WATERMELON TRANSPLANT AGE - INFLUENCE ON FRUIT YIELD

Total fruit yield of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai] in Florida field tests was unaffected by transplant age (3, 4, or 5 weeks from seeding) or modular cell size (18.8, 30.7, or 60.5 cm3), but was affected by trial year. A further study revealed that early and total fruit yields at two field sites were unaffected by transplant age, ranging from 3 to 13 weeks, when grown in the same modular cell size (34 cm3), but were affected by field trial site. We conclude that transplant age or modular cell size is of little importance relative to post-transplanting conditions (site or year) in influencing watermelon fruit yield.