Impact of cultivar and production practices on yield and phytonutrient content of organically grown watermelon

Abstract Cultural practices can affect quality and phytonutrient content of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai]. Knowing which cultivars perform well under various production systems, and how these systems affect quality, yield, and phytonutrient content is imperative to ensure high quality and yield. There is limited information on how watermelon cultivars perform when grown with organic practices. Production characteristics of six watermelon cultivars from certified organic seed sources were compared under high (black plastic and mechanical cultivation for weed control) and low input (no-till) organic culture. The high input production method almost doubled the number of fruit produced for all cultivars; producing greater yields and heavier average fruit weights, but fruit had decreased quality (lower Brix and lycopene content) compared with the low-input production. ‘Triple Star’ was the most productive seedless cultivar in terms of number of fruit in both organic field...