Melon Production Research Articles

Assessment of Fruit Fly Infestation on Melon Manis Terengganu (Cucumis melo var. inodorus) at Different Fruit Ripening Stages

Cucumis melo var inodorus or known as Melon Manis Terengganu (MMT) is a new variety of rockmelon and has been developed and grown exclusively in Terengganu since 2015. However, pest infestations such as fruit flies have reduced melon production yields, and research on fruit flies is still poorly studied in this new variety. Therefore, this study was aimed to identify the fruit fly’s species infested MMT as well as to determine the infestation rate of fruit flies on MMT at different ripening stages. The infested MMT fruits were randomly collected for three consecutive weeks prior to harvest and each week was represented as unripe stage (Week 1), ripe stage (Week 2) and fully-ripe stage (Week 3). Each week, 10 fruit samples were brought to the laboratory and weighed individually before being placed in plastic containers. The fruits were reared until all larvae transformed into pupae for determination of infestation rates and emergence of adult fruit flies for species identification. A total of 232 of fruit flies adults emerged from 30 MMT fruit samples collected and all the flies were identified as Zeugodacus cucurbitae (previously known as Bactrocera cucurbitae). Unripe stage fruits recorded the highest infestation rate of fruit flies at 28.24 ± 18.58 pupae/kg and followed by ripe stage at 24.47 ± 8.17 pupae/kg. Whilst the fully-ripe stage had the lowest infestation rate of flies at 13.5 ± 5.07 pupae/kg. However, no significant difference (P>0.05) of infestation rate was recorded among the different fruit stages. This study contributes new information on the fruit fly’s species that attack MMT and its infestation rate. Hence, these findings are expected to help better management of MMT fruit flies in the future.

Determination of Internal Quality Indices in Oriental Melon Using Snapshot-Type Hyperspectral Image and Machine Learning Model

In this study, we aimed to develop a prediction model of the solid solutions concentration (SSC) and moisture content (MC) in oriental melon with snapshot-type hyperspectral imagery (Visible (VIS): 460–600 nm, 16 bands; Red-Near infrared (Red-NIR): 600–860 nm, 15 bands) using a machine learning model. The oriental melons were cultivated in a hydroponic greenhouse, Republic of Korea, and a total of 91 oriental melons that were harvested from March to April of 2022 were used as samples. The SSC and MC of the oriental melons were measured using destructive methods after taking hyperspectral imagery of the oriental melons. The reflectance spectrum obtained from the hyperspectral imagery was processed by the standard normal variate (SNV) method. Variable importance in projection (VIP) scores were used to select the bands related to SSC and MC. As a result, ten (609, 736, 561, 849, 818, 489, 754, 526, 683, and 597 nm) and six (609, 736, 561, 818, 849, and 489 nm) bands were selected for the SSC and MC, respectively. Four machine learning models, support vector regression (SVR), ridge regression (RR), K-nearest neighbors regression (K-NNR), and random forest regression (RFR), were used to develop models to predict SSC and MC, and their performances were compared. The SVR showed the best performance for predicting both the SSC and MC of the oriental melons. The SVR model achieved a relatively high accuracy with R2 values of 0.86 and 0.74 and RMSE values of 1.06 and 1.05 for SSC and MC, respectively. However, it will be necessary to carry out more experiments under various conditions, such as differing maturities of fruits and varying light sources and environments, to achieve more comprehensive predictions and apply them to monitoring robots in the future. Nevertheless, it is considered that the snapshot-type hyperspectral imagery aided by SVR would be a useful tool to predict the SSC and MC of oriental melon. In addition, if the maturity classification model for the oriental melon can be applied to fields, it could lead to less labor and result in high-quality oriental melon production.

