CONDICIONADOR DO SOLO NA CULTURA DA MELANCIA IRRIGADA POR GOTEJAMENTO

Abstract

The (Citrullus lanatus.) known as Watermelon is considered one of the most important vegetable crops produced in Brazil. Despite being very adapted to high temperatures, soil water availability is an important factor in the maintenance and efficiency of production. The search for methods that increase water retention in the soil can contribute to the consolidation of more sustainable management by reducing the amount of water applied. In this context, the use of soil conditioners shows promise, but little is known about their effects on edaphoclimatic conditions in the cerrado. Thus, the objective of the work was to evaluate the agronomic performance of watermelon irrigated with the application of a soil conditioner based on extract from the Australian Leonardita algae. The soil conditioner Humakelp (Omnia Brasil) was used with six treatments at doses of: 0; 0.6; 1.2; two; and 2.6 ml/.plant-1, with 5 replications. Two applications of the bioinput were made, at 15 and 22 days after transplanting, on the soil surface in the wet bulb area. Since the work was carried out under ideal cultivation conditions, maintaining the soil at field capacity, under these conditions, there was no increase in productivity, which is evidenced by the greater number of fruits in the control. However, at the recommended dose, significantly larger fruits were obtained and with other desirable characteristics for the consumer market. Concluding that new studies would be necessary in new field conditions.