Relationship between earliness and some morphological characters in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Mansf.)

Relationship between earliness and some morphological characteristics in watermelon were investigated. A total of ten genotypes belonging to very early, early, mid-early, late and very late fruiting groups were used in the experiment. The earliness (number of days from sowing to first fruit maturation) of the tested varieties was determined by cultivating in greenhouse, high plastic tunnel, low plastic tunnel, and open field. Duration of emergence (day), cotyledon length (mm), cotyledon width (mm), the nodes where the first male and female flowers occurred and average leaf area (cm(2)) of the plants were determined The correlation and regression between the investigated characteristics were calculated. Significant and reliable correlations (P>99%) were determined between the earliness and hypocotyl length (r=0.92), cotyledon length (r=0.82), cotyledon width (r=0.77), nodium occurring the first male flower (r= 0.76) and the odium occurring the first female flower (r=0.95). Reliable correlations were not determined between the emergence duration and earliness and leaf area and earliness.