18 Muskmelon.pptx

muskmelon production practices

1. welcome

2. Origin and distribution Wild species of Cucumis occur in Africa and it is likely that it originated in that continent. Melon was introduced into Asia at a comparatively later date there are undoubtedly well developed secondary centers of origin of C. melo in India, China and then Southern USSR. It is also considered that China as P.C.O and Indoburma as S.C.O It has been introduced to Europe and from Europe to the USA by the early travelers. At present muskmelon is being cultivated throughout the world under tropical and subtropical climatic conditions.

3. Importance Musk melon is an important dessert fruit in North India, especially in UP and Punjab and is grown in almost all places in plains . It is valued for its cooling effect during summer . In some rural areas immature fruits are also used as cooked vegetable. Fruits have demulcent, diuretic and aphrodisiac properties and are applied as a lotion in skin conditioning . It also prevents constipation . It is a good source of vitamins A, B and C.

4. Nutritional composition of muskmelon (all the values given are per 100g of edible portion) Edible portion(%) 78 Moisture(g) 95.5 Protien (g) 0.3 Fat(g) 0.2 Minerals(g) 0.4 Fibre (g) 0.4 Carbohydrate(g) 3.5 Energy(k-cal) 17 Calcium(mg) 32 Phosphorus(mg) 14 Iron(mg) 1.4 Carotene(mg) 169 Thiamine(mg) 0.11 Riboflavine (mg) 0.08 Niacine (mg) 0.3 Vitamin(mg) 26

5. Varieties and Hybrids Arka Jeet : A selection from Bati strain of UP. An improvement over a local collection (IIHR-103) from Lucknow. The fruits are small, round with flat ends, weighing 300–500g each, skin smooth and orange to orange-brown; flesh white with medium soft-textured, excellent flavour , juicy, very sweet (15–17% TSS); rich in vitamin C. An early-maturing variety, its average yield is 15 tonnes /ha.

6. Arka Rajhans : PLS from local collection from Rajastan (IIHR107). An early-maturing variety, its fruits are round to slightly oval, weighing about 1kg each. Rind is creamy-white and netted; flesh white, thick, firm and sweet (11–14% TSS); shelf-life and transport qualities are good. The average yield is 28.5 tonnes /ha and it is tolerant to PM.

7. Pusa Sharabati : ( IARI) An early cultivar maturing in 85 days, its fruits are round; skin netted; flesh salmon-orange, firm, thick and moderately sweet (11–12% TSS); seed cavity small, keeping quality good, suitable for river-bed cultivation and northern India. The average yield is 15.0 tonnes /ha. Pusa Madhuras (No.445): (IARI) It is a midseason selection from a Rajasthan collections with roundish flat fruits weighing a kg or slightly more. The skin is pale green, sparsely netted with dark green stripes and salmon orange flesh, juicy and sweet (12-14% TSS). Keeping quality poor . 150 q/ha in 90-95 days. Pusa Rasraj An early-maturing hybrid , fruits oval; rind greenish-yellow, smooth and sutureless ; flesh green. The average yield is 17.3 tonnes /ha.

8. Hara Madhu : ( PAU) A late cultivar from a local collection of Haryana. Its fruits are round, tapering towards stalk-end, weighing about 1kg each; flesh light green, juicy and very sweet (13% TSS); keeping quality poor; average yield 12.5 tonnes /ha. It is susceptible to PM and DM . Durgapur Madhu : A very early cultivar confined to Jaipur region of Rajasthan. It is an early-maturing variety. Its fruits are oblong, weighting 500–600g each; rind pale-green; flesh light green, non-juicy and very sweet (13–14% TSS); seed cavity big.

9. Hisar Madhur Its vines are long, providing round fruits; rind brownish-yellow with green sutures; flesh orange, juicy and sweet. The average yield is 10.0 tonnes /ha. Hisar Saras With short vines, matures early with round fruits; skin netted; flesh greenish-white and sweet. It is tolerant to down mildew . The average yield is 8–10 tonnes /ha.