THE INFLUENCE OF ORGANIC AND BIOLOGICAL FERTILIZERS ON GROWTH PROCESSES, PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF MELON FRUITS IN THE SOUTH-EAST OF KAZAKHSTAN

In Kazakhstan, the production of organic melon products is at the beginning of development. The most open and regulated elements of biological melon cultivation in the production environment include the use of organic fertilizers and biological products instead of chemical ones. The data received in the process of scientific research showed that the use of organic and biological fertilizers helped to raise fresh plants and process acceleration of fruit ripening by an average of 3-5 days. The productivity of melon grew to 37.32% with biologized fertilizer systems. So, the quality of melon fruits has increased for the non-fertilized control. Рroviding the low cost and high payback of organic fertilizers, the positive influence on the productivity and ecological purity of the cultivated products, we can do a conclusion about the potential transition of the melon industry of the country from traditional ways of cultivation to alternative ones.

High-Intensity Ultrasound Processing Enhances the Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity and Microbiological Quality of Melon (Cucumis melo) Juice.

The bioactive compounds, antioxidant capacity and microbiological quality of melon juice processed by high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) were studied. Melon juice was processed at two ultrasound intensities (27 and 52 W/cm2) for two different processing times (10 and 30 min) using two duty cycles (30 and 75%). Unprocessed juice was taken as a control. Total carotenoids and total phenolic compounds (TPC) were the bioactive compounds analyzed while the antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. The microbiological quality was tested by counting the aerobic and coliforms count as well as molds and yeasts. Total carotenoids increased by up to 42% while TPC decreased by 33% as a consequence of HIUS processing regarding control juice (carotenoids: 23 μg/g, TPC: 1.1 mg GAE/g), gallic acid and syringic acid being the only phenolic compounds identified. The antioxidant capacity of melon juice was enhanced by HIUS, achieving values of 45% and 20% of DPPH and ABTS inhibition, respectively, while >120 mg TE/100 g was determined by FRAP assay. Further, the microbial load of melon juice was significantly reduced by HIUS processing, coliforms and molds being the most sensitive. Thus, the HIUS could be an excellent alternative supportive the deep-processing of melon products.

Determining critical control points for processing melon fruits

To properly ensure the quality of products from melon fruits, it is necessary to develop a production technology with the introduction of the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system. Methods for prolonging the shelf life of freshly cut melon have been considered in this paper. The stages of processing technology and risks were considered; methods for improving the quality of melon processing products have been proposed. The objects of this study were melon fruits. Melon is a low-calorie fragrant fruit, with juicy pulp and thin skin; it is a seasonal product. Consequently, its shelf life is short. Due to its juiciness, melon perfectly quenches thirst, supports work of the nervous system. A study has been conducted to determine the level of microbial contamination and establish critical control points associated with melon processing. Samples were collected in the Southern regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Selected samples of melons were subjected to microbiological analysis. Microbiological parameters are affected by the temperature and duration of treatment. Thus, it is determined that when processing melon without refrigeration, it is not possible to save the product. A condition for the storage of the product is the pre-cooling of melon fruits before processing to refrigeration temperature. The results were used to assess the relevant critical control points, in relation to raw materials, contamination, process requirements and contact of ingredients with equipment. The observed contaminants common to all specimens and regardless of producers were staphylococci aureus, Salmonella spp, Bacillus spp. and Aspergillus fumigatus. The study has found that the monitoring and control of critical control points (CCP) ensures the quality of melon products. The measures taken were effective; based on the studies carried out, a technological scheme for processing melon fruits was developed. A relevant issue is to ensure the availability of melon products all year round; ensuring the safety of these products is the most important task and the goal of the study. The most important risk to human health when eating melon and processed products from it is poisoning caused by microorganisms, therefore, the greatest risk is microbiological contamination of fruits during processing. The results can be used in the production of long-term storage products from melon fruits, to better ensure the quality and safety of the finished product and are recommended in canning and juice production.

Preliminary Selection and Phenotypic Characterization of Melon Landraces Exhibiting Resistance to Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is a devastating disease of melon worldwide. Safe guarding the melon production requires to tackle this disease, either by chemical control or by developing resistant cultivars with the latter being the most sustainable, inexpensive and environmentally friendly approach. The use of genetic resistance is a safe alternative to overcome the hazardous chemical contaminants. Thus, in the present study 56 melon landraces were evaluated for their response to powdery mildew and for a set of agro-morphological and quality traits. The results showed that 4 landraces were highly resistant to powdery mildew, with low symptoms and disease incidence not exceeding 10%, and 11 landraces were moderately resistant. The agro-morphological assessment of the selected resistant landraces showed that the fruit weight ranged between 433 and 1300 g with a total soluble solids ranging between 7.93 and 13.57 °Brix. This local germplasm is of great potential and the highly resistant landraces should be exploited as potential sources of resistance to powdery mildew in future breeding programs.

