EFFECT OF PROTECTED CULTIVATION UNDER NETTED RAIN-SHELTER WITH FERTIGATION
ON THE PRODUCTION OF CHILI (CAPSICUM SPP.) AND ROCKMELON (CUCUMIS MELO L.)
AISHATUL IZZAH BINTI MOHD KHIRULTHZAM
MASTER OF SCIENCE
2015
Effect of Protected Cultivation Under Netted Rain-Shelter with Fertigation on the Production of Chili (Capsicum
spp.) and Rockmelon (Cucumis melo L.)
by
Aishatul Izzah binti Mohd Khirulthzam
A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science
Faculty of Agro-Based Industry UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA KELANTAN
2015
i
THESIS DECLARATION
I hereby certify that the work embodied in this thesis is the result of the original research and has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution.
OPEN ACCESS I agree that my thesis is to be made immediately available as hardcopy or on-line open access (full text).
EMBARGOES I agree that my thesis is to be made available as hardcopy or on-line open access (full text) for a period approved by the Post Graduate Committee.
CONFIDENTIAL (Contains confidential information under the Official Secret Act 1972)*
RESTRICTED (Contains restricted information as specified by the organization where research was done)*
I acknowledge that Universiti Malaysia Kelantan reserves the right as follows.
1. The thesis is the property of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.
2. The library of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan has the right to make copies for the purpose of research only.
3. The library has the right to make copies of the thesis for academic exchange.
SIGNATURE SIGNATURE OF SUPERVISOR
I/C NO. : 890928-03-5858
Date: Date:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all I would like to thank Allah S.W.T for making all this possible. Many people have contributed to the completion of this thesis and it would probably take a whole chapter to name them all. There are always special people that made my graduate school experience possible and memorable and others that even if not listed know they were a big part of it. I am particularly grateful to my supervisor, Prof. Dr Kassim Buhiran and my co-supervisor, Dr Lee Seong Wei for the support throughout the entire process of research and writing. Sincere thanks are extended to all the staff of Faculty of Agro- Based Industry, especially Mr Suhaimi Omar and Mr Azman who helped me in the field experiment. Grateful acknowledgement is made to Universiti Malaysia Kelantan for providing generous funding to my entire study. Much love goes to my parents, sisters and brothers, for provided unlimited supply of unconditional support, understanding and encouragement during my candidature. Your love, affection and inspiration sustained me through the years of study. Sometimes research is a lonely and frustrating pursuit, and I thank all those who offered their friendship and who kept me company during my studies. My warmest thank goes to my bosom buddies; Qayyum, Ain, Ziela, Kak Wani, Faz, Kak Zetty and Seha for their support and advices. To my ‘bestie’, thanks for always be there, ready to offer an ear to listen and crack me up with laughter. My special thanks give to all my friends and colleagues. To them all, this work is dedicated.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
THESIS DECLARATION i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iii
LIST OF TABLES viii
LIST OF FIGURES x
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS xi
ABSTRAK xiv
ABSTRACT xv
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 General Overview 1
