Effects of NPK and Humic Acid on Growth and Yield of Melon  under Semi-Arid Conditions of Kandahar

Rahimullah Himatkhwah; Mirwais Khan Afghan; Mohammad Sadiq Salihi

doi:10.62810/jnsr.v4i1.400

Authors

Rahimullah Himatkhwah Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Plant Sciences, ANASTU University, Afghanistan
Mirwais Khan Afghan Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Plant Sciences, ANASTU University, Afghanistan
Mohammad Sadiq Salihi Department of Soil Science and Irrigation, Faculty of Plant Sciences, ANASTU University, Afghanistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62810/jnsr.v4i1.400

Keywords:

Growth, Humnic Acid, Melon, NPK, Yield

Abstract

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the members of the Cucurbitaceae family and a common fruit cultivated around the world. Melon also has high nutritional value, containing carbohydrates and vitamins. Macronutrients, especially NPK, are essential for ordinary melon growth and yield. As well as natural fertilizers, bio stimulants such as humic acid also play a crucial role in increasing the growth and yield of melon. For instance, application of humic acid significantly increased plant length, stem diameter, chlorophyll content, and yield of melon. Furthermore, NPK fertilizer increased fruit weight, fruit sweetness, fresh weight, and dry weight of melon. However, there was limited information regarding the combined effects of NPK and humic acid fertilizers on melon growth and yield, and it needed to be investigated widely. Thus, the study aimed to investigate the combined effects of NPK and humic acid fertilizers on the growth and yield of melon. The experiment was conducted during March-July, 2025 using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) consisting of seven treatments of NPK and humic acid at different levels, replicated three times. The results demonstrated that the application of NPK (50:60:50) and humic acid (10 kg ha⁻¹) increased melon growth parameters such as plant length, number of leaves per plant, and number of branches per plant significantly by 30.55%, 63.77%, and 66.58%, respectively. Moreover, fruit diameter, fruit length, and yield of melon also increased by 44.04%, 28.28%, and 27.32%, respectively. It is recommended that application of NPK (50:60:50) and 10 kg ha⁻¹ of Humic acid increase growth and yield of melon in the study area.

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