Type III secretion system genes hrcJ and hrpE affect virulence, hypersensitive response and biofilm formation of group II strains of Acidovorax citrulli

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) caused by Acidovorax citrulli is a worldwide threat to watermelon and melon production. The type III secretion system (T3SS) plays an important role in the virulence of A. citrulli in its host plants and to induce hypersensitive response (HR) in its non-host plants. Little is known, however, about the contribution of the T3SS to biofilm formation in A. citrulli. We mutated two T3SS-related genes hrcJ and hrpE, respectively, and compared the mutants with their wild-type strain Aac-5 of A. citrulli, and their complementation strains on virulence, HR, and biofilm formation. Both mutants significantly reduced virulence in watermelon and melon seedlings and their ability to induce HR in tobacco leaves. Such reduction phenotypes were significantly recovered to the wild-type level, when the mutant strains were complemented with the wild-type hrcJ and hrpE genes. Interestingly, the two T3SS-related gene mutants also displayed enhanced ability to form biofilm, suggesting a different role of biofilm in the virulence of the group II stains of A. citrulli.

ASSESSMENT OF THE RESPONSE OF SOME MELON GENOTYPES (CUCUMIS MELO. L) TO DIFFERENT DOSES OF SODIUM CHLORIDE (NACI)

Soil salinity is one of the major problems in agriculture, most saline soils are found in arid and semiarid regions. As in other plant species, soil salinity also affects melon production. It is important to use tolerant varieties to be least affected by soil salinity. In present study, two local Turkish cultivar and three their crossed population (Semame, Uzbek, SemamexAnanas, AnanasxSemame and MidyatxAnanas) were tested under in vitro and pot experiments using different NaCI conditions(0, 100,150 and 200 mM). The results have shown that selection for salt tolerance high salt concentration (150 mMol) has negative significant effect on melon performance. Among the five tested cultivars, Midyat x Ananas and Uzbek showed more tolerance compared to other cultivars. In greenhouse, plant heigh, stem diameter and leaf length of Midyat x Ananas had their highest value at 100, 150 and 200 mM, respectively. Meanwhile, best performances of Uzbek for plant height, root dry matter content, root length, leaf length and diameter were obtained at 100 mM. Except for MidyatxAnanas, increase in salt concentration had less impact on plant growth. There was more correlation among morphological and physiological variable in greenhouse experiment compared to in-vitro experiment, therefore it is advised to select melon plants once they start flowering or at least after three months as it has been demonstrated in this experiment.

CLUSTER STRUCTURES IN DEVELOPMENT EMPLOYMENT OF RURAL TERRITORY OF THE REGION

The article outlines the current state of socio-economic development of the region in the direction of the social sphere. It was established that the current state of the socio-economic infrastructure of the village confirms the presence of a deep crisis. The difficult situation of the village economy, long-term underfunding of the social sphere led to the threat of physical destruction of its material and technical potential. The existing material base of cultural and household facilities does not meet the standards. In rural areas, educational facilities in most cases do not have modern technical equipment for teaching, there is a shortage of teaching staff, and the level of their professional education is lower than in the city. The problems of employment in the rural areas of the region are analyzed. It was found that the employed population, which is released from agriculture for various reasons, can engage in non-agricultural activities, which will positively affect the growth of the income of the rural population. Therefore, it is possible to use not only agricultural land, but also natural and recreational resources, as well as a favorable habitat. However, local authorities do not pay due attention to the development of agricultural activities in the countryside, livestock farms and agricultural processing enterprises are shrinking. It is proposed to form an agricultural-tourist cluster to ensure uninterrupted supply of ecologically clean agricultural products and to solve the issue of employment of the region’s population. Thus, as an example of such formation, the agricultural and touristic potential of the Berezan district was used, within which there are 4 recreation areas: “Koblevo”, “Lugove”, “Morske”, “Rybakivka”. About 170 recreation centers offer their services to tourists from Ukraine and near abroad. About 180,000 people visit the Koblevo-Rybakiv recreation area every year. In order to provide 180,000 tourists with environmentally friendly food during the 5 months of the holiday season, it is necessary to allocate 6.4 hectares of arable land for the production of leafy vegetables, early cabbage, early potatoes, seasonal vegetables, melons and sweet corn; 28.6 hectares of perennial plantations for the production of berries and grapes; 856 hectares of agricultural land for the production of food products of animal origin. For the production of fresh baked goods, the peasants must purchase high-quality flour of industrial production. When forming the production zone, it is necessary to take into account the need to minimize transport costs. It was emphasized that the cluster should include rural areas located along the M14 highway and no further than 20-25 km from the Koblevo-Rybakiv recreation area. These are rural settlements that are under the jurisdiction of the Koblev Rural United Territorial Community. The number of able-bodied population within its borders is 5,514 people.