1.2 Problem Statement 4
1.3 Research Objectives 6
1.4 Significances of Research 7
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 A Review of Rockmelon
2.1.1 Introduction 8
2.1.2 Botany and Origin of Cucumis melo 10
2.1.3 Classification and Cultivars 11
2.1.4 Postharvest Physiology of Rockmelon 16
2.2 A Review of Chilli
2.2.1 Origin and Distribution 18
2.2.2 Taxonomy and Morphology 19
2.2.3 Cultivation and Importance 21
2.3 Irrigation and Nutrients 23
2.3.1 Fertigation 25
2.3.2 Nutrient Requirements 27
2.4 Foliar Feeding 33
2.4.1 Supplemental Foliar Potassium (K) Fertilizer 35
2.4.2 Biofertilizer 37
2.5 Protected versus Open Cultivation
2.5.1 Crop Production Constraints 38
2.5.2 Protected Cultivation 39
CHAPTER 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1 Outline of Research 44
3.2 Experimental Site 44
3.3 Experimental Details 48
3.3.1 Experiment 1: Protected cultivation vs open cultivation 48 3.3.2 Experiment 2: Supplemental foliar fertilization 48
3.3.3 Treatment Details 49
3.4 Experimental Procedure 51
3.4.1 Plant Material and Preparation of Seedling 51
3.4.2 Preparation of Planting Medium 53
v
3.4.3 Fumigation 54
3.4.4 Fertilizer Application 54
3.4.4.1 Preparation of Stock Solution 60
3.4.4.2 Fertilizer Dilution 61
3.4.5 Crop Management 63
3.4.6 Harvesting 64
3.5 Collection of Experimental Data
3.5.1 Morphological Characters 65
3.5.2 Phenological Characters 66
3.5.3 Fruit Characters and Quality Parameters 66
3.5.4 Yield Parameters 67
3.6 Economics 68
3.7 Statistical Analysis 69
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Effect of Growing Condition on Growth, Yield and Quality of Rock Melon and Chilli
4.1.1 Weather Data During the Crop Growth Period 70
4.1.2 Morphological Characters 73
4.1.2.1 Vine length (cm) and Plant Height (cm) 73
4.1.2.2 Number of Leaves 74
4.1.2.3 Leaf area (cm²) 75
4.1.3 Phenological Characters 77
4.1.3.1 Number of pistillate flower per plant 77
4.1.3.2 Number of pollinated pistillate flower 78 4.1.4 Fruit Characters, Yield and Quality Parameters 79
4.1.4.1 Individual Fruit Weight (g) 79
4.1.4.2 Pericarp thickness (cm) 80
4.1.4.3 Fruit Perimeter 81
4.1.4.4 Fruit Diameter 81
4.1.4.5 Total Soluble Solids (Brix) 82
4.1.4.6 Production of Different Grade of Fruits (%) 82 4.2 Effect of Supplemental Foliar Fertilizer on Growth, Yield and Quality
of Rockmelon
4.2.1 Morphological Characters 86
4.2.1.1 Vine Length (cm) 87
4.2.1.2 Number of Leaves 89
4.2.1.3 Leaf Area 91
4.2.1.4 Leaf Perimeter 93
4.2.1.5 Leaf Length 93
4.2.1.6 Leaf Width 94
4.2.2 Phenological Parameters
4.2.2.1 Number of Days for Flowering 97
4.2.2.2 Number of Days for First Harvest 98
4.2.3 Quality Parameters
4.2.3.1 Total Soluble Solids 100
4.2.3.2 Rind Thickness 101
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4.2.3.3 Edible Pulp Thickness 102
4.2.3.4 Percentage of Seed Cavity (Endocarp) and Internal Flesh (Mesocarp)
102
4.2.3.5 Extent of Fruit Grade in Percentage 103 4.2.4 Yield Parameters
4.2.4.1 Individual Fruit Weight (kg) 105
4.2.4.2 Percentage of High Quality Marketable Yield 107 4.3 Scheduling of Rockmelon and Chili Cultivation under the Netted
Rain-Shelter for Year Round Production
110
4.4 Economics of Rockmelon and Chilli Production Using Fertigation System Under Netted Rain Shelter
4.4.1 Costs of Fertilizer per Plant 113
4.4.2 Net Returns (RM/ha) 115
4.4.3 Initial Investment 118
4.4.4 Payback Period (PBP) 118
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK
5.1 General Summary 120
5.2 Future Work 122
REFERENCES 123
APPENDICES
Appendix A 136
