Production, water-use efficiency and post-harvest quality of hydroponic mini watermelon under salinity stress

• Published in: Pesquisa agropecuária tropical 2021-01, Vol.51, p.e67054
• Main Authors: Laís Monique Gomes do Ó, Alide Mitsue Watanabe Cova, André Dias de Azevedo Neto, Marcela Ganda Souza, Andressa Leite Santos, Hans Raj Gheyi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: brackish water; citrullus lanatus l; soilless cultivation
• ISSN: 1983-4063
• DOI: 10.1590/1983-40632021v5167054

Irregularity or shortage of rainfall in semi-arid regions forces farmers to use low-quality water to irrigate crops. The present study aimed to assess the water-use efficiency and post-harvest quality of ‘Sugar Baby’ mini watermelon in response to different electrical conductivities of the nutrient solution [2.5 (control), 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 and 6.5 dS m-1], in a floating hydroponic system. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four replicates. The water consumption, production and water-use efficiency were evaluated, as well as qualitative and physico-chemical variables of the fruits. The total water consumption of the plants during the crop cycle varied between 43 (6.5 dS m-1) and 54 (2.5 dS m-1) L plant-1among the treatments, with water-use efficiency of 0.031 kg L-1. The greatest reductions due to the nutrient solution salinity were observed for the rind thickness and fruit mass (8.80 and 5.69 %, respectively, per unit increase in dS m-1). The salinity of the nutrient solution did not influence the soluble solids content and fruit maturity index, but it had a negative effect on the pH and titratable acidity.