Breeding melon (Cucumis melo) with resistance to powdery mildew and downy mildew

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) production is often restricted by a plethora of pests and diseases, including powdery mildew and downy mildew caused respectively by the fungal species Podosphaera xanthii/Golovinomyces orontii and oomycete species Pseudoperonospora cubensis. Many efforts have been directed on identification of resistant sources by screening (wild) melon germplasm. In the current review, we summarized such efforts from various publications of the last 50 plus years. Resistance to powdery mildew has been identified in 239 melon accessions and downy mildew resistance in 452 accessions of both C. melo and the wild relative species C. figarei. Among the resistance sources, C. melo var. cantalupensis accessions PMR 45, PMR 5, PMR 6, and WMR 29 as well as C. melo var. momordica accessions PI 124111, PI 124112, and PI 414723 have been considered as the most valuable germplasm because multiple resistance genes have been identified from these accessions and are widely used in melon resistance breeding. Further genetic mapping in a number of resistant sources has enabled identification of 25 dominant genes, two recessive genes and seven QTLs conferring powdery mildew resistance, as well as eight dominant genes and 11 QTLs for downy mildew resistances. Based on the reported sequences of associated markers, we anchored physically (many of) these genes and QTLs to chromosomes of the melon cv. DHL92 genome. In addition to presenting a comprehensive overview on powdery mildew and downy mildew resistance in (wild) melon germplasm, we suggest strategies aiming at breeding melon with durable and broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens and pests.

Root Morphological and Physiological Adaptations to Low Phosphate Enhance Phosphorus Efficiency at Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Seedling Stage

The high phosphorus (P) acquisition ability of crops can reduce their dependence on artificial inorganic phosphate (Pi) supplementation under Pi-limited conditions. Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is vulnerable to Pi deficiency. This study was carried out to explore the morphological and physiological responses of melon to low-Pi stress under a hydroponic system. The results show that low-Pi stress significantly disturbed nutrient homeostasis, reduced P content, and resulted in iron accumulation in melon seedlings and brown iron plaque formation on the root surface. A nutrient pool of P and Fe formed on the roots to forage for more Pi under low-Pi conditions. Severe long-term low-Pi stress promoted primary root elongation and inhibited lateral root growth, which increased the longitudinal absorption zone of the roots. The decrease in P content of the roots upregulated the expression of the acid phosphatase (APase) gene and increased APase activity. The high-affinity phosphate transporter (Pht1) genes were also upregulated significantly. These morphological and physiological responses significantly increased Pi uptake rate and P utilization efficiency at the melon seedling stage. These findings will be useful for screening low-Pi-tolerant varieties and sustaining melon production in P-limited environments.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF NHM SCHEME ON WATERMELON FARMERS IN DEOGARH DISTRICT OF ODISHA

