Adubação com NPK via fertirrigação na cultura do meloeiro (Cucumis melo L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out in an Alluvial Euptrophic soil during the period of Dec. 1995 to March 1996 with the objective to study effect of application of NPK via fertirrigation in muskmelon (Cucumis melo, L) cultivar Gold Mine in order to find out a fertilizer dose which provides best fruit yields. The area of experiment belongs to FINOBRASA AGROINDUSTRIAL located in Ipanguassu in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, região of lower Açu. A completely randomised experimental design with split plots was adopted to evaluate 8 treatments of NPK doses in 3 phases of crop growth and fruit maturation. The treatments consisted of doses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) defined on the basis of fertilizer dose used on the farm (control) and other treatments were obtained by differentiating individual doses which varied from 20% minus to 10% more of N, in intervals of 10%, and from 10% less to 10% more for P and K. The statistical analysis of results permitted to conclude that leveis of fertilizers used in experiment are high and superior than crop necessities as per leaf analysis. As for fruit production, expressed as number of commercial fruits (FC), highest number (213 fruits) and best yields (48,39 t/ha) were obtained for dose of 188 kg N/ha, 300 kg de P205/ha and 150 kg de K20 /ha, utilized on farm.