Manejo de minimelancia cultivada em fibra da casca de coco sob ambiente protegido

Abstract

In recent years, it has highlighted the group of smaller watermelons, one to three kilos, called minimelancias. These watermelons when conducted in a protected cultivation, require training system vertically and management plans to ensure high productivity per area and fruit quality. Based on this, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of commercial hybrid minimelancia in different spacings, growth orientation, and number of plants. For this, two experiments were conducted, cultivated under protected environment in fiber substrate of coconut shell, with fertigation. The first stage was installed using the experimental design of randomized blocks in a factorial 5 x 3, with four replications. The factors evaluated were: five hybrids of minimelancia (‘Beni Kodama’, ‘Ki Kodama’, ‘Smile’, ‘New Kodama’, and ‘Beni Makura’) and three spacings between plants (E1 = 0.35; E2 = 0.50; E3 = 0.65). The second stage was conducted using the hybrid ‘Smile’ in the experimental design of randomized, factorial 2 x 2 with eight repetitions. The first factor is constituted by the number of stems per plant (stems 1 and 2) and the second factor consisting of the number of plants per pot (plants 1 and 2). In both stages were evaluated production characteristics, quality, as well as physiological parameters of the plant. In step 1, there was no significant interaction between the factors evaluated (hybrid and spacings). For hybrids is observed that there was a significant difference only for fresh fruit mass where ‘Smile’ performed better. While for spacings there were differences, and that greater spacing (0.50 m and 0.65 m) provided higher fresh fruit weight, leaf area, fruit firmness, diameter and percentage of oversized fruit. Already the highest densities (0.35 m) increased total productivity and the leaf area index. For step 2 was observed interaction between the management stems and the number of plants/pot, the leaf area characteristics, leaf area index, dry mass of the stem, fruit mass, total soluble solids and fruit percentage big ones. The treatments conducted with two stems and a plant/pot provided high yields without harming the quality of the fruit, making it viable for the producer. Thus, it is recommended the cultivation of hybrids, spaced 0.50 m between plants in coconut fiber shell, together with the management of a plant/vessel conducted with two stems.