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Ş. Aydın 1, N. Mordoğan 2, B. Yağmur 2, A. Gürpınar 3, S.A. Küçük 3 1 Celal Bayar University, Alaşehir Technical Training College, Manisa, Turkey 2 Ege University, Faculty of Agricultture, Soil Science Department, İzmir, Turkey 3 Aegean Regional Agricultural Research Institute, İzmir, Turkey Abstract This research established to study the effects of different potassium doses on melon yield and some fruit qualities. Four different doses (80, 160, 240, and 320 kg K2O/ha) applied as K2SO4 to melons grown in Alaşehir Province. The highest yield and average fruit weight were determined in III. dose parcel (240 kg K2O/ha) as 22710 kg/ha and 1652 g respectively. It is found that sucrose was the dominant sugar fraction in fruit. Introduction Anatolia is one of the important genetic centres of melon. Turkey has been growing approximately 1,8 million tons melon and sharing % 10 of world melon exportation as a second exporter after the China all over the world, annually. Melon is producing very large quantities in Aegean Region in Turkey (Sarı et al., 2000). In other hand, it is obvious that by means of fertilisation, melon yield and quality will be increased.Next to nitrogen, potassium is the mineral nutrient required in the largest amount by plants. The potassium requirement for optimal plant growth is in the range 2-5% of the plant dry weight of vegetative parts, fleshy fruits, and tubers. In other cases, quality disorders are related indirectly to potassium deficiency (Marschner, 1995; Mengel, 1984, Mengel & Kirkby, 1987). In addition, melon and watermelon have been producing about 800 tons annually in 500 ha area of Alaşehir Province which has got poor soil for potassium. This investigation was conducted to determine the effect of potassium on yield and fruit quality of open field melons grown in Alaşehir Province. Results and Discussion It is considered that the average yield and average fruit weight were the maximum in the III. dose application and the minimum in the control parcels. The effect of different potassium doses on the yield was not significant although average fruit weight was significant at a level of 5 %. Valenzula et al.(1996), obtained that increasing NPK doses were enhanced the melon yield. Applying to melons growing in water culture was increased melon yield and fruit weight (Yuari-SiQing et al., 1999). Leaf samples collected three times (before harvest, the first harvest and the second harvest) and analysed for K+ level. When the leaf sample of K+ analysis of before harvest evaluated, the highest K+ levels determined in the II. and III. dose parcels. K+ levels of I. and II. harvest leaf samples were the highest in I. dose potassium application and the effect of different K2O doses on melon leaf K+ level was not significant. Also, fruit samples collected two times (the first harvest and the second harvest) and analysed for K+ level. When the effect of different K+ doses on melon fruit K+ level was evaluated, the highest level was determined in III. dose parcel as % 0,30 at harvest and I. dose as % 0,29 at II. harvest. But both of them was not significant. A typical feature of K+ is its high concentration in the phloem sap. Indeed here it is the most abundant cation, amounting to about 80 % of the total cation sum. Plant organs preferentially supplied with phloem sap such as young leaves, meristematic tissues and fleshy fruits are therefore high in K+ (Mengel & Kirkby, 1987; Seçer & Ünal, 1990). In this study, the sugar content (sucrose, fructose, ß-glucose, ?-glucose) of fruits were also measured. Sugar fractions were ranged as sucrose, fructose, ß-glucose, ?-glucose respectively, that is, sucrose was dominant sugar fraction. When the total sugar, sucrose and fructose contents of fruits were evaluated, the increase due to the different potassium applications compared to control parcel. In addition, III. dose of potassium application was the highest for total sugar content. The effect of different potassium doses on melon fruit sugar fractions were not significant. It was reported that Çeşme melon's dominant sugar fraction was sucrose (Hakerlerler et al., 1998) and melon sugar fractions were sucrose, fructose and glucose (Trautner et al., 1989). It is concluded that different doses of potassium applications increased melon yield and average fruit weight. In addition, the fruit characteristics, sucrose, fructose and total sugar content increased by potassium applications however ?-glucose and ß-glucose were not affected. Furthermore, increasing potassium doses were decreased leaf K+ level and not affected fruit K+ level. References . Bouyoucos,G.J.,1962.Hydrometer Method.Improved for Making Particle size Analysis of Soil Agronomy Journal Vol:54(5),464-465. . Hakerlerler, H., Saatçi, N., Okur, B. & İrget, M. E., 1998. Relations Between Nutrient Status and Quality Properties of Çeşme Muskmelon. International Workshop on: Improved Crop Quality by Nutrient Management. 28 Sept-1 Oct.1998, Bornova-İzmir/Turkey,167-169. . Kacar,B.,1972.Bitki ve Toprağın Kimyasal Analizleri.II.Bitki Analizleri.Ankara Üniversitesi Basımevi.Ankara. . Marschner, H., 1995. Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. Academic Press Limited, San Diego, 1995. . Mengel, K., 1984. Ernaehrung und Stoffwechsel der Pflanze. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart. . Mengel, K.& Kirkby, E.A., 1987. Principles of Plant Nutrition International Potash Institute, Bern, Switzerland. . Munoz,J.,1968.Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy and Analysis by Atomic Absorption Flame Photometry.Elsevier Publishing Company Amsterdam,London,NewYork. |