Growth characteristics, yield and quality of pumpkins (Cucurbita maxima) depending on the applied fertilization

Ivanka Mitova, Lyuba Nenova, Emil Dimitrov

Abstract: A field experiment was carried out on Alluvial-meadow soil (Fluvisol) with pumpkins, variety “Samson”. The effect of increasing nitrogen levels (N10; N15 and N20) and background application of P15K15 on the vegetative, reproductive and quality parameters of pumpkin was assessed. The plants fertilized by N20P15K15 have the highest values of the studied biometric characteristics. In the phase of botanical maturity, the average mass of the fruits varies between 3.35 kg in the control treatment and 7.41 in the treatment fertilized by N20P15K15. The yield varies between 33600.0 kg.da-1 and 58677 kg.da-1 respectively. Total sugar contents increase with the increasing of fertilization norm(with the exception of the plants in the variant N20 of the second measurement). The nitrate content decreases after a one-month stay of the pumpkins. With the increasing of fertilization norm, the absolutely dry weight of the plants decreases, opposite the content of the total pigments increased with fertilization.

Keywords: fertilization; morphological characteristics; pumpkins; quality; yield

Date published: 2019-06-07