Varietal Performance of Watermelon Grown under Field Condition

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

Principles of Crop Production

AG 105

Prepared by:

Neovi Jean L. Entia

Submitted to

Ms. Darlyn Posas

March2019
Introduction

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a tropical fruit, belongs to family Cucurbitaceae is a flowering

plant originally from south Africa. It is a fruit, which is a special kind referred by botanists as a
pepo, a berry that has a thick rind (exocarp) and flesh mesocarp and endocarp. Pepos are
derived from an inferior ovary, and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon
fruit, loosely considered a type of melon although not in the genus, Cucumis has a smooth
exterior rind (green, yellow and sometimes pale green) and a juicy, sweet interior flesh (usually
pink, but sometimes orange, yellow, red and sometimes green if not ripe). It is also commonly
used to make a variety of salads, mostly notably fruit salad.

Watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight. As with many other fruits, it is
a source of vitamin C. Watermelon rinds, usually a light green or pale green color, are also
edible and contain many hidden nutrients, but most people avoid eating them due to
theirunappealing flavor. They are some times used as a vegetable. In China, they are stir-fried,
stewed or more often pickled. When stir-fried, the de-skinned and de-fruited rind is cooked with
olive oil, garlic, chilli peppers, Scallions, Sugar and rum. Pickled watermelon rind is also
commonly consumed in the Southern US. Watermelon juice can also be made into wine
(National watermelon Promotion Board Jul. 17, 2005).

The new generation all-season striped watermelon that gives high yield and better fruits. The
adaptation to off season conditions has made Sweet Sixteen the breakthrough watermelon
variety for the Philippines. The flesh is crispy and very sweet. Shape is round to high round, the
weight is 5-6 kg per fruit. Shipping quality is excellent and fruit quality can be maintained after
several weeks on the shelf. Sweet Sixteen has good tolerance against diseases, especially against
gummy stem blight.

Watermelons need a long growing season (at least 80 days) and warm ground for seeds to
germinate and grow. Soil should be 70 degrees F or warmer at planting time. Sow seeds 1 inch
deep and keep well watered until germination. To get a jumpstart in cooler climates, cover the
planting area with black plastic to warm up the soil and start seeds indoors two or three weeks
before they are to be set out in the garden. Don't start seeds any earlier, because large
watermelon seedlings transplant poorly. Plant 3 seeds in 3- or 4-inch peat pots or large cell
packs, and thin to the best plant. Sow watermelon seeds 1/2 inch deep. Place in a sunny south-
facing window or under lights to germinate. Make sure the area is warm?day and night?ideally
80 degrees F. Use a Seedling Heat Mat if necessary.

Objectives:

To produce watermelon grown under field condition.

Methodology

Land Preparation

The Fields should be prepared thoroughly by plowing or harrowing and removing all the
different types of plants or weeds. It should also be pulverized and leveled.
Watermelon can be grown under a wide variety of soils. Sandy loams are the best for early crop,
while high yields are recorded in loamy soils. Well drained soil with high organic matter is
preferable for the cultivation. Prepare the land by plowing at right moisture content.

In this watermelon production, weeds are pulled out of the area and the soil is tilled to acquire
the best soil structure best for watermelon production. Soil seedbed is later on made. The plotting
process is done after loosening the soil particles in the area. A plastic mulch is used and covered
in the surface of the ground or the garden to protect the crop or help them grow and to stop
weeds from growing, enrich the soil, prevent erosion, reduce evaporation and maintaining the
temperature. A whole is made alternately above the mulch which will be later on planted by the
watermelon seedlings.

Seed Production

Ragdoll method is one of the methods used in seed germination. It is the method used because it
is more preferred for it has a high germination rate compared to the other methods. A piece of
cotton cloth is used. It is soaked in the water as an agent of moisturizing the seeds. The seeds is
placed into the cloth. With the use of stick, the cloth together with the seeds is rolled and then
placed and stored inside a room temperature. After how many days, the seeds germinated is
ready to be sowed or planted.

