BACKGROUND: Organic fertilizers in watermelon cultivation are widely used to supply nutrient and organic matter. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of application rate of organic fertilizer on the watermelon growth and soil chemical properties in greenhouse METHODS AND RESULTS: The organic fertilizers used in this experiment were mixed expeller cake (MEC) and mixed organic fertilizer (MOF). The treatments were conducted with 4 levels (1.0 N, 0.7 N, 0.5 N and 0.3 N) on the basis

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... of soil testing nitrogen fertilization (STNF) using MEC or MOF as the basal dressing, and using chemical fertilizers (CF) as the additional dressing on the rest of STNF. These fertilizations were compared to CF 1.0 N (0.3 N as the basal and 0.7 N as the additional dressing) and non fertilization (NF). The leaf area of watermelon in treatment 0.5 N and 0.3 N using MEC or MOF was similar to CF treatment. The absorbed nutrient amounts by leaf, weight and sugar contents of fruit in the 0.5 N and 0.3 N treatments were higher than other treatments. In 0.5 N and 0.3 N treatments using MEC or MOF on the basis of STNF, soil chemical properties such as electrical conductivity (EC), available P 2 O 5 and exchangeable K concentrations after experiment showed tendency to decreasing or similar level before experiment. CONCLUSION(s): These results suggest that the MEC or MOF application as the basal dressing at the 30∼50% level of STNF and CF application as the additional dressing on the rest of STNF be best to maintain adequate nutrient of soil and to increase marketable yield for watermelon.