Appendix B 137
LIST OF TABLES
NO. PAGE
2.1 Production of melon in different country in 2011 10 2.2 Plant nutrients and its important function 32 2.3 Review of published abstracts on the influence of K: effects by K 36
application and K form on fruit attributes
3.1 Recommended dose of fertilizer for rockmelon and chili 55 3.2 Electrical conductivity or fertilizer concentration for fertigation 56 3.3 Salient features of fertilizer applied to rockmelon and chilli 58
3.4 Fruit grade classification 68
4.1 Meteorological data from May 2010 – Jun 2013 of Masjid Besar 71 Jeli Meteorology Station
4.2 (a) Morphological character of rockmelon at inside and outside 76 of the netted rain-shelter
(b) Morphological character of chili at inside and outside of the 76 netted rain-shelter
4.3 Phenological character of rockmelon inside and outside netted 78 rain-shelter
4.4 (a) Yield and quality parameters of rockmelon at inside and 80 outside of the netted rain shelter
(b) Yield and quality parameters of chili at inside and outside of 80 the netted rain shelter
4.5 Fruit characters of rockmelon inside and outside netted rain 81 shelter
4.6 Rockmelon vine length at 7 DAT, 14 DAT and 21 DAT 88 4.7 Number of leaves of rock melon at 7 DAT, 14 DAT and 21 DAT 90
4.8 Leaf area (cm²) of rockmelon at 28 DAT 92
4.9 Leaf perimeter (cm) of rockmelon at 28 DAT 93
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4.10 Leaf length (cm) of rockmelon at 28 DAT 94
4.11 Leaf width (cm) of rockmelon at 28 DAT 95
4.12 Number of days for first harvest of rockmelon at different treatment
4.13 Total soluble solids (TSS), % of rockmelon at different picking date
99
100
4.14 Fruit characteristics of rockmelon at different treatment 103 4.15 Internal fruit characteristics of rockmelon at different treatment 103 4.16 Average individual fruit weight (kg) of rockmelon 105 4.17 Internal, external view of rock melon at harvest and maximum
fruit weight recorded
4.18 Planting and harvesting schedule of rockmelon and chili under netted rain-shelter
109
112
4.19 Gross return for chili and rockmelon at different market prices 116 4.20 Gross return of different combination of rockmelon and chili
prices
117
4.21 Net return of different combination of rockmelon and chili prices 117
4.22 Payback period 119
LIST OF FIGURES
NO. PAGE
2.1 Morphological structure of rock melon 14
2.2 Rock melon produce two types of flowers: (A) Perfect flowers, 15 having both male and female part, and (B) staminate flowers,
having only male parts.
2.3 Anatomy of rockmelon 15
2.4 Morphological structure of chilli plant 22
2.5 Anatomy of chilli 24
3.1 View of the netted rain shelter structure built at Agropark UMK 45 Jeli (b) Germination house
3.2 (A) Individual dripper; (B) Double door; (C) Ventilation fan; (D) 46 Automatic timer
3.3 Flow chart of the research methodology 47
3.4 Melon F1 hybrid and chilli seeds 52
3.5 Jiffy 7 and germinated seed 52
3.6 Melon seedling ready for transplanting 53
3.7 Polybag filled with cocopeat as planting medium 53 3.8 (A) Fumigation tools; (B) Fumigation of study site 54
3.9 Stock solution tank 61
3.10 Type of fertilizer applied in the research 62
3.11 Plain water tank and fertilizer mixing tank 62
3.12 Full slip stage 64
4.1 Percentage of fruit grade of rock melon inside and outside netted 83 rain shelter
4.2 Number of days for flowering of rockmelon 98
4.3 Percentage of rockmelon fruit grade by treatment 104 4.4 Percentage of high quality marketable yield of rock melon (≥1.5
kg)
108
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
