Formulation of a fertilizer package for hybrid varieties of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima)

Abstract

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) is a popular low country vegetable in Sri Lanka and it has become afundamental crop species in the farming systems of dry and intermediate zones. Introduced hybridpumpkin varieties are becoming popular in Sri Lanka because ofthe higher yield. However, there isno fertilizer recommendation for hybrid pumpkin. Local farmers apply high dosages ofNitrogen(N),Phosphorus(P) and Potassium(K) levels which causes increased cost of production and reducedprofit. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to identify the effects of higher N, P and K levelson yield of hybrid pumpkin. The hybrid variety Arjuna was tested under eight different fertilizer levelswhere the Department of Agriculture (DOA) recommendation was taken as the control and one andhalf times of that was used as the higher levels of N, P and K. The experiment was arranged in aconfounding design with three replicates with two blocks per each. Reproductive parameters andyield parameters viz. yield, number of fruits per vine, fruit width and diameter were recorded. Thetested fertilizer levels did not show any significant effect on reproductive parameters and yieldparameters of hybrid pumpkin, thus, indicating that the application of higher dosages ofN, P and K isnot economical. Hence, the DOA fertilizer recommendation is adequate for hybrid pumpkins thoughthe yield is higher when compared to local pumpkin varieties.