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<br />Table 1: Results of 1998 Kabocba squash trial investigating tbe influence of sub-surface irrigation <br />and plastic mulch at Rogers Mesa Research Center, Hotchkiss, Colorado. <br /> <br />STAGE OF MULCH TYPE OF AVG %BRIX" TOTAL MARKET ABLE <br />PLANTING TYPE IRRIGATION FRUIT YIELDIACRE YIELD/ ACRE <br /> WEIGHT' (LBS)' (LBS)' <br />TRANSPLANT CLEAR DRIP' 3,I1a 13.68b 33587a 26454a <br /> GREEN DRIP' 3.36a 14.44ab 34204a 30710a <br /> BLACK DRIP' 3.14a 14.83ab 29477ab 15037bc <br /> NO DRIP' 3,39a 15,98ab 36146a 33758a <br /> MULCH <br /> NO DRIP' 3.14a 14.54ab 6080d 5108c <br /> MULCH <br />SEED CLEAR DRIP' 3.47a 15.92ab 21279cb 16867b <br /> GREEN DRIP' 3.49a 16.37a 16445cd 10600bc <br /> BLACK DRIP' 3,54a 15,31ab 26435abc 26623a <br /> NO DRIP' 3.03a 15.74ab 8526d 7282bc <br /> MULCH <br /> NO FURROW 2.88a 11.29c 7647d 4654c <br /> MULCH <br /> <br />'F=2.20, n=40, P<0.05. bF=8.48, n=110, P<O.OOOl. 'F=13.92, n~40, P<O.OOOl. dF~14.89, n=40, <br />P<.OOOl. 'Subsurface drip irrigation. Treatments within the same column followed by the same <br />letter are not significantly different. <br /> <br />1999 Results: <br />As was seen in 1998, tbere was a significant difference in the amouut of irrigation water <br />applied between the furrow irrigated plots and the drip irrigated plots. The water applied in the <br />subsurface drip irrigated plots was equivalent to 211,260 gallons of water per acre. The amount of <br />water applied in the furrow irrigated plots was the equivalent to 1,933,022 gallons of water per acre. <br />The subsurface drip irrigated plots were watered every three to four days with the average irrigation <br />time of approximately 6.5 hours. Tbe number of times tbe plots were irrigated was reduced from 19 <br />in 1998 to 16 in 1999. Tbe furrow irrigated plots were watered once weekly with the average <br />irrigation time of 16.5 hours. Water usage decreased from 1998 to 1999 in the subsurface drip <br />irrigated plots while increasing from 1998 to 1999 in tbe furrow irrigated plots. <br />Data for yields and Brix levels for Kabocha varieties 'Ajebei' and 'Kurijiman' were clumped <br />together because tbere was no significant difference between the varieties. The highest yields were <br />found in the subsurface drip irrigated, transplanted plots. However, these yields were not always <br />significantly higher than those plots which were direct seeded and drip irrigated (Table 2). The <br />yields in the furrow irrigated plots were much higher in 1999 than 1998. One reason may have been <br />due to the increase in the number of days of precipitation. Overall, the summer of 1999 experienced <br />increases in both cloud cover and precipitation. As was seen in 1998, there was no difference in <br />yields among the different colors of plastic mulch. Average fruit size ranged from 3.351b (no mulch, <br />drip irrigated, transplant) to 4.161b (no mulch, direct seeded, furrow irrigated plots and the black, <br />seeded, direct seeded plots). There were significant differences in Brix levels among the treatments. <br />The lowest Brix levels were seen in the furrow irrigated plots. Brix levels ranged from 11.6 to 15.8 <br />percent. <br /> <br />4 <br />