Transplanting

The spaces present alternately above the mulch are the wholes which indicate a place where the
watermelon seedlings are should be planted. Indian Council of Agricultural Research states that
one of the two different methods of sowing is open furrows at a distance of 2-3 meters apart.
Sow the seeds on either side of the furrows. Allow the vines to trail on the ground. In this
production, because the area which is limited is also considered, the area is utilized according to
the number of the students who will be working on this production. Therefore, the ideal distance
is not followed but the area where the vines will trail is designed properly.

Cultural Management Practices

Cultural management is known to be the modification of the management practices so that the
environment is less favorable for pest and is an environment-friendly approach. In watermelon,
the pest usually present is the squash beetle also known as Aulacophora similis. This pest is
usually present in squash, but because watermelon and squash is in the same family, they are
both the favorite crops of this pest. Squash beetle are dark orange in color. This is the reason why
they are seen very easily with their bright color. Mechanical or physical approach is used in
suppressing this pest that has already infested into the crop such us hand picking because the
number present in the crop is still manageable with this method.

Aside from that, the presence of chicken into the field is also a destruction to the production of
watermelon. Their presence make a disturbance into the growing crops as they roam around the
area where the plants are. Their feeding process which is grinding makes the developing flowers
damaged. Therefore, the cultural management that was made is also mechanical or physical
control measure as stones are being throw away unto them as a scaring device.

Fertilizer Application

At sowing: Nitrogen (55 kg urea) + 50 kg Phosphorus (P2O5) (312 kg Single Superphosphate) +

50 kg Potassium (K2O) (83 kg Muriate of Potash) for one ha area Apply Granubor @ 10 / ha at
the time of sowing.
Top dressing: 25 kg Nitrogen (55 kg urea) at 10-15 days after vining. Don’t apply nitrogenous
fertilizers at flowering and thereon. Ramesh, R (2013).

Foliar Application

December 10, 2018 (First Application) 75 g/ 16 L Calcium Nitrate

December 16, 2018 (Second Application) 150 g/ 16 L Calcium Nitrate

December 22, 2018 (Third Application) 225 g/ 16 L Calcium Nitrate

December 28, 2018 (Fourth Application) 75 g/Calcium Nitrate and T- 14

January 3, 2019 (Fifth Application) 150 g Calcium Nitrate T-14 (N,P,K)

January 9, 2019 (Sixth Application) 225 g T-14 and 150 g K

January 15, 2019 (Seventh Application) 300 g T-14 and 225 g K

January 21, 2019 (Eighth Day Application) 300 g T-14 and 300 g K

Pruning

Prune the plant 26 days after seeding when the plant has 5 true leaves. In 31 days, removed all
branch from the first true leaves to the 15th of the plants will not be damage. Loosening the soil
is important for the success of transplanting.

Water management

Irrigate at regular intervals of time as watermelon responds well to irrigation. Over watering
frequently is not recommended as it promotes excessive vegetative growth. Stop the irrigation
during ripening as it will adversely affect fruit quality and leads to fruit cracking. Don’t allow
water stagnation. Avoid water stress during pre-flowering, flowering and fruit-development
stages. Ramesh, R (2013).
Harvesting

Knowing how to determine when a watermelon is perfectly ripe is not easy. One way favored by
many gardeners is to watch the tendril closest to the melon stem. A tendril is a modified leaf or
stem in the shape of slender, spirally coil. When it turns brown and dries up, the melon is ripe.
The trouble with this method is that with some watermelon varieties, the tendril dries and
drops off more than a week before the melon is fully ripe. Slapping and tapping or thumping are
other common methods used to determine ripeness, but they are not always accurate.

The surest sign of ripeness in most watermelon varieties is the color of the bottom spot where
the melon sits on the ground. As the watermelon matures, the spot turns from almost white to
a rich yellow. Also, all watermelons lose the powdery or slick appearance on the top and take on
a dull look when fully ripe. After picking a watermelon, chill it before serving for best flavor.
Some folks sprinkle a little salt on their watermelon, but it's probably thought of as a cure for
poor tasting store-bought melons and certainly not necessary for home-grown. If the seeds
present a problem, grow seedless watermelon varieties like 'Seedless Sugar Baby Hybrid' or
'Orange Sunshine Hybrid'. A cut melon, if covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, will keep
several days in the refrigerator.

