Standardisation of Hybrid Seed Production Techniques in Watermelon Citrulus lanatus Thunb

Abstract

The field and laboratory investigations on standardisation of hybrid seed production newlinetechniques with respect to pollen storage, pollination time, agronomic practices, fruit load, newlineharvesting and drying methods and storage conditioning in watermelon cv. Arka Jyothi newlinewere conducted at ARS, Kawadimatti Farm, UAS, Dharwad during rabi season 2005-06 and newline2006-07. newlineIn the first field experiment, female parent pollinated between 6:00 to 7:00 am newlinerecorded higher fruit set (23.24%), seed yield per vine (23.60g) and percentage of filled seeds newline(84.26%) with better germination (82.49%) and vigour index (1891) compared to other newlinepollination periods. newlineSimilarly, the female parent dusted with fresh pollen recorded higher fruit setting newline(25.53%), seed yield per vine (24.67g), filled seed (87.21%) and better seed quality traits as newlineagainst other treatments. newlineThe second field experiment, the female parent sown at 15th January with a spacing newlineof 3.00 x 1.00 m and fertilizer dose of 150:135:150 kg NPK/ha recorded significantly higher newlineseed weight per fruit (4.89g), seed yield per vine (.69g) with better seed quality traits newlinecompared to 100:90:100 NPK kg/ha and 2.50 x 1.00 m spacing. newlineIn the third field experiment, the foliar spray of ethrel at 250 ppm at fruit initiation newlinestage recoded significantly higher fruit weight (7.32kg), 100 seed weight (7.34g) and newlinegermination (81.44%) followed by GA3 as against control (water spray). Similarly, two fruit newlineload per vine recorded significantly higher fruit weight (7.42kg), seed weight (7.95g) and newlinegermination (82.60%) as against all fruit loads per vine. newlineIn fourth experiment fruits harvested at 65 days after anthesis and extracted seeds newlinedried under shade recorded higher filled seed percentage, germination and vigour. newlineIn the storage experiment, seeds treated with thiram and stored in aluminium pouch newlinerecorded higher germination (82.89%) and vigour (1698) compared to untreated seeds stored newlinein cloth bag through out the twelve month storage period. newline