10. Punjab Sunehri : Is a selection from the cross Hara Madhu x Edisto, early maturing, pale green, thick skin, flesh salmon orange, thick with moderate sweetness 11-12% TSS. Excellent for transport and qualities. It is tolerant to PM and DM . 160 q/ha. Punjab Hybrid-1 : This is an F1 hybrid between a male sterile line (MS1) and Hara Madhu . An early maturing hybrid with orange flesh and netted skin. 12% TSS. Storage and transport is good. Moderately resistant to PM and fruit fly . 160 q/ha. Punjab Rasila : An early-maturing variety. Its fruits are nearly round with sutures, rind light yellow with medium netting; flesh green, thick, juicy and sweet (10% or more TSS). It is highly resistant to powdery mildew and tolerant to downy mildew. On an average its yield is 16 tonnes /ha.

11. Kashi Madhu : Medium vine and leaves sparsely lobed and dark green, fruits are round, with open prominent green sutures, weight 650-725 g, half slip in nature , thin rind, smooth and pale yellow at maturity, flesh salmon orange (mango colour), thick, very juicy, T.S.S. 13-14% . Long storage with good transportability, tolerant to powdery and downy mildew, medium maturity and yield 200-270 q/ha. Recommended for the cultivation in U.P., Punjab, and Jharkhand.

12. New varieties

13. Sarda melon- The Galia melon, also known as sarda melon in Southeast Asia, is a type of F1 hybrid melon originated from a cross between the green flesh melon and netted rind melon cutivar .

14. Climate Muskmelon flourishes well under warm climate and cannot tolerate frost. The optimum temperature for germination of seeds is 27°–30°C. With increase in temperature, the plants complete their vegetative growth earlier. Dry weather with clear sunshine during ripening ensures a high sugar content, better flavour and high percentage of marketable fruits. Cool nights and warm days are ideal for accumulation of sugars in fruits.

15. Soil requirement A well-drained, loamy soil is ideal. Lighter soils which warm up quickly in spring are usually utilized for early crop. In heavier soils, vine growth is more and fruit maturity is delayed. In river-beds, its long tap root system is adapted to growth. It is necessary that soils should be fertile well provided with organic matter. Muskmelon is sensitive to acid soils . The crop cannot be grown successfully below a pH of 5.5. A soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is ideal. Alkaline soils with high salt concentration are not suitable.

16. Cultivation Sowing Season: In north India, early sowing is done in river-beds from November to January. In northern plains, sowing is done in February while in December–January in southern plains. To get an early crop, seeds, can be sown in  polythene bags (200 gauge) under protected cover. The seedlings become ready for transplanting at 2–4 true leaf stage. This practice is prevalent in Punjab, where sowing is done in last week of January or first week of February. The seedlings become ready for transplanting by February-end or first week of March.

17. Seed rate: The seed rate of 1kg/ha is optimum for sowing in field by dibbling method, or in polythene bags. Sow 2–3 seeds/ hill. For direct sowing a seed rate of 2.50–3.75kg/ha is adequate. The seed rate of 1.50–2.0kg/ha may also be practiced.

18. Land preparation Soil should be worked with a disc-harrow 2–3 times followed by cultivation and planking 4 times. Generally 4m wide raised beds are prepared for muskmelon Hara Madhu . For medium-long varieties, 3m wide beds are prepared. The row-to-row spacing of 3.50m for Durgapura Madhu is optimum. Planting is done on both sides of the beds. Hill-to-hill distance of 50–60cm should be kept.

19. Method of Sowing: 1. Shallow Pit Method: In this method pits of 60 X 60 X 45 cm are dug at a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 m. each pit is filled with a mixture of soil and 4 to 5 kg of FYM in compost, 30 to 40 gm Urea, 40 to 50 gm Single phosphate and 80 to 100 gm of muriate of potash. 2. Deep Pit Method:  This method is followed in case of river bed cultivation . Circular pits of 60 to 75 cm. diameter and 1.0 to 1.5 m depth are dug at a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 m distance both ways. 3. Ridge Method:   The seeds are sown on the side of raised beds. 4. Mound Method: The seeds are sown on the mounds. The seed rate is 1.6 kg per acre. The normal spacing is row to row 300 cm and plant to plant 90cm.