The objective of the paper is to analyse the impact of National Horticulture Mission (NHM) on Watermelon farmers in Deogarh district of Odisha. The study is based on both secondary data and primary data and has used bar diagrams, percentage, regression as techniques of analysis. Watermelon has come up as a major horticultural crop in Deogarh district of Odisha since many decades as it is contributing a lot to its agro-economy. Farmers of different categories have started adopting this crop in their cropping system and production as well as productivity in watermelon farming has also increased. with the help of National Horticulture Mission (NHM), watermelon farmer’s socio-economic impact has witnessed a change. Since the NPV is Rs.2.48 lakhs and positive, it is feasible and profitable to go for the water melon production. The Government and nongovernmental agencies should stimulate more participation in watermelon production in the sample villages of Barkote block in Deogarh district by providing trained agricultural extension staffs. KEYWORDS: Economy, Farmers, Horticulture, Income, Profit, Watermelon

Nano-selenium enhances the antioxidant capacity, organic acids and cucurbitacin B in melon (Cucumis melo L.) plants

Pesticides are widely used in melon production causing safety issues around the consumption of melon and increasing pathogen and insect tolerance to pesticides. This study investigated whether a nano-selenium (Nano-Se) spray treatment can improve resistance to biological stress in melon plants, reducing the need for pesticides, and how this mechanism is activated. To achieve this, we examine the ultrastructure and physio-biochemical responses of two melon cultivars after foliar spraying with Nano-Se. Nano-Se treatment reduced plastoglobulins in leaf mesophyll cells, thylakoid films were left intact, and compound starch granules increased. Nano-Se treatment also increased root mitochondria and left nucleoli intact. Nano-Se treatment enhanced ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, β-1,3-glucanase, chitinase activities and their mRNA levels in treated melon plants compared to control plants (without Nano-Se treatments). Exogenous application of Nano-Se improved fructose, glucose, galactitol, stachyose, lactic acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, malic acid and succinic acid in treated plants compared to control plants. In addition, Nano-Se treatment enhanced cucurbitacin B and up-regulated eight cucurbitacin B synthesis-related genes. We conclude that Nano-Se treatment of melon plants triggered antioxidant capacity, photosynthesis, organic acids, and up-regulated cucurbitacin B synthesis-related genes, which plays a comprehensive role in stress resistance in melon plants.

On the Potential of Biochar Soil Amendments as a Sustainable Water Management Strategy

Biochar has been put forward as a potential technology that could help achieve sustainable water management in agriculture through its ability to increase water holding capacity in soils. Despite this opportunity, there are still a limited number of studies, especially in vulnerable regions like the tropics, quantifying the impacts of biochar on soil water storage and characterizing the impacts of biochar additions on plant water composition. To address this critical gap, we present a case study using stable water isotopes and hydrometric data from melon production in tropical agriculture to explore the hydrological impacts of biochar as a soil amendment. Results from our 10-week growing season experiment in Costa Rica under drip irrigation demonstrated an average increase in volumetric soil moisture content of about 10% with an average moisture content of 25.4 cm3 cm−3 versus 23.1 cm3 cm−3, respectively, for biochar amended plots compared with control plots. Further, there was a reduction in the variability of soil matric potential for biochar amended plots compared with control plots. Our isotopic investigation demonstrated that for both biochar and control plots, there was a consistent increase (or enrichment) in isotopic composition for plant materials moving from the roots, where the average δ18O was −8.1‰ and the average δ2H was −58.5‰ across all plots and samples, up through the leaves, where the average δ18O was 4.3‰ and the average δ2H was 0.1‰ across all plots and samples. However, as there was no discernible difference in isotopic composition for plant water samples when comparing across biochar and control plots, we find that biochar did not alter the composition of water found in the melon plant material, indicating that biochar and plants are not competing for the same water sources. In addition, and through the holistic lens of sustainability, biochar additions allowed locally sourced feedstock carbon to be directly sequestered into the soil while improving soil water availability without jeopardizing production for the melon crop. Given that most of the expansion and intensification of global agricultural production over the next several decades will take place in the tropics and that the variability of tropical water cycling is expected to increase due to climate change, biochar amendments could offer a pathway forward towards sustainable tropical agricultural water management.

