Nutrient accumulation in 'Fantasy' net melon cultivated on substrate

• Autor(a) principal: Melo, Danilo Mesquita [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2013
• Outros Autores: De Oliveira Charlo, Hamilton César, Castoldi, Renata [UNESP], Gomes, Rafaelle Fazzi [UNESP], Braz, Leila Trevisan [UNESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2013v34n4p1673; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/75872
• topic: Cucumis melo var. reticulatus; Greenhouse; Nutrition

Knowledge of the most essential nutrients for plant growth facilitates the efficient handling of its nutrition, especially when they are grown on a substrate supported by fertigation. The objective of this study was to determine the accumulation of nutrients in net melon grown on a substrate and understand the relationship between mineral nutrition and plant growth. The Fantasy hybrid was cultivated in pots containing a substrate consisting of a mixture of sand and peanut shells (ratio, 1:1). Determination of nutrient accumulation was performed in 6 seasons. The substrate was chemically characterized before and after cultivation. Harvesting occurred 78 days after transplantation, resulting in an average yield of 70,120 kg·ha-1. Substrate analysis showed a small increase in nutrient levels by the end of cultivation. The order of nutrient accumulation was as follows: N>Ca>K>P>Mg>S>B> Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu.