MELANCIA IRRIGADA POR GOTEJAMENTO CULTIVADA COM Bacillus Arybhattai E LEONARDITA AUSTRALIANA

Abstract

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is an important crop in the Brazilian Cerrado. This study aimed to assess the productive performance of watermelon grown under drip irrigation with a controlled 21% water deficit, evaluating the effects of Australian leonardite extract and Bacillus aryabhattai. The experiment followed a completely randomized design with four treatments: no bioinput, Australian leonardite extract alone, B. aryabhattai alone, and a combination of both. Fruit fresh weight, fruit diameter, rind and flesh thickness, yield, and soluble solids content (°Brix) were measured. The highest yield was obtained with Australian leonardite extract alone, reaching 12.16 t ha⁻¹ with 11.30 °Brix, outperforming the other treatments. In contrast, B. aryabhattai applied alone showed lower performance, indicating its potential effectiveness under more severe water stress or when associated with organic amendments. These findings demonstrate that the integration of bioinputs with rational irrigation management is a promising strategy to enhance the sustainability of watermelon production in the Cerrado region.