Container Cell Volume and Transplant Age Influences Muskmelon Development and Yield

Abstract

Vegetable growers must often hold transplants produced in multi-cellular flats for extended periods past the time they would normally transplant due to adverse environmental conditions for field planting. Research was conducted to determine the influence of three transplant ages (one, two, and four weeks after emergence) and two transplant cell volumes (102.5 cm 3 and 280.8 cm 3 ) on 'Athena' muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. Reticulatus group) development and yield. Transplants produced in the smaller cell volume had fewer leaves, and less height, leaf area, and dry shoot weight than those produced in cells with larger volumes. Generally, as the age of the transplant increased, leaf number, height, leaf area, and dry shoot weight of muskmelon seedlings increased linearly, regardless of transplant cell volume. Plants produced in the large cell volume produced greater early season (first four harvests) marketable melon numbers and weights per hectare than those from the small cell volume; and, two-week-old transplants produced greater marketable melon yields compared to one or four-week-old transplants indicating that delaying transplanting by only a few weeks will potentially reduce yields. For total-season production, marketable muskmelon numbers and weights were similar for the cell volumes and transplant ages evaluated. However, marketable melon numbers per hectare increased linearly with transplant age, while marketable melon weights increased quadratically with transplant age. Two-week-old transplants grown in the small cell volume would be the best option for muskmelon growers if they are concerned only about total-season yields. However, if growers want to maximize early-season yields then two-week-old transplants grown in the large cell volume would be the best choice.