Growth and Nutrients Accumulation in Frog Skin Melon

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the growth and accumulation of plant nutrients in Ibérico hybrid melon (Syngenta Seeds). The experiment was carried out at the «Rafael Ferdandes» experimental farm of the Universidade Federal Rural Semi-Arido in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, from January to April 2013. We used a randomized block design with eleven treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of the sampling periods: 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63 and 70 days after transplanting. This study assessed dry matter, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu), the vegetative part (leaves and stems), fruits, and whole plant. The fruits were the preferred drain of the plant, corresponding to 73.7 % of the dry matter accumulated. The N, P, K, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu were accumulated preferentially in fruits, while Ca, and Mg accumulated in the vegetative part. The highest accumulation of dry mass and nutrients occurred from 35 to 49 days after transplanting, with the exception of calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc that extended their accumulation until the end of the cycle. The decreasing order of nutrient accumulation for the Ibérico hybrid melon was: N > K > Ca > P > Mg > Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu.