Effect of Plant Spacing on Water Melon Yields and Yield Components in Southern Nigeria

Water melon (Citrullus lanatus (Thumb) Malsunand Nakai) varieties Long grown in 1998 in rows 1.5m at plant spacing of 1.8m, 0.9 and 0.6m representing 7407, 14814 and 22222 plants/ha respectively (2 plants/spot). Total fruit weight, fruit number and estimated gross return were determined for each planting density. Total fruit weight, fruit number and gross returns/ha were in the order Sugar baby> Suger sweet> Long crimson. Except for long crimson and super sweet, total marketable fruit yields per unit land area increased by 69% as plant population density increased from 7407 to 22222 plants/ha in sugar baby.
The potential for increasing water melon gross returns exists by increasing ‘Sugar baby’ population beyond 22222 plants/ha during the second in Southern Nigeria.