C degree Celcius
% percentage
ADP Adenosine diphosphate
Al Aluminium
ANOVA Analysis of Variance ATP Adenosine Triphosphate
B Boron
Ca Calcium
CaO Calcium oxide
cc cubic centimetre
cm centimeters
cm² centimeter square
Cu Cuprum
DAT Days after transplanting d.m. dry matter
DMRT Duncan Multiple Range Test
FAMA Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority FAO Food and Agriculture Organization
Fe Ferum
g gram
h hour/hours
ha hectare
IAA indole-3-acetic acid IBA indolebutyric acid
K Potassium
KCl Potassium chloride
kg kilogram
LSD Least Significant Difference
m meter
m² meter square
ME micro elements
Mg Magnesium
MgO Magnesium oxide
mm milimeter
Mn Manganese
Mo Molebdenum
mS miliSiemens
N Nitrogen
P Phosphorus
pH parts of hydrogen (acdity/alkalinity index) RM Ringgit Malaysia
S.D. Standard deviation
sp. Species
t tonne
TE trace elements TSS Total soluble solids
xiii UV ultra violet
Zn Zinc
Kesan Penanaman di Bawah Struktur Lindungan Hujan Berjaring dengan Fertigasi ke atas Pengeluaran Cili (Capsicum spp.) dan Rockmelon (Cucumis melo)
ABSTRAK
Cili adalah sejenis sayuran yang penting di Malaysia dan pengeluaran domestik adalah terhad pada musim hujan. Manakala rockmelon masih kurang popular di kalangan masyarakat Malaysia tetapi mempunyai potensi yang tinggi sebagai tanaman hortikultur untuk di eksport. Kajian dijalankan untuk menilai kesan penanaman di bawah lindungan, fertigasi dan baja foliar ke atas pengeluaran rockmelon dan cili. Objektif pertama adalah untuk menentukan kesan penanaman terlindung dan terbuka ke atas pertumbuhan, hasil dan kualiti rockmelon untuk pengeluaran sepanjang tahun dan cili untuk musim hujan. Purata berat sebiji rockmelon di bawah penanaman terbuka hanya 1.10 kg/buah dan di bawah struktur lindungan, 1.51 kg/buah. Penanaman di bawah struktur lindungan juga menghasilkan buah dengan tahap kemanisan yang lebih tinggi, 14.12±0.83 berbanding di tempat terbuka, 12.24±1.81 % bacaan Brix. Bilangan buah cili yang dihasilkan di bawah struktur lindungan lebih banyak, 32.20±5.6 biji berbanding tempat terbuka, 15.13±6.74 biji. 60 % rockmelon yang dituai di bawah struktur lindungan adalah gred B dan 53.33% rockmelon yang dituai di tempat terbuka adalah gred C. Objektif kedua adalah untuk menilai kesan fertigasi dan baja foliar dalam meningkatkan hasil dan kualiti rockmelon. Rawatan fertigasi + foliar merekodkan peratusan buah gred A yang tertinggi, 77.78%; fertigasi merekodkan peratusan buah gred B yang tertinggi, 63.9% dan pembajaan konvensional merekodkan 55.6% buah gred B. Tiada buah gred C direkodkan bagi fertigasi + foliar. Buah gred C hanya direkodkan bagi pembajaan konvensional, 33.3% dan fertigasi 13.9%. Berat sebiji rockmelon mencapai 2.7 kg/buah dengan bacaan Brix 16%. Objektif ketiga adalah untuk menjalankan analisis kewangan keatas cara penanaman yang dicadangkan. Kos baja untuk sepokok cili adalah RM 3.55 hingga RM 3.85 dan rockmelon adalah RM 1.84 hingga RM 2.08. Jadual penanaman dan penuaian cili dan rockmelon telah dicadangkan. Dengan mengikuti jadual ini, 75,200 kg rockmelon dan 7125 kg cili akan dihasilkan setahun. Pelaburan awal dianggarkan berjumlah RM 571,000 per ekar dengan tempoh pulangan balik paling singkat 10 bulan. Fertigasi + foliar mempunyai kesan yang baik dalam meningkatkan peratusan buah gred A. Analisis kewangan menunjukkan penanaman di bawah struktur lindungan hujan berjaring dan mengikuti penjadualan penanaman dan penuaian yang dicadangkan bukan sahaja menguntungkan, malah mendapat pulangan modal dalam masa yang singkat.