Artificial Neural Network Models to Estimate Growth of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) at Vegetative Phase in Greenhouse with Evaporative Cooling

Currently, melon is a high economic value product in Indonesia. To optimize the production of melon, cultivation in greenhouses equipped with evaporative cooling system is implemented in some locations. However, growth of melon in greenhouse with evaporative cooling is characterized by complexity in its relation with environmental parameters inside the greenhouse. Therefore, it is important to establish stochastic model to explain the relation between the growth of melon with environmental parameters inside the greenhouse. This paper presents an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to predict the growth of melon during vegetative stage of melon in a greenhouse with evaporative cooling in Bogor, Indonesia. Data was collected from October to December 2020 during vegetative stage of melon. The ANN model was developed using six input parameters that are air temperature (°C), air relative humidity (%), radiometric intensity of sunlight (watt/m2), plant age (day), leaf area (cm2), plant height (cm) to predict leaf area (cm2) and plant height (cm) for the next two days. The results showed that the designed seven hidden nodes-ANN model achieved a high prediction accuracy with R2 of 0.9 for leaf area validation and plant height validation.

Pengaruh Dosis Pupuk NPK Phonska Plus dan Trichoderma terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Produksi Tanaman Melon (Cucumis melo L.)

This study aims to evaluate the growth and production of melons due to the administration of trichoderma sp and the addition of a dose of NPK fertilizer and the interaction of trichoderma sp. with Phonska NPK fertilizer. This research was conducted in the Integrated Field Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Lampung from January to March 2021. The treatments were arranged in a 2x4 factorial with 3 replications in a Randomized Block Design (RAK). The first factor is the first factor is trichoderma (without trichoderma and 20 g/plant), the second factor is Phonska NPK fertilizer dose (without NPK, 30 g/plant, 60 g/plant and 90 g/plant). The results showed (1) Application of trichoderma 20 g/plant increased plant stem length (124.45), melon diameter (104.39 mm) higher than without trichoderma application, plant stem length (122.74cm), melon diameter (100, 13 mm), as well as melon weight per plant increased from 666.10 g (without trichoderma application) to 717.05 g (20 g/plant). (2) Application of NPK phonska fertilizer at a dose of 60 g/plant increased plant stem length (125.10 cm), melon diameter (108.70 mm) higher than without NPK application (123.23 cm) (95.82 mm), Likewise, melon weight per plant increased from 649.83 g (without NPK fertilizer) to 748.18 g. (3) Application of trichoderma sp. 20 g/plant in synergy with the application of NPK phonska fertilizer at a dose of 60 g/plant gave the best results based on the variables of plant stem length (127.30 cm), melon diameter (115.00 mm) and melon weight (795.63 g) compared to without application of trichoderma sp and without application of fertilizer the average length of plant stems (123.17 cm), melon diameter (92.77 mm) and melon weight (663.10 g).Keywords : Melon, fertilizer,yield, trichoderma

Livestock impacts on an iconic Namib Desert plant are mediated by abiotic conditions

Resolving the relative contributions of top-down versus bottom-up drivers of vegetation dynamics is a major challenge in drylands. In the coming decades, growing livestock populations and shifts in water availability will simultaneously impact many arid systems, but a lack of empirical data on plant responses to these pressures limits understanding of how plants will respond. Here, we combine ground and drone observations from an herbivore exclosure experiment to identify ungulate visitation patterns and their impacts on the cover and melon production of !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus), a large, long-lived desert plant in the hyper-arid Namib Desert. !Nara are of key ecological, social, and economic importance to Namib ecosystems and to the local Topnaar people. At our study site, we find that among native and domestic herbivores, free-ranging donkeys have the largest impact on !nara cover and melon production. !Nara cover was negatively affected by herbivores close to the desert-ephemeral river ecotone during a dry period, whereas !nara cover increased on all plants across the landscape during a wetter period, regardless of herbivore access. !Nara near the river channel and those protected from herbivores had more mature melons, particularly during the wetter period. At this site, the potential for conflict between Topnaar !nara melon harvesting and pastoral practices varies with a plant’s distance from the river and prevailing abiotic conditions. This work advances monitoring approaches and adds empirical support to the understanding that top-down and bottom-up regulation of plant dynamics varies with spatiotemporal context, even within landscapes.

