Row Cover Effects on Air and Soil Temperatures and Yield of Muskmelon

Abstract

Abstract Three row covers (spunbonded polyester, double-slitted, and perforated polyethylene) used in combination with clear polyethylene mulch and trickle irrigation for muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) production in 1985 and 1986, increased soil (5-cm depth) minimum and maximum temperatures and air (15-cm height) maximum temperatures compared to clear mulch alone. Increased minimum air temperatures resulted from the use of all row covers in 1985. All row covers enhanced earliness in both years. However, in 1985, there were no total marketable yield differences; in 1986, total marketable yield was greater with the spunbonded and double-slitted row covers than with the no row cover treatment. Within row cover treatment, the use of the perforated row cover in 1986 resulted in lower total marketable yields than with the spunbonded row cover. Excessive air temperatures with the perforated row cover may have resulted in reduced marketable yield. Lower minimum air temperatures in 1986 may have resulted in lower yields than in 1985.