Summary:

The influence of drip irrigation and the three ways of seedling production on the yields of watermelon cv. ‘Bingo’ was determined in field experiments carried out in the years 2005–2006 on a very light soil at Kruszyn Krajeński near Bydgoszcz. The experiments were run in a split-plot system with four replications. Two different factors were compared. The first factor – drip irrigation, was used in the two following treatments: O – without irrigation (control), K – drip irriga-tion according to tensiometer indications (-0,03 MPa). The second factor was the light used during the seedling production: S – sunny light (greenhouse, control), N – artificial blue light, D – artificial daylight. It was found that the drip irriga-tion significantly increased marketable fruit yield by 27,5 t.ha-1 i.e. by 156%. Yields of plants from seedlings produced under conditions of sunny light in green-house (control) – treatment (S), were significantly higher than those obtained on other variants. Significant interaction was occurred between two investigated fac-tors in the marketable yield-creation. Plants from seedlings produced under con-ditions of the sunny light in greenhouse (control) – treatment (S) and grown under drip irrigation, were characterized by significantly higher yields which amounted - on the average for the studied period - 57 t .ha-1.