Abstract:
High yield is a major goal for watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) breeders. The
objective of this study was to measure the yield potential of some watermelon
accessions available in Kenya and identify high yielding ones for growers and
for use in breeding programmes. A field trial was conducted at Maseno
University Research Fields for two seasons between September 2007 and
May 2008. Accessions studied included three most common commercial
cultivars in Kenya, namely: ‘Sugarbaby’, ‘Crimson Sweet’ and ‘Charleston
Gray’, one cultivar (‘Yellow Crimson’) newly introduced from the United
States, and one local landrace (GBK-043014) from Kakamega district in
Western Kenya. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete
Block Design with three replications. Data was collected on total number of
female flowers per plant, main vine length, number of branches on the main
vine, number and weight of fruits. Data collected were subjected to analysis
of variance using SAS version 9.1 and significantly different means were
separated using the Least Significant Difference test at P = 0.05. Linear
regression was done to establish relationships between variables. Results
revealed significant variation among accessions in all the yield components
that were measured. The landrace had the highest yield compared to
commercial cultivars owing to its long vine and extensive branching. It was
therefore concluded that selection of desirable traits in this accession be given
priority for future breeding programmes. ‘Yellow Crimson’ performed much
better than other commercial cultivars and is therefore recommended to
Kenyan growers as the cultivar with highest yield potential.