Parameters Gathered

DATA

No. of Days to Vining 5 to 10 days after germination

No. of Days to Flowering About two weeks after a plant sends out most of its
runners

No. of Days on Fruit Setting 30 days or 1 month

 DATA

Number of Fruit per Plant 2 ¼2 ½4 1st 2nd Plant 3rd 4th Average
3/41 Plant Plant Plant
(pest
infected)
11Weight

Number of Days to Harvesting 80- 110 days after flowering

Results and Discussion

Vining
Five to ten days after germination, the first set of true leaves emerge from the stem. These leaves
are capable of photosynthesis, which is the way plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and
water to food. A vine of about 1 foot long grows out and large lobed leaves begin to form. This
runner will continue to grow until it reaches about 12 feet in length. About one month after a
watermelon plant sends out its first vine, several more vines will begin to grow. Leaves form on
all the vines and begin to grow larger. At this time, top dress plants with 1/2 cup bone meal and
gently work it into the soil, being careful not to damage shallow roots. Provide watermelon
seedlings with one to two inches of water per week.
Flowering
About two weeks after a plant sends out most of its runners, watermelon produces male and
female flowers. The male flowers develop first. They provide pollen, but do not produce fruit.
The female flowers form shortly after the male flowers. Watermelon flowers only last for one
day so there must be an adequate number of bees and other pollinators in the area when the
flowers are viable.
If your garden is in an area with very few bees, hand pollination may be necessary. Remove the
petals from the male flower to leave the pollen-covered anther. Brush the pollen from this onto
the center of the female flowers to pollinate them.
Fruiting
Once pollinated, female watermelon flowers begin to produce fruit. Tiny green balls begin to
swell beneath the blossoms. Top-dress watermelon plants with 5-10-10 fertilizer when fruit sets.
Once the watermelon plants begin to fruit, provide at least one inch of water per week until
harvest.
Depending on the watermelon variety, the fruit takes up to one month to fully mature. It can be
difficult to know when the melons are fully ripe, especially at the beginning of the season. Some
signs are the tendrils on the vine changing from green to brown, the spot on the ground where the
melon lay changes from white to yellow and the sound made when you thump the watermelon
changes to a hollow sound. Barker, B. (1999).
The data above states that in four watermelon plants, only the two of them produces fruits all
throughout. These were the 3rd and 4 plants only. Though, the 2nd plant formed a fruit but it
didn’t turns out well because it was infected by pests unlike the 1 st plant which shows no fruiting
at all.
When the 3rd and the 4th plants were harvested, the average weight was computed. The fruit in the
third plant weighted 2 ¼ while the fruit in the 4 th plant it weighted 2 ½ kilo. The average was get
by simply adding the weights of the two and then divided by two also. Then, it comes out having
an average of 4 3/4 kilograms for the two fruits produced by the watermelon plant.
Conclusion
The crop prefers a hot, dry climate with mean daily temperatures of 22 to 30°C. The crop is very
sensitive to frost. Maximum and minimum temperatures for growth are about 35 and 18°C
respectively. The optimum soil temperature for root growth is in the range of 20 to 35°C. In
other word, climate is one of the things we have to consider in watermelon production. It just
happened that the time that we planted the watermelon is of wet season or those days were more
on rainy days. Melon do not grow well in cold soils too. Fruits grown under hot, dry conditions
to have a high sugar content of 11 percent in comparison to 8 percent under cool, humid
conditions. This is also the reason why the sweetness of the product is lesser.
On the other hand, the result is just reasonable and the producers must still have to be thankful
because even though climatic factor serves as barrier to the production of the watermelon, there
is still products after all.

References

http://www.krishisewa.com/articles/seed-production/216-wtermelon-hsp.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/letsplantsomething.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/watermelon-
cultural-management/amp/

Ramesh, R. Manjunath, B.L. Maruthadurai, R. Mahajan G.R and Singh N.P. Production
Guidelines, 2013.ICAR ReseARCh Complex foR GoA (Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
Old GOa-403 402, GOa, IndIa.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/gardenofein.com/2017/11/20/guide-to-watermelon-
production/amp/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/gardenofein.com/2017/11/20/guide-to-watermelon-
production/amp/