DESEMPENHO INICIAL DE VARIEDADES DE MELÃO (Cucumis melo L.) SUBMETIDAS A ESTERCO BOVINO

Abstract

The melon crop presents satisfactory productivity in the Northeast due to the high demand in solar radiation, good adaptability to the edaphoclimatic conditions, having a rise in demand 1 Agronomia, Universidade Federal do Cariri – UFCA, leandroalvespinto96@gmail.com 2 Agronomia, Universidade Federal do Cariri – UFCA, marcfilho021@outlook.com 3 Agronomia, Universidade Federal do Cariri – UFCA, artur.silva.28@hotmail.com 4 Agronomia, Universidade Federal do Cariri – UFCA, antonioufca@gmail.com 5 Professor adjunto da Universidade Federal do Cariri UFCA, felipe.camara@ufca.edu.br and expansion of the planting areas. Brazil occupies the eleventh position in the world productivity, being the Northeast region responsible for 90% of the melon produced nationally. The objective of this work was to evaluate the germinative performance of five melon cultivars: Amarelo, Eldorado, Pele de Sapo, Gaia and Japonês. The experiment was carried out in germination trays at the Center for Agrarian Sciences and Biodiversity CCAB at the Agronomy campus in Crato-CE. The substrate used was composed of 1: 1 bovine soil / manure. During the first days, mulch was placed on the trays, aiming at reducing temperature variation and promoting the maintenance of moisture in the substrate. The irrigation was done daily with the use of conventional irrigator. Data were submitted to analysis of variance (ANAVA) at 5% of probability and compared by means of the SISVAR statistical program, version 5.3. The Japanese cultivar showed higher emergence speed and initial emergence index, being equivalent to the cultivars Amarelo and Eldorado. The emergency stabilization was faster by evaluating the Japonês cultivar and slower in the cultivar Pele de sapo. It is found that, in terms of initial development, Japanese melon, Yellow melon and Eldorado have greater viability. However, order is reversed when studying consumption; Yellow is the most commercially accepted in the region. The Galia variety had the worst yield in the initial percentage of emergence.