xv
Effect of Protected Cultivation under Netted Rain-Shelter with Fertigation on the Production of Chili (Capsicum spp.) and Rockmelon (Cucumis melo)
ABSTRACT
Chili is an important vegetable for Malaysian and experienced scarce supply during out season, while rockmelon is still unpopular among Malaysian but has a great potential to become an important horticultural crop for export from Malaysia. This study was established to evaluate the effects of protected cultivation, fertigation and foliar fertilizer on chili and rockmelon performance. The first objective was to determine the effect of protected versus open cultivation on growth, yield and quality of rockmelon for year round production and chili in rainy season. Individual fruit weight obtained from open field cultivation of rockmelon was below the high marketable yield criteria, 1.10 kg/fruit and protected cultivation produced 1.51 kg/fruit. Protected cultivation also produced rockmelon with higher brix reading, 14.12±0.83 compared to open cultivation, 12.24±1.81. Number of fruit of chili at inside netted rain-shelter, 32.20±5.6 was higher than at open field, 15.13±6.74. Most of rockmelon fruits harvested from inside netted rain-shelter found to be in grade B, 60% and 53.33% of rockmelon harvested from outside netted rain-shelter were graded as grade C. The second objective was to evaluate the effect of fertigation and foliar fertilizer in improving rockmelon yield and quality. Fertigation + foliar fertilizer treatment recorded the highest percentage of grade A fruit, 77.78%; fertigation recorded highest grade B fruit, 63.9% and conventional broadcast fertilizer recorded 55.6% grade B fruit. There was no record on grade C fruit was found in fertigation + foliar fertilizer treatment.
Grade C fruit was only recorded in conventional broadcast fertilizer and fertigation treatment, 33.3% and 13.9% repectively. The third objective was to work out the economics of chili and rockmelon cultivation under the treatment that give the maximum yield and quality of the crops. Total cost of fertilizer for a chili plant is RM 3.55 up to RM 3.85 and for a rockmelon plant is RM 1.84 up to RM 2.08. At the end of the study, a planting and harvesting schedule for chili and rockmelon year round production has been generated. Starting on early February, 10 rain-shelters were planted with rockmelon, one rain-shelter per week. At the early September, 5 rain-shelters were planted with chili alternately biweekly and another 5 rain-shelter were planted with rockmelon. By following this schedule, 75,200 kg of rockmelon and 7,125 kg of chili can be produced a year. The initial investment approximately RM 571,000 per acre with the earliest payback period is 10 months. Cultivation of chili under netted rain-shelter during rainy season had a better yield and quality than at open field. Fertigation + foliar fertilizer had a great effect in improving percentage of grade A rockmelon fruit.
Economics analysis revealed that, crop cultivation under netted rain shelter coupled with a proper planting and harvesting schedule suggested is profitable and having short payback period.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 General Overview
Chilies and rockmelon which are found in the local markets are usually grown by farmers using the conventional way of cultivation. They normally use soil-based method and open field cultivation instead of incorporating latest and modern technology such as fertigation and netted rain-shelter. Even though this method seemed to satisfy the demand for these fruit-type vegetables in the market, research are ongoing to produce yields that are of high quality, large quantity, more economical to produce and continuous supply during off season.
Rockmelon (Cucumis melo L.) is a short duration crop belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, genus Cucumis. There is remarkable diversity of melons belonging to these horticultural groups, each having unique fruit characteristics and field performance. Within Cucumis melo species, several important horticultural groups can be identified: cantalupensis, inodorus, flexuosus, conomon, dudaim and momordica (Robinson & Walters, 1999). Another categorization well accepted among scientist is Guis’ categories: Cucumis melo var. cantaloupensis, C. melo var. reticulatus, C. melo var. saccharinus, C. melo var. inodorus, C. melo var. flexuosus, C. melo var. conomon and C. melo var.
dudaim.
2
It is an economically important commodity cultivated worldwide. Melon production worldwide in 2011 was 31 million tonnes and melon world harvested area was realized in 1.3 million hectare area. In 2011, China was the leading country in production of melon followed by Iran, Turkey and Eqypt (FAO, 2014). In Malaysia, rockmelon and honey dew are still listed as minor fruit crops. Hectarage of rockmelon and honey dew cultivation in Malaysia are 1492.0 ha and 89.5 ha, repectively (Appendix A). Rockmelon planted area was only about 0.7% of total planted area of fruit crops in Malaysia which is 226,781 ha (DoA, 2012).
