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Abstract
The aim of the study was to research different irrigation levels affect on forages water melon yield and some plant characteristics at Research Site of Agricultural Faculty of Selçuk University, Konya - Turkey in 2010. Forages water melon cultivar of 'Citrullus lanatus var. citroides' obtaining from Merv and Tecen provinces of Turkmenistan was used. In each irrigation event, same amount of irrigation water was applied to plots by different irrigation intervals of 5 (S^sub 1^), 10 (S^sub 2^) and 15 (S^sub 3^) days. Total applied water for S^sub 1^, S^sub 2^ and S^sub 3^ treatments were about 398.4 mm, 199.2 mm and 132.8 mm, respectively. The result showed that the highest fruit yield was found as 6.6 t/ha from the greatest water applied plot of S^sub 1^. Thus, S^sub 1^ treatment would be more advantageous if the farmer's goal is to maximize fruit yield, but if the goal is to put more area into production under limited water supply or minimizing irrigation cost S^sub 3^ treatment can be recommended since the highest irrigation water use efficiency, IWUE, was obtained from S^sub 3^ treatment as 2.71 kg/m^sup 3^.
Keywords: Irrigation, Forages Water Melon Yield, Water Use, Cost
Introduction
Water melon (Citrullus lanatus), deep rooted crop tolerating a significant degree of soil moisture stress, requires timely irrigation for optimum production (Anonymous, 2011). Citrullus lanatus var. citroides is known as citron, citron water melon, forages water melon as well as protective water melon. Citrullus lanatus has two varieties namely lanatus and citroides and first one is growth for human consumption while other is for animal forages.
Citrullus lanatus var. citroides contains variety of var. caffter known as Tsamma water melon and has been growth in Kalahari Desert as a water source for a long time. Such plant is well suited to dry lands even desert condition. Both fruit wall and seeds are consumed and is also very important improvement material in water melon studies (Mujaju, 2009). Kalahari Tsamma water melon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) is also known as citron water melon with also as an ancestor of water melon (Anonymous, 2010).
Pollination can be seen between two varieties under very close planting due to having very strong relatives with fresh water melon. It has characteristic...