PENGARUH DOSIS PUPUK KANDANG AYAM DAN APLIKASI PUPUK HAYATI TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN PRODUKSI TANAMAN MELON (Cucumis melo L.)

The objectives of this experiment were to determine the effect of chicken manure dosage and application of Grikulan Plus biological fertilizer on the growth and production of melon crop. This research was conducted in Sukabanjar Village, Gedong Tataan Sub-district, Pesawaran Distrit from October to December 2019. This experiment was set in Randomized Block Design(RBD) that factorially arranged (5x2) with three groups. The results showed that chicken manure 20 ton/ha was able to increase production growth that indicated by plant length, average number of main branches, number of female flowers per sample, fruit diameter, average weight of fruit plant, weight of fruit per plant, and sweetness level (°Brix). The application of Grikulan Plus biological fertilizer gave the best results at a dosage of 20 ml/L compared to those without biological fertilizer on the average number of main branches and fruit diameter. The highest melon production was obtained at a dosage of 20 ton/ha of chicken manure when accompanied by the application of 20 ml/L of biological fertilizer.

Influence of spacing and pruning on growth, yield and economics of off-season long melon (Cucumis melo)

Long melon [Cucumis melo var. utilissimus (Roxb.) Duthie & Fuller] cultivation in open field condition in northern India is hampered due to extremes of the temperature from September to January. Therefore, the present study was carried out to explore possibility for off-season production of long melon under protected conditions at Center for Protected Cultivation Technology (CPCT), ICAR-IARI, New Delhi in 2016–17 and 2017–18. Seedlings were transplanted as per five different spacing and branch pruning methods. The combination of closer spacing with maximum branch node pruning method under polyhouse structure was found better for off-season long melon production. Flowering appeared earlier by 4.02 days, first fruit picking by 5 days, additional number of pickings (5 times) and harvesting period extended by 60 days in polyhouse compared to insect proof net-house structure. The closer spacing S1 (50 cm × 20 cm) exhibited maximum weight of fruits, fruit yield, gross income as well as net-income and B: C ratio. Among pruning methods, complete branch pruning method P1 (single stem cultivation or branch less cultivation) contributed positively significant effect on all parameters of long melon. The combination of polyhouse structure with closer spacing (50 cm × 20 cm) and optimum branch pruning (after one node cutting) gave highest yield and net income per unit area for off-season cultivation of long melon.

Study of non-pollution cultivation techniques of organic ecotype of melon crops considering population characteristics.

Due to the requirement of melon yield, the cultivated seeds are overused with pesticides during the melon planting process, and the population characteristics are not considered, resulting in serious soil pesticide pollution during the melon planting process. Therefore, this study proposes an organic ecological pollution-free cultivation technology of melon considering population characteristics. The population characteristics of melon crops were determined by DNA molecular marker technology. On this basis, the organic ecotype pollution-free matrix of melon crops was formulated, and the bulk density, total porosity and aeration porosity of the matrix were determined. The MNL model method was used to control the spraying amount of melon cultivation, and the light condition of the melon growing environment was determined by the leaf fluorescence of melon crops. There were significant differences in plant height, stem diameter and leaf area between melons grown in the studied substrate and common soil. With the change of planting days, the height of the melon grown in this technology was always higher than that of the melon grown in common soil, and the maximum value was about 20 cm. As planting days changed, the stem thickness of melon crops grown with the substrate was initially lower than that of common soil, but quickly exceeded the thickness of common soil over time. The surface areas of the third and fourth leaves of the melon crops grown according to this technology varied with the days of planting. Early differences between the two substrates were not significant. However, in later stages, melons grow faster. In the early stage of melon production, the chlorophyll content of pollution-free cultivation was higher than that of common cultivation methods. The flowering period was the period with the highest chlorophyll content in both cultivation techniques. However, the highest content of melon chlorophyll under this technology was about 2.0 mg, and the highest content of melon chlorophyll under common cultivation technology was about 1.4 mg, which verifies the effectiveness of the method. It has been verified that pollution-free cultivation technology can effectively improve the growth efficiency of melon crops and ensure the quality of melon cultivation.