Nowadays, rockmelon enjoys widespread popularity among consumers owing to its taste. It fetches premium price in the market compared to other fruit crops. Japanese regards melon as high-class and sacred fruit. The average wholesale price for the imported and domestic melon was US$ 1.54 and US 4.24 kg-1 per fruit in 2006 (Ohashi et. al, 2009) following the standards set 13-15%
TSS and 1.2-1.7 kg, in combination with perfect circle of yellow, green or orange colored juicy flesh with melting quality fruits (Seko, 1999). In Japan, a melon with less than 10% TSS has no commercial value (Seko, 2004).
Melon gaining a lot of importance due to its short duration and high production potential as well as its high nutritive value. Melon is a rich source of vitamin C, ß-carotene, vitamin A, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and also traces of vitamin B6, vitamin K, niacin , vitamin B2 and vitamin B1. In addition, the fruits contain more than 90 per cent water. Its fruits are traditionally used as a deserts, fresh-cut fruits and as juice (Saftner & Lester, 2009).
Though rockmelon is most nutritious, its productivity is very low as compared to other vegetable fruits in Malaysia. They are relatively unpopular among fruit growers. This might be due to lack of knowledge and guidelines on how to handle this highly demanding crop and thermophilous plants. Melon cultivation requires special treatment methods for the improvement of microclimatic conditions. It is cultivated in all the temperate regions of the world due to its good adaptation to soil and climate (Villanueva et. al, 2004). This gap certainly indicates that there is a great potential in improving the productivity potential by using suitable measures, particularly the use of closed system and supplemental foliar fertilizers.
Foliar fertilization has advantage of low application rates, uniform distribution of fertilizer materials and quick response to applied nutrients.
Moreover, hidden hungers can easily be managed. With the exception of nitrogen, potassium is required by plants in much greater amounts than all the other soil-supplied nutrients (Tisdale et. al, 1985). Adequate supply of fertilizer potassium is therefore necessary for sustainable crop production. Plant developmental stage also influences the capacity for K uptake.
Chilies (Capsicum spp.) are one of the important vegetable crops in Malaysia which are commonly found in multiethnic Malaysians’ daily menu and widely used as a condiment and spices all over the world (Huq & Mohamed, 2010). The largest chili producer in the world today is India, followed by China and Pakistan. During 2007-2008, the world production of chili was estimated 20.98 million tonnes. According to Department of Statistics Malaysia, Malaysia
4
imported on average 30,806.0 tonnes of chili from 2005 till 2009 for local use.
For chili market, Malaysia import dependency ratio is about 52.6%. Chili price increased dramatically from November till February due heavy rainy that does not permit open field cultivation which commonly pratice by farmers. High consumer demand coupled with low production resulted in price increment.
Protected cultivation in tropical climate creates awareness among growers of the potential in increasing yield and better quality of vegetables grown in the difficult environment in the humid tropics. A production system that protects crops from rain and wind, and the associated diseases should improve the viability of vegetable crop production in the Eastern Coast of Peninsular Malaysia having a wet season from November to February. Expected benefits include higher yields, better quality, more reliable supply, fewer problems with diseases and weeds.
1.2 Problem Statement
Chili is an important spice cum vegetable crop cultivated extensively in Malaysia. Despite its economic importance, growers, especially in Kelantan, are not in a position to produce good quality chili with high productivity during rainy season due to various biotic (pest and diseases), abiotic (rainfall, temperature, relative humidity and light intensity) and crop factors (flower and fruit drop). Due to erratic behaviour of weather, the crops grown in open field are often exposed to fluctuating levels of temperature, humidity, wind flow etc.
which ultimately affect the crop productivity adversely. Malaysia import dependency ratio is 52.6%. Hence in order to reduce our dependency on imported chili and to obtain a good quality produce during off season, there is a need to cultivate chili under protected condition such as green houses or netted rain shelter.
However, planting chili under netted rain shelter during dry and hot season seems to be uneconomical since the open field cultivation are able to produce large amount of chili to fulfill consumer demand. As chili price during hot season dropped to the normal price, rockmelon will be planted under the netted rain-shelter to increase the usage efficiency of the netted rain-shelter.
Rockmelon gradually become a famous fruit crop and getting high consumer demands. A premium quality fetches high prices in the market.
