Background: Watermelon is a very important crop because it has many
nutritional and economical values. This crop is known to human for ages and has
been cultivated for centuries in many Middle Eastern countries including Syria.
Several types of fertilizers are being used in order to increase the
productivity of this crop but some fertilizers have shown to have an adverse
effect on environment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the
effects of several types of organic fertilizers (cow, sheep, poultry and pigeon
manure) and to compare their effects on growth, productivity and quality
parameters with chemical fertilizers (NPK) and control group. Materials and
Methods: Two local cultivars spherical and cylindrical (Audrey and Shapah) were
used to examine the effects of cow manure (8 m/Donum), Sheep manure (6 m/Donum),
poultry manure (3 m/Donum) and pigeons (2 m/Donum) and were compared with
chemical fertilizer (N 20:P 40:K 25). Number of fruits on each vine, length of
each vine (cm), fruit weight (kg), and estimated yield (kg/Donum) were measured
and recorded some quality parameters such as rind thickness (cm) and heart
color as well. Results: Cows manure was proved to be superior to other types of
fertilizers (organic and inorganic) in many traits but chemical fertilizer gave
the highest yield (kg/Donum) in Audrey cultivar but in Shapah cultivar there
was no significant difference in productivity between chemical fertilizer compared
with control group. Conclusion: Using organic fertilizers to cultivate
watermelon does affect quality of watermelon and the productivity was
closely related to chemical fertilizer. On the other hand, organic
fertilizer can reduce the harmful effects of chemical fertilizers on
environment and human health alike.
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