YIELD AND QUALITY OF WATERMELON FRUITS IN DIFFERENT PERIODS OF PLANTING

Watermelon is a cucurbit, grown in almost all regions of the world, and it is enjoyed by most of the population. In Rio Grande do Norte the cultivation of watermelon has been increasing, because of the good climatic conditions in the region that provides adequate light and temperature throughout the year. In this context, the present study aimed at evaluating the yield and quality of watermelon cultivars in different planting dates in Mossoro-RN. The experiment was conducted in the garden didactic Department of Plant Sciences, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid in the period between June and December 2010. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a split plot design with four 3 x 3 repetitions. The plots consisted of three cultivars of watermelon (Crimson Sweet, Olympia and Denver) and subplots were planting (June, August and October). It is concluded that the yield and fruit quality were influenced by planting dates. The watermelon sowing in August resulted in higher average fruit weight and commercial productivity, and the fruits of lower acidity and better palatability were collected in the June planting.