EFFECT OF SPRAYING ORGANIC FERTEILIZER ON GROWTH, YIELD AND FRUIT CRACKING OF MUSKMELON

A. Hanshal, M.

	EFFECT OF SPRAYING ORGANIC FERTEILIZER ON GROWTH, YIELD AND FRUIT CRACKING OF MUSKMELON
The Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Science
Article 1, Volume 41, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 19-30
Author
M. A. Hanshal
Abstract
A field experiment was carried out at the College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad /Abu-Ghraib in silt clay loam soil during spring season 2007 and 2008. This was to study the effect of spraying liquid organic fertilizer (VIT-ORG) at concentrations (0, 1.5, 3, 4.5 ml/l) (M0, M1, M2, M3), respectively and( NP) fertilizer (0, 260 kg/ha) NP (C0, C1), respectively on growth and yield of muskmelon cv. Ismaily. An RCBD in a factorial experiment with three replicates. The plants were sprayed three times with organic fertilizer. Results showed that spraying organic fertilizer 4.5ml/l (M3) was superior in increasing leaf area (476.7, 473.4 cm2), chlorophyll (55.47, 57.14 SPAD Unit), plant yield (10.82, 10.37 kg), T.S.S (6.72, 6.81 %), sugar (6.17, 6.40 %) and reduce fruit cracking (20.30, 17.90 %) as compared with (M0) (365.30, 351.60 Cm2), (48.15, 49.10 %), (7.91, 7.37 kg), (5.35, 5.33 %) and (37.90, 38.20 %) for both seasons, respectively. Chemical fertilizer was superior in increasing of fruit weight (2.52, 2.42 kg), plant yield (11.01, 10.41 kg) and total yield (89.34, 86.04 ton/ha) as compared to no fertilizer (1.86, 1.80 kg), (7.64, 7.45 kg) and (63.39, 61.50 ton/ha) for both seasons, respectively. The combination treatment (C1M3) was superior on increased of plant yield (12.41, 11.97 kg), total yield (101.30, 98.70 ton/ha) and reduced fruit cracking (18.90, 16.50 %) compared with control (C0M0) (5.60, 5.46 kg), (46.10, 45.26 ton/h) and (47.60, 46.10 %) for two seasons, respectively. C1M2 was superior in branch number/plant (4.32, 4.44 branch), chlorophyll contrition (55.77, 58.73 %) and fruit weight (2.80, 2.76 kg) compared with C0M0 (3.01, 2.90 branch), (43.53, 44.30%) and (1.43, 1.39 kg) for two seasons, respectively.

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