Plant Spacing Influences Watermelon Yield and Yield Components

NeSmith, D. Scott

doi:10.21273/hortsci.28.9.885

Cited by 42 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(3 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Increased number of fruit more than compensated for decreasing fruit weight and resulted in an overall increase in yield. In a similar study with watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), it was concluded that the yield component contributing most to increased yields was increased fruit count per unit land area (NeSmith, 1993).Watermelon is another vine crop where recommended plant populations vary widely depending on the state or source of the recommendation. Texas recommends a plant population for commercial triploid watermelon production of 2180 to 3350 plants/acre (5387-8278 plants/ha) (Daniello, 1996), whereas Florida recommends about 1450 to 1740 plants/acre (3583 to 4299 plants/ha).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Population Affects Pumpkin Yield Components

Cushman¹,

Horgan²,

Nagel³

et al. 2004

horttech

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo, C. moshata) were grown in northern Mississippi during 2000 and 2001 for the purpose of more narrowly defining plant population recommendations for commercial production in the humid southeastern United States. Four plant populations were examined for `Aspen': 908, 1361, 2045, and 3068 plants/acre (2244, 3363, 5053, and 7581 plants/ha, respectively) and for `Howden Biggie': 605, 908, 1361, and 2045 plants/acre (1495, 2244, 3363, 5053 plants/ha, respectively). Plant populations were adjusted by varying in-row spacing while holding between-row spacing constant at 8 ft (2.4 m). Plant population significantly affected yield of `Aspen' and `Howden Biggie'. Linear and quadratic terms were significant for `Aspen', with maximum yield (ton/acre and fruit/acre) for the quadratic relationship occurring at about 2045 plants/acre. In contrast, yield of `Howden Biggie' decreased significantly (ton/acre) and nonsignificantly (fruit/acre) in a linear relationship as plant population increased from 605 to 2045 plants/acre. Plant population significantly affected fruit weight and size. As plant population increased, weight and size decreased slightly but significantly in a linear relationship for `Aspen' (lb/fruit and inch3/fruit) and `Howden Biggie' (lb/fruit). The quadratic relationship for `Howden Biggie' (inch3/fruit) was significant and the minimum value occurred at about 1361 plants/acre. Plant population significantly affected pumpkin yield components associated with plant productivity. As plant population increased, number and weight of fruit per plant decreased sharply in a quadratic relationship for `Aspen' (lb/ plant and fruit/plant) and `Howden Biggie' (lb/plant). The linear relationship for `Howden Biggie' (fruit/ plant) also decreased significantly. At the highest plant populations for `Howden Biggie', 40% of the plants did not produce marketable pumpkins. In conclusion, recommendations of optimum plant populations for a semi-vining cultivar such as `Aspen' should be centered on about 2045 plants/acre. Published recommendations from Kentucky appear sound, advocating plant populations within the range of 1360 to 2720 plants/acre (3361 to 6721 plants/ha). For a vining cultivar such as `Howden Biggie', recommendations can be as low as 605 plants/acre. Published recommendations from Kentucky and Georgia, along with those published in the Vegetable Crop Guidelines for the Southeastern U.S., advocate plant populations for vining cultivars of approximately 725 to 1465 plants/acre (1790–3620 plants/ha). Our results with `Howden Biggie', a cultivar that produces larger pumpkins than most other vining cultivars grown for the wholesale market, indicate that producers of vining cultivars should use plant populations from the lowest values of these recommendations or use even lower values. Our results also indicate that growers can control size and weight of pumpkins by varying plant population, with increasing populations resulting in a slight decrease of size and weight.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Population Affects Pumpkin Yield Components

Cushman¹,

Horgan²,

Nagel³

et al. 2004

horttech

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In cucurbit crops the effects of plant density on fruit yield and fruit quality are well documented. In watermelon the marketable yield was increased by decreasing the in-row spacing from 2.2 to 0.9 m (NeSmith, 1993), or by decreasing the space between rows from 4.5 to 1.5 m and that between the plants in the row from 2.4 to 0.6 m (Brinen et al, 1979). In summer squash, high plant densities of between 3 and 6 plants/m 2 produced the highest total and marketable yields in both sandy soil in Florida (Dweikat and Kostewicz, 1989) and heavy soil in Israel (Paris et al, 1986).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship Between Plant Density and Fruit and Seed Production in Muskmelon

Nerson¹

2002

jashs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Field experiments were conducted in 1996 and 1997 to examine the effects of plant density on yield and quality of fruit and seeds of muskmelons (Cucumis melo L.). Two open-pollinated cultivars, Noy Yizre'el (Ha'Ogen type) and TopMark (western U.S. shipper type), were grown at plant densities ranging from 0.5 to 16.0 plants/m2 under commercial conditions. The highest marketable fruit yields were achieved with plant densities of 2 to 4 plants/m2. In contrast, the highest seed yields were obtained at 8 to 12 plants/m2. Seed yield index [seed yield (g)/fruit yield (kg)] was used as a parameter to define seed production efficiency. High seed yield was closely related to high value of the seed yield index. High seed yield indexes resulted from high plant densities (up to 12 plants/m2), at which the crops produced many, but relatively small fruit. In all cases, the seed yield per fruit (seed number and seed size) increased with increasing fruit weight. However, the sum of the seed yield of two small fruit was always greater than the seed yield of one, double-sized fruit. There was a clear exception with extremely small fruit (<500 g), which produced both low seed yields and poor seed quality. A positive relationship was found between fruit size and seed size in both cultivars. Nevertheless, relatively small seeds (25 to 30 mg) extracted from relatively small fruit (500 to 1000 g) showed the best performance in terms of germination and emergence percentages and rates, and in the vegetative development vigor of the seedlings.

show abstract

“…In Georgia, marketable fruit yields increased by 29% to 34% as plant density increased from 3000 to 7410 plants/ha. In that study, plant density did not affect fruit size, but the number of fruits per unit area increased as plant density increased (NeSmith, 1993). In Oklahoma, total marketable yield increased linearly by 60% as the density increased from 1000 to 9000 plants / ha (Duthie et al, 1999).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 64%

Genotype and Plant Density Affect Watermelon Grown for Seed Consumption

Edelstein¹,

Nerson²

2002

HortSci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of plant spacing (5,000-40,000 plants per hectare) on watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] production for seed consumption were evaluated in two breeding lines, 203 and 239-4, and in the standard cultivar Malali in three field experiments in northern Israel. The two breeding lines produced more, but smaller fruits than did `Malali', resulting in nearly double the seed yield per unit area. Seed size was not affected by fruit size, unless fruit size was <500 g. The total number of fruits per unit area was the most important component in determining seed yield. Increasing the plant population increased the seed yield in all three accessions. Breeding and agricultural practices that maximize fruit number per unit area are expected to be most beneficial in maximizing the yield of watermelon grown for seed consumption.

show abstract

Plant Spacing Influences Watermelon Yield and Yield Components

Cited by 42 publications

References 7 publications

Plant Population Affects Pumpkin Yield Components

Plant Population Affects Pumpkin Yield Components

Relationship Between Plant Density and Fruit and Seed Production in Muskmelon

Genotype and Plant Density Affect Watermelon Grown for Seed Consumption

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About