Abstract
Watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thumb) Matsun and Nakai ] is an important cash crop in West Africa where it is cultivated under rainfed conditions. The objective of this work was to identify best cultural practices for production of watermelons in the Sahel on stored rainwater in acid sandy soils. The experiments were carried out at the ICRISAT Sadore research center in Niger during two consecutive dry seasons, 2003 - 2004 and 2004 - 2005. Three soil management treatments were applied: microcatchments (also called half-moons), planting pits (also called zaï) and sowing on flat land. Each of these three treatments came with and without a soil amendment comprising of 500 g of manure mixed with 24 g of a complete (NPK) fertilizer (15-15-15) individually applied to each planting hill. Two watermelon cultivars were tested: ‘Malali’ and ‘Kaolack’. In each of the two years the experiments were sown on the 1st and on the 21st of September. Fruit and biomass yield, fruit Total Soluble Solids (TSS), days to fruiting and harvesting were determined. Soil fertility, root development and other physiological parameters were monitored to explain some of the differences between treatments. Soil amendments increased marketable yields from 1.3 to 3.5 tons ha-1 on average. Marketable yields at the first planting date were double the yields of the second planting date (3.2 vs. 1.6 tons ha-1). Yield differences were due to changes in fruit number not in fruit weight. Deep placement of soil amendments resulted in significant root development in deeper soil layers. Highest watermelon yields were achieved when sowing the Malali cultivar in amended planting pits on September 1st giving a yield of 8.2 tons ha-1.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Soil amendments increased marketable yield from 1.3 to 3.5 tons per hectare.
- Taxon
- watermelon
Citrullus lanatust0 - Treatment
- Soil amendmentse0
- Outcome
- marketable yieldse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 3.5 tons ha-1e0
- Qualifier
- 1.3e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil amendments increased marketable yields from 1.3 to 3.5 tons ha-1 on average”
t0“Watermelon production on stored rainwater in Sahelian sandy soils”
Claim · model-written summary
First planting date yielded twice the second.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- first planting datee0
- Outcome
- Marketable yieldse0
- Direction
- doublee0
- Value
- 3.2 vs. 1.6 tons ha-1e0
- Comparator
- second planting datee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Marketable yields at the first planting date were double the yields of the second planting date (3.2 vs. 1.6 tons ha-1)”
t0“Watermelon production on stored rainwater in Sahelian sandy soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield differences were due to fruit number rather than fruit weight.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Organ / stage
- fruite0
- Outcome
- Yield differencese0
- Qualifier
- changes in fruit number not in fruit weighte0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yield differences were due to changes in fruit number not in fruit weight”
t0“Watermelon production on stored rainwater in Sahelian sandy soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Deep amendment placement significantly increased deeper root development.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Organ / stage
- deeper soil layerse0
- Treatment
- Deep placement of soil amendmentse0
- Outcome
- root developmente0
- Direction
- significante0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Deep placement of soil amendments resulted in significant root development in deeper soil layers”
t0“Watermelon production on stored rainwater in Sahelian sandy soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Malali in amended planting pits on September 1 yielded 8.2 tons per hectare.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Malalie0
- Treatment
- amended planting pits on September 1ste0
- Outcome
- watermelon yieldse0
- Direction
- Higheste0
- Value
- 8.2 tons ha-1e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Highest watermelon yields were achieved when sowing the Malali cultivar in amended planting pits on September 1st giving a yield of 8.2 tons ha-1”
t0“Watermelon production on stored rainwater in Sahelian sandy soils”
The same questions in other papers
sowing time · quality: postharvest · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Positive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
other · growth · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Positive and negative results
8 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
6 papers more in this group
See all 10 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.