The influence of water-soluble fertilizers on the yield and biochemical composition of table watermelon of medium and early ripening

Relevance. The nutritional value of gourds is quite high and is of great importance in the life of the human body. A significant point in modern melon growing is to increase yields without reducing the quality of the products obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new methods of cultivation technologies that allow obtaining stable fruit yields without reducing the quality of table watermelon products of different ripeness groups, in the climatic conditions of the Volgograd region. Material and methodology. The object of research is a watermelon of medium ripening, variety Zemlyanin, and late ripening, variety Kholodok. We studied new types of water-soluble fertilizers -Fe chelate, as well as Vegetable Aquarin, by using them for soaking seeds before sowing and processing plants during the growing season. Results. The use of chelated fertilizers in the technology of growing table watermelon of medium and late ripening is an effective technique for obtaining stable yields. The use of water-soluble fertilizers, with various methods of their use, provided an increase in the yield of Zemlyanin watermelon by 2.7-27.8%, and Kholodok watermelon by 2-22.4% in comparison with the control (without treatments). The largest fruits were obtained in the variant Aquarin vegetable (plant processing) Zemlyanin variety - 6.8 kg and Kholodok variety - 8.4 kg. A comparative analysis of the biochemical composition of fruits showed that water-soluble chelate fertilizers do not have a negative effect on the accumulation of nitrates in varieties of medium and late ripening. As a result of research, a positive effect of water-soluble micronutrient fertilizers has been revealed on improving the quality of fruits, which increased the content of ascorbic acid and sugars.