Production and quality fruits of watermelon genotypes on backlands Paraibano, Northeast Brazil

Abstract

The high environmental variability of cultivated areas is one of the major factors in the production and quality of agricultural products, being essential the evaluation of genotypes adapted to the diverse situations of edaphoclimate in order to obtain satisfactory yields. Thus an experiment was developed during the period September-November 2014, in the municipality of São Bento, ParaibaState, Brazil, located in the micro-region of Alto Sertão paraibano, with the objective to evaluate the of productive behavior and fruit quality genotypes of watermelon. The treatments (genotypes of watermelon BGCIA 863, BGCIA 864, Crimson Sweet e Crimson Selec of red pulp, and BGCIA 865, BGCIA 866 of yellow pulp) weredistributed in randomized blocks with four replications. The mean fruit mass, total commercial and non -commercial productivity and fruit production losses were evaluated.Physical aspects were also evaluated (longitudinal diameter, equatorial diameter, shape index and shell thickness) and physical-chemical properties (soluble solids content and titratable acidity in fruit pulp).The genotypes of red pulp,except Crimson Sweet, they outnumber yellow pulp in fruit weighttotal and commercial productivityand lower production losses obtained.To the environmentalconditions of municipality the São Bento, of Alto Sertão of the of ParaíbaState, Brazil, should be grown red pulp genotypes (BGCIA 863, 864 BGCIA, Crimson Sweet Crimson and Select)in relation to the yellow pulp (865 BGCIAandBGCIA 866).