Effect of heat treatment around the fruit set region on growth and yield of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai]

Abstract

The present experiment was aimed to study the effect of imposing modulated temperature treatments 14°C and 18°C, around the fruiting region of watermelon plants, and to estimate the economic feasibility of the temperature treatments based on energy consumption for heating. Watermelon cultivar 'Sambok-gul' was selected and sown on perlite beds in a plastic house under controlled conditions at Watermelon Farm, Jeongeup-Jeonbuk, longitude 35°31′ 47.51N, 126°48′48.84E, altitude 37 m during the early spring season (2010)(2011). The findings revealed that the temperature treatment at 18°C caused significant increase in weight (2.0 kg plant −1 ), fruit weight (8.3 kg plant −1 ), soluble solid content (11.5 %), and fruit set rate (96.5 %) at harvest stage. Higher contents of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ ions were observed in the 1st upper leaf of the fruit set node (79.3 mgL −1 ) and the 1st lower leaf of the fruit set node (12.0 mgL −1 ), respectively at 14°C. The power consumption and extra costs of the temperature treatment 18°C were suggested as affordable and in range of a farmer's budget (41.14 USD/22 days). Hence, it was concluded that modulating temperature treatments could be utilized successfully to optimize the temperature range for enhancing the fruit yield and quality in the winter watermelon crops.

A universal pipeline for mobile mRNA detection and insights into heterografting advantages under chilling stress

“…Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is one of the top five mostconsumed fresh fruits globally. In many areas of the world, chilling stress owing to early-spring low temperature is a major environmental stress threatening the watermelon industry 1,2 . Among the several techniques that are commonly used to cope with chilling stress, grafting is one of the most-effective and cost-saving approaches [3][4][5] .…”

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of ClLAX, ClPIN and ClABCB genes families in Citrullus lanatus under various abiotic stresses and grafting

“…Its yield is significantly influenced by these abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and cold [52]. Many studies showed that auxin is involved in stress response, and a quantity of auxin transporter genes are associated with abiotic stress responses.…”

“…Watermelon is an important cucurbit crop and its output value accounted for more than 10% of the total output value of the vegetable industry in China. Watermelon seedling’s growth stops below 10 °C and cannot survive below the 1 °C [52]. Salinity and drought are the major environmental stresses in plant agriculture worldwide.…”

Effect of Cold Stress on Growth, Physiological Characteristics, and Calvin-Cycle-Related Gene Expression of Grafted Watermelon Seedlings of Different Gourd Rootstocks

“…Originating from Africa and tropical regions in Asia, watermelon is sensitive to low temperatures. The best growing conditions for watermelon are between 21 and 29 • C. When the temperature drops to 10 • C, watermelon stops growing and it even dies at temperatures below 1 • C [1]. Extreme weather frequently occurs in China, especially during the seedling stage, such as winter, late autumn, and early spring, in which watermelon usually suffers cold stress.…”