Among the important characteristics of premium quality are sweetness and individual fruit weight. The sweeter and bigger fruit, the higher the price.
However, conventional cultivation seems not to meet this demand. The conventional farmers still using root feeding fertilization as the only sources of nutrients to the crops. The usage of foliar feeding as an alternative sources of nutrients is still unpopular among growers although this fertilization method has proved to have an efficient fertilization application.
6 1.3 Research Objectives
The main objective of this research is to improve consumer yield and quality attributes of rockmelon and chili, which in turn will assure a steady supply of the produce in the market year round, reduces cost of production and increase farmers’ income. The yield and quality attributes of rockmelon and chili are profoundly influenced by growing condition and supplemental fertilizer (foliar fertilizer). Keeping all above points in view, a study was carried out with the following specific objectives.
The specific objectives of this research are:
To determine the effect of protected versus open cultivation on growth, yield and quality of rockmelon (year round) and chili (during rainy season).
To evaluate the effect of foliar spray of fertilizer on the yield and quality of rockmelon cultivated under netted rain-shelter.
To workout the economics of chili and rockmelon cultivation under the treatment that give the maximum yield and quality of the crops.
1.4 Significance of Research
Little, if any, work has been reported to determine if foliar fertilizers have any effect on rockmelon growth while receiving adequate to excellent soil fertilization in Kelantan. This study was initiated to document data on the effects of foliar supplemental potassium fertilizer on rockmelon particularly in terms of yields and quality of rockmelon grown in the protected structure.
There is also not much study or work has been documented on potential of a combination of chili and rockmelon as a rotation crop in greenhouse cultivation, particularly in Kelantan. Kelantan experiencing heavy rainfall from November until February that does not permit mass production of chili, but the demand for chili is high during this period. Planting time and harvesting time scheduling between chili and rockmelon which is part of these research outcomes can be adopted by farmers to sustain chili and rockmelon production throughout the year.
A high quality produce resulted from protected cultivation and supplemental foliar fertilizer applications are able to increase farmers’ income.
Continuous productions of chili regardless of environmental conditions can satisfy consumer demands and decrease dependency on imported supply of chili and rockmelon.
8
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
The pertinent literature is reviewed and presented in this chapter under following headings.
2.1 A Review of Rockmelon (Cucumis melo L.)
2.1.1 Introduction
The Cucurbitaceae family consists of mostly frost sensitive, principally tendril bearing vine plants which are found in sub-tropical and tropical regions around the world (Robinson & Walters, 1999). Nevertheless, some species within this family are well adapted to low temperatures and xerophytic conditions (Wien, 1997). Plants belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family are commonly well known as Cucurbits and according to their geographic origin, they can be classified as new world and old world species. There are two well- defined subfamilies, eight tribes, about 120 genera and more than 800 species are found in this family (Jeffrey, 1990).
Cucurbits are largely cultivated as vegetables and several parts of the plants are utilized for foodstuff. Fruits are the most commonly eaten part of the plant, but seeds, flowers, tendrils, very young shoots and roots are also used for
food. Cucurbits are also exploited as medicines, such as Cucurbita andreana, which has chemical compounds (cucurbitacins) with anticancer and anti- inflamatory activities (Jayaprakasam et al., 2003). In China, fruits and roots of Cucumis melo are taken as emetic, leaves and seeds for hematoma and stems to reduce hypertension. Cucurbits are utilized for unusual purposes as well, such as to store food (Gourd) or to be used as a sponge (Loofah) (Robinson & Walters, 1999).
The most important cultivated cucurbits based on total production and harvestable area around the globe are watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), melon (Cantaloupe and other melons) (Cucumis melo L.), pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.), and squash (Cucurbita spp.). Among the major cucurbit vegetables, Cucumis melo has one of the highest polymorphic fruit types and botanical varieties. This is as a consequence of genetic diversity in this species (Mliki et al., 2001). Therefore, some melon fruits can have excellent aroma, variety of flesh colors, deeper flavor and more juice compared to other cucurbits (Goldman, 2002).