CRESCIMENTO DE MELANCIA 'MICKYLEE' CULTIVADA SOB FERTIRRIGAÇÃO

With the aim of evaluating the growth and the development of the watermelon 'Mickylee' cultivated under fertirrigation conducted an experiment in the Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Mossoró- RN, in the period of September the November of 2006. The experimental delineation was of randomized blocks, with the five times of collection of plants, carried through 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55 days after transplant (DAT), with three repetitions. The transplant was carried through to the 14 days after the sowing in spacing 2,0 x 0,50 m. The fertilizations of covering had been carried through daily in fertirrigation, from the nine days after the transplant, following the recommendations of the ground analysis, and obeying stadiums of development of the culture. In each sampling, the characteristics related to the growth of the plant had been evaluated. The biggest accumulation of dry mass of the aerial part occurred from the 25 DAT with the beginning of the fruition, with the fruits participating with 63% of the accumulated total dry mass; the maximum values of total dry mass of the aerial part, of levels and fruits, foliar area, tax of absolute growth, tax of relative growth, liquid assimilate tax and reason of foliar area had been 183,15 g plant-1, 51,86 g plant-1, 117,03 g plant-1, 1,13m2 plant-1, 6,96 g plant-1day-1, 0,16 g g-1 day-1, 13,23 g m-2 day-1 and 0,080 m2 g-1, respectively.