No abstract

Organic cultivation is the key to how to efficiently produce agricultural products by using organic resources produced in nature. Use of organic resources enables stable production of agricultural products and is the basis of natural circulation farming methods by preserving agricultural environment. This study was conducted to develop organic watermelon cultivation technology by investigating the effect of winter cultivation of green manure crop and application of organic resources on the physico-chemical properties of soils for the production of organic watermelons. In the test, organic farms were used for cultivating green manure crop and non-cultivating green manure during winter break, and oil, mixed oil, poultry, and guano as organic resources. The growth characteristics of watermelon were higher in winter cultivation of green manure crop, such as stem diameter, leaf length, leaf width, and fresh weight than in the control (no crops). The fruit characteristics and yield of watermelon were significantly higher in winter cultivation of green manure crop than in the control, and the yield of watermelon was similar within organic resources. The soil chemistry have lower electrical conductivity (EC) and higher soil organic matter in winter cultivation of green manure crop and soil physical properties have lower bulk density and higher porosity in winter cultivation of green manure crop. These results showed that the cultivation of winter green crop in greenhouse and application of organic resources improved soil physicochemical properties and watermelon productivity.