20. Transplanting method : Transplanted crop matures 15–20 days earlier than the direct-seeded one. For raising seedlings, take polythene bags of 15cm × 10cm size and of 100 gauge thickness. Fill them with a mixture of well-rotten farmyard manure, field soil and silt in equal proportion. Seeds should be sown 1.5cm deep . Watering of the bags should be done daily with a sprinkling can. Stop watering the bags 2 days before transplanting. The seedlings become ready for transplanting at 2–4 true leaf stage (3WAS).

21. Abak et. al. 2010, studied the effect of VAM ( Glomus mosseae , Glomus etinicatum , Glomus fasciculatum and Glomus Caledonium ) on plant growth of soilless grown Muskmelon. During the transplanting, substrate ( perlite ) was inoculated with ratio of 1000 spores of the mycorrhizal fungus per plant. Results showed that all mycorrhiza species increased the plant growth of melon plant in comparison to non inoculated control plants. However, among AM fungi species the better plant growth was obtained with Glomus coledonium and Glomus fasciculatum .

22. Wenjing Guan and Xin Zhao (2001) reported that in cucurbits, hole-insertion and one-cotyledon grafting are the most commonly used methods. When using hole-insertion method , both cotyledons of the rootstock plant are remained while grafting clips are not needed. In contrast, one-cotyledon method removes one cotyledon of the rootstock plant and the grafting union is supported by a grafting clip. Owing to incomplete removal of the apical meristem tissue from the rootstock plant, re-growth of rootstocks, also referred as rootstock suckers, is the major concern about these two methods. Grafting in muskmelon

23. Stage of grafting: first true leaf stage.

24. Tongue approach grafting Melons and other cucurbitaceous plants are generally grafted by this method. Seeds of muskmelon are sown 10-13 days before grafting and pump­kin seeds 7-10 days before grafting, to ensure unifor­mity in the diameter of the hypocotyl of the scion and rootstock. The hypocotyl of the scion and rootstock are cut in such a way that they tongue into each other, and the graft is secured with a plastic clip. The hypocotyl of the scion is left to heal for 3-4 days and then crushed between the fingers. The hypocotyl is cut off with a razor blade three or four days after being crushed.

25. Slant cut grafting Recently this method of grafting has got popularity. It has been developed for robotic grafting. In this method, it is essential to remove the first leaf and lateral buds when a cotyledon of rootstock is cut on a slant. Mechanized grafting Recently a fully automatic grafting system for Cucurbitace is vegetables have been designed (Fernandez-Garcia,  et al. , 2002) in which seedling quality estimation is clone by using fuzzy logic and neural network. Further, healing chamber with controlled atmospheric condition has also been designed to enhance the survival of graftage .

26. Manuring and fertilization: Add 25–40 tonnes farmyard manure and 125kg N, 62kg P and 62kg K/ha. UHS recommendation-25 tons FYM+100:75:50kg NPK/ha. Nirtogenous fertilizers encourage vegetative growth and increase female and perfect flowers. The addition of nitrogen narrows down the sex ratio. The farmyard manure should be incorporated in soil 10–15 days before sowing. Whole P and K and one-third of N should be applaid during sowing. Rest of the N should be applied to the vines 3–4 weeks after germination prior to earthing-up. Dig 15–20cm deep pits at the sites where seedlings are to be transplanted. Fill each pit with a mixture of 1 kg of farmyard manure, 10–15g of calcium ammonium nitrate, 40g of superphosphate and 10g muriate of potash before planting. Apply another dose of 10–15g of CAN to each plant after one month.

