Effect of Spraying Nitrogen, Potassium and Calcium on Quality Characterizes and Fruit Cracking of Muskmelon cv. Ismaily (Cucumis melo L.)

Abstract

An experiments were conducted at the field of the Dep. of Hort. Coll. of Agric. Univ. of Baghdad, during the spring season of 2007 and 2008, to study the effect of spraying some nutrient elements(N, K, Ca) on some quantity characterizes and fruit cracking of muskmelon cv. Ismaily.Spraying urea (46%N) (0, 3000) mg N/L, potassium sulphate (41%K) (0, 2500, 5000) mg K/L. and Calcium chelated (9% Ca) (400, 800) mg Ca/L.The plant were sprayed twice at fruit set and 15 days after the first spray. R.C.B.D. as factorial experiment was adapted with three replicate.The results could be summarized as follows:1. Muskmelon fruit cracking was appeared at netting formation in maturation and full ripe. 2. Spraying of urea (3000 mg N/L) was reduced total fruit cracking to (21.30, 24.60%) for the two seasons respectively. While caused on increased T.S.S , total sugar and dray matter for the seasons of 2008 to (7.04, 6.65 and 8.08%) compared with control(6.82, 6.43 and 7.77%) respectively.3. Spraying of K2SO4 (5000 mg/L) reduced fruit cracking (21.3, 23.0%) and T.S.S (7.86, 6.81) compared with control (28.4, 29.9%) and 7.93, 6.90%) for the two seasons respectively. While concentration of K2S04 (2500 mg/L) superior on increased T.S.S (8.23, 7.07%) and total sugar (7.71, 6.68%) compared with control (7.93, 6.90%) and (7.48, 6.57%) for the two seasons respectively.4. The concentration of calcium (400 mg/L) superior on reduced total fruit cracking (19.8, 22.1%) compared with control (28.4, 30.2%) for two seasons respectively. While concentration of calcium (800 mg/L) superior on increased T.S.S (8.49, 7.30%) and total sugar(7.97, 6.85%) compared with control for the two seasons respectively.