IMPACT OF ORGANIC FERTILIZATIONS IN IMPROVING BRIS SOIL CONDITIONS AND GROWTH OF WATERMELON (CITRULLUS LANATUS)

Abd Jamil Zakaria, Tahir Dalorima, Mohd Hasbullah, Mohammad Moneruzzaman Khandaker

Abstract: Watermelon has been an important and demanding vegetable crop worldwide; however its production is limited by poor soil conditions. An open field experimental research was conducted at the research farm of the faculty of bioresources and food industry at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA). With the aim to find out the impact of different organic matters fertilization in amending the BRIS soil and to ascertain the growth and development of watermelon under these organic matters. The experiment was set up in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. The factors taken for the experiment were five different organic matters, viz., poultry manure, vermicompost, cowdung, goat dung, and moringa leave extract at the rate of 20 t/ha, 10 t/ha, 30 t/ha, 30 t/ha and 300L/ha respectively. Soils chemical properties especially the pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were improved in plots were vermicompost and poultry manure were applied. Watermelon crops grown on BRIS soil treated with vermicompost significantly improves physiological properties such as vine lengths, number of leaves, number branches, leaf area and chlorophyll content. Furthermore, highest number of fruits per hectare was obtained in plants treated with vermicompost. Cowdung improves internal carbondioxide, transpiration rate and net photosynthetic rates. The application of vermicompost as an organic manure on the BRIS is thus recommended for better growth and yield of watermelon. More so, these manures can be used as a source of organic soil amender on the sandy BRIS.

Keywords: BRIS soil; growth; organic; quality; watermelon

Date published: 2018-03-07