Productivity and quality of watermelon fruits as a function of doses potassium in the Western Amazon

Fabio Régis De Souza,Andressa Gregolin Moreira,Reginaldo Almeida Andrade,Anderson Cristian Bergamin,Francisco De Assis Menezes

doi:10.36560/141120211458

Fabio Régis De Souza, Andressa Gregolin Moreira + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.36560/141120211458

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Abstract

Potassium is the nutrient most demanded by watermelon, performing various physiological and biochemical functions, and its availability in the soil influences the production and quality of fruits. However, there is no recommendation for specific fertilization for the state of Rondônia, which has limited the production and quality of the harvested fruits. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of potassium doses on the productivity and quality of watermelon fruits, cultivar Crimson Sweet, in southern Western Amazonia. The experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Rondônia, in the municipality of Rolim de Moura, in an experimental design in randomized blocks, with five treatments and four replications. The treatments were doses 0 (control), 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha-1 of K2O. The variables analyzed were fruit mass, longitudinal and transverse diameter of fruits, number of fruits per plant, soluble solids content, exocarp thickness and productivity. Potassium doses did not influence the mean mass and longitudinal and transverse diameter of the fruits. The number of fruits per plant increased linearly as a function of the potassium doses applied, and with 157 kg ha‑1 of K2O the highest values of °Brix were obtained. The dose of 147.2 kg ha-1 of K2O promotes yields 61.6% above the national average and 82% above the state average.

Highlights

The watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)Mansf., Cucurbitaceae family, is a species native to the African continent widely disseminated and cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions (Komane et al, 2017)
There is no recommendation for specific fertilization for the state of Rondônia, which has limited the production and quality of the harvested fruits
The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of potassium doses on the productivity and quality of watermelon fruits, cultivar Crimson Sweet, in southern Western Amazonia

Summary

Introduction

The watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)Mansf., Cucurbitaceae family, is a species native to the African continent widely disseminated and cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions (Komane et al, 2017). In the state of Rondônia, the areas destined for watermelon planting have been expanded in recent years, and the state presents edaphoclimatic conditions appropriate to its cultivation (Souza, 2008), the local productivity, 19.95 t ha-1, is relatively low when compared to the main producing states, such as Goiás, Pernambuco and São Paulo with 41.06, 27.8 and 27.4 t ha-1 respectively (IBGE, 2019) This fact may be associated with inadequate soil management, use of un adapted cultivars, deficient fertilization and absence of technical manuals with specific fertilization recommendations for the region, limiting the productivity and quality of harvested fruits (Barros et al, 2012). The plant extracts large amounts of nutrients from the soil, K > N > Ca > Mg > P > S (Grangeiro & Cecílio Filho, 2005), so the adoption of nutritional replacement technologies is essential for successful production, especially in the Amazon region, where natural fertility and soil matter content sit low

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