a significant effect on the variables fruit mass (FM), rind mass (RM), longitudinal circumference (LC) and potential of hydrogen
For pulp mass (PM), pulp yield (PY), fruit shape index (FSI) and total soluble solids (TSS), there was no significant effect of the studied factors
Summary
Watermelon has significant economic importance in Brazilian agribusiness. In Brazil, watermelon production in 2017 reached 2,314,700 tons, and the Northeast region stood out as the main producer with 95.1% of the total production (IBGE, 2019). The watermelon production activity in Brazil has a family production profile (small farmer) due to the demand for the fresh product and market price, a profile in which it is commonly present in the semiarid regions of the Northeast (SOUSA; NUNES; ZONTA, 2019). In these regions it is only possible to exploit some crops by using irrigation, due to climatic factors such as high evapotranspiration rate and poor rainfall distribution (LOPES et al, 2017). Some authors have reported that salinity negatively affected germination, growth, development and ionic content in watermelon (ALI et al, 2015; SOUSA et al, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: 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.
