Effect of NPK levels on yield, quality and nutrient uptake of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.) var. Sugar Baby

Abstract

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.) is an important cucurbitaceous crop, and an excellent dessert fruit and its juice is a very good refreshing drink. This crop is mainly grown in major river beds of U.P. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Watermelon is an emerging crop in Assam with high market demand. The crop is cultivated in a meager area of Assam. Due to lack of information regarding proper production technology, the farmers of this region do not come forward to take up its cultivation as commercial venture. Among the different factors influencing the optimization of crop yield, nutrient management is one of those factors. Organic manures alone cannot suffice the major plant nutrient requirement of the crop. Therefore, organic manures along with inorganic plant nutrient such as N, P and K were applied in different levels to standardize the nutrient requirement for growth, yield and quality of watermelon. As there was not much literature available regarding the nutrient requirement of the crop, hence in view of this perspective an experiment was conducted to standardize the nutrient requirement of the crop