Yield and quality of mini watermelon grown in hydroponics with brackish water
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252026v3912802rcKeywords:
Citrullus lanatus L. Salt stress. Substrate.Abstract
Water scarcity has become an increasingly frequent issue, significantly limiting agricultural production in semi-arid regions. This situation has led farmers to seek alternative water sources. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the yield and quality of mini watermelon cultivated in a hydroponic system and irrigated with brackish water. The experiment was conducted in a protected environment, using a randomized block design with five replicates, arranged in a 6 × 2 factorial scheme: six levels of electrical conductivity of the irrigation water (ECw: 0.2, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, and 7.5 dS m-1) and two durations of exposure to saline nutrient solutions (TES1 – from transplanting to harvest, corresponding to 81 days; and TES2 – from the onset of flowering to harvest). The following variables were evaluated: average fruit mass, yield, number of marketable fruits, total number of fruits, fruit length and diameter, pH, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, and ascorbic acid content. The mass of marketable mini watermelon fruits was negatively affected by each unit increase in ECw, with a reduction of 0.1391 kg per plant. The results confirm that the deleterious effects of salinity impair the physicochemical attributes (soluble solids content and ascorbic acid concentration) of mini watermelon fruits, which particularly compromises their marketability. Brackish water application starting from the flowering stage appears to be a viable strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of salinity on fruit yield and quality in mini watermelon cultivation.
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