EFFECT OF DIFFERENT RATES OF INSECTICIDE AND FUNGICIDE COMBINATIONS ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF WATERMELON (CITRULLUS LUNATUS) IN ENUGU AREA, SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA.

摘要

The experiment to evaluate the effect of insecticide (chilli pepper aqueous extract) and fungicide(carbendazim 12 W.P. + Mancozeb 63 W.P.) combinations on the growth and yield ofwatermelon ( ) in Enugu area southeastern Nigeria was conducted during the 2016cropping season. The research was carried out at the faculty of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesManagement Teaching and Research Farm of Enugu State University of Science and TechnologyEnugu, Southeastern Nigeria. The experimental design was 3x2 factorial in a randomized completeblock (RCB) replicated three (3) times, using “crimson sweet” watermelon as a test crop.Parameters measured were days to 50 flowering, vine length (cm) number of fruits per plant,number of marketable fruits per plants, number of rotten fruits per plant and fruit yield (tonha ). Theresult of the experiment showed a significant (P = 0.05) interaction effect of insecticide (ChilliPepper aqueous extract) and fungicide (Carbendazim 12 W.P. + Mancozeb 63 W.P )combinations on all the parameters measured except on the number of fruits per plant.