Standardisation of Hybrid Seed Production Techniques in Watermelon (Citrulus lanatus Thunb.)
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Date
2012
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UAS Dharwad
Abstract
The field and laboratory investigations on standardisation of hybrid seed production
techniques with respect to pollen storage, pollination time, agronomic practices, fruit load,
harvesting and drying methods and storage conditioning in watermelon cv. Arka Jyothi
were conducted at ARS, Kawadimatti Farm, UAS, Dharwad during rabi season 2005-06 and
2006-07.
In the first field experiment, female parent pollinated between 6:00 to 7:00 am
recorded higher fruit set (23.24%), seed yield per vine (23.60g) and percentage of filled seeds
(84.26%) with better germination (82.49%) and vigour index (1891) compared to other
pollination periods.
Similarly, the female parent dusted with fresh pollen recorded higher fruit setting
(25.53%), seed yield per vine (24.67g), filled seed (87.21%) and better seed quality traits as
against other treatments.
The second field experiment, the female parent sown at 15th January with a spacing of
3.00 x 1.00 m and fertilizer dose of 150:135:150 kg NPK/ha recorded significantly higher
seed weight per fruit (4.89g), seed yield per vine (.69g) with better seed quality traits
compared to 100:90:100 NPK kg/ha and 2.50 x 1.00 m spacing.
In the third field experiment, the foliar spray of ethrel @ 250 ppm at fruit initiation
stage recoded significantly higher fruit weight (7.32kg), 100 seed weight (7.34g) and
germination (81.44%) followed by GA3 as against control (water spray). Similarly, two fruit
load per vine recorded significantly higher fruit weight (7.42kg), seed weight (7.95g) and
germination (82.60%) as against all fruit loads per vine.
In fourth experiment fruits harvested at 65 days after anthesis and extracted seeds
dried under shade recorded higher filled seed percentage, germination and vigour.
In the storage experiment, seeds treated with thiram and stored in aluminium pouch
recorded higher germination (82.89%) and vigour (1698) compared to untreated seeds stored
in cloth bag through out the twelve month storage period.