Agronomic Evaluation of Four Exotic Tropical Varieties of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) in Two Agro-environments in Nigeria

Abstract

The research was conducted to evaluate the agronomic performance of five tropical varieties of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) in two agro-environments (Agbani and Iwollo) during the 2013 and 2014 planting season in Enugu State, Southeastern Nigeria. The experiment comprises of five varieties of watermelon namely; New Dragon, Empire, Dark Belle, Koloss and Kaolack (control) which was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications Results from the study showed that there was no significant (p > 0.05) differences in leaf area index at Agbani site for the two seasons at 30 and 60 days after planting. Dark Belle had the highest fruit weight at harvest in Agbani site with 13.04 t ha-1 and 8.08 t ha-1 in 2013 and 2014 planting seasons, respectively, while Iwollo site produced a fruit yield of 1.75 t ha-1 (2013) and 0.81 t ha-1 (2014). Dark Belle, Koloss and Kaolack are recommended for Agbani soils and soils under similar conditions and location. Dark Belle is identified as the best adapted variety of watermelon for Agbani and Iwollo soils and locations of Enugu State. However, Iwollo soils and soils under similar conditions and location may not be good for commercial watermelon production during the rainy seasons.