Effects of three microbial fertilizers on growth,fruit quality and nutrient uptake of watermelon at different fertility periods
LI Wukun
LI Haoxi
LI Le
Abstract：Using Meidu watermelon as experimental material,four treatments were established with clear water as the control(CK).The study investigated the effects of three microbial fertilizers[Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculant(AMF),Bacillus inoculant(BAC),and combined AMF and BAC application(MIX)]on watermelon growth,fruit quality,yield,and mineral element absorption.The results demonstrated that the mixed inoculant(MIX)at the seedling stage significantly enhanced vine length,stem diameter,leaf area,and chlorophyll content(SPAD value)at 35 days post-treat-ment compared to CK,with increases of 23.33％,12.58％,49.88％and 23.70％,respectively.The MIX treatment also exhibited optimal performance in single fruit mass(7.37 kg),vitamin C content(13.87 mg·100 g-1)and soluble solids con-tent(14.72％)in the center of watermelon flesh.Furthermore,application mixed inoculant at the seedling stage showed the highest N,P,and K contents in watermelon flesh,which were 12.57,1.79,and 14.83 g·kg-1,respectively and the appli-cation of microbial fertilizer at the seedling stage has a better effect on improving the single fruit weight and fruit quality of watermelon than that at the flowering stage.Comprehensive analysis revealed significant correlations between microbi-al fertilizers application and improvement in plant growth,mineral element uptake,and fruit quality,the combined inocu-lant achieving the most pronounced effects and the application effect at the seedling stage is better than that at the flower-ing stage.
Keywords：WatermelonMicrobial fertiliserGrowth and developmentFruit qualityMineral element uptake
Publication Date：2025-06-05
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 109-114 )