27. Singer et. al., 2012 studied the Influence of Different Soilless Culture Systems like aeroponic , nutrient film technique (NFT), substrate culture ( perlite in horizontal bags) on Cantaloupe Growth and Fruit Quality under Protected Cultivation. Result showed that the NFT system ( nutient flow rate was adjusted to give 2.5 L/min.) is considered to be the best system for producing cantaloupe. This may be due to that this system was the most favorable for vegetative growth, good quality and high production comparing with other tested soilless culture systems.

28. Weed management Hoeing keeps soil loose and free from weeds. In beginning, cultivation can be fairly close to the plants and shallow (5–10cm). Johnson et.al., 2001 reported that herbicide systems that included halosulfuron (36 g a.i /ha) applied as pre-emergence or glyphosate (1.1 kg a.i /ha) as postemergence herbicides improved control of yellow nutsedge compared with ethalfluralin (as emergence at 0.8 kg a.i /ha)alone. In general, sulfentrazone (0.28 kg a.i /ha) was the most crop injurious herbicide and halosulfuron the least injurious, regardless of herbicide placement. Halosulfuron effectively controlled yellow nutsedge and provided versatility in methods of application, with minimal injury to transplanted cantaloupe.

29. Liu Xue-lan et.al. (2010)studied on Effects of Pruning Way and Fruit Setting Position on Muskmelon and the results showed that double vine pruning with 14 joint position fruit setting and single vine with 15 joint position fruit setting were the best in yield and fruit characteristics, followed by single vine with 12 and 9 joint position fruit setting.

30. Irrigation: Maintaining sufficient moisture is essential. However, frequency of irrigation should be reduced during maturity period to get sweeter fruits. The light sandy soils need more frequent irrigation than heavier ones. The flooding of the field should be avoided, particularly when fruits are reaching maturity. During dry summer, irrigate the crop at 5–7 days intervals.

31. Two soil moisture stress levels (7 days and 14 days) were applied during two critical growth phases — flowering and fruiting. Drip irrigation system was installed with a discharge capacity of 4 litres /hr/ drip/plant. In a complete lifecycle of the plant, 884 litres of water per plant was given. In 7 days’ stress treatment, water supply was restricted to 56 litres / plant (7 days stress × 8 litres / day/ plant water requirement). For 14 days, supply was restricted to 112 litres /plant (14 days stress × 8 litres /day/ plant water requirement). The water applied in control was 113.80cm.

32. To mitigate water stress after its imposition for 7 and 14 days, water stress hormonal sprays of 6-BAP @ 10 and 20 ppm, GA3 @ 50 and 100 ppm were applied At the flowering stage, brix level went up from 10.97 (control) to 13.40 in 7 days and 13.72 in 14 days water stress. Total soluble sugars were significantly higher in waterstress treatment (13.82). WUE reduction was lowest in 7 days stress at the flowering stage, where plants recovered fully and maintained also yield level; this was more effective in water-saving management. The impact of water stress at the fruiting stage was more severe than that on the flowering stage. By stopping 7 days irrigation at the flowering phase, WUE improved and farmers could save on 56 litres of water/ plant.

33. Kroen et. Al 1991 reported that muskmelon plants subjected to root flooding for 4 days close to harvest showed decreased root respiration (by 30%) and decreased sucrose accumulation in fruit (by 36% and 88% for inner and outer mesocarp tissue, respectively).

34. Marketable fruit yields were greater for subsurface drip systems at 30cm depth than for furrow systems, with or without plastic mulch. Transplants grown with surface drip irrigation produced 75% greater yield in the 9-count fruit class size during early harvest than did those grown with subsurface drip (10- or 30-cm depth). Yield was greatest for direct seeded plants on subsurface drip placed at 10- or 30-cm soil depth, and for transplants on subsurface drip at 10-cm depth. Soluble solids content was minimally affected by irrigation method, but was higher in fruit from transplants than in those from direct-seeded plants. The average water applied for drip systems was 53% lower than that for conventional furrow systems, and WUE was 2.3-fold as great.

35. Plant growth regulators Korkmaz et.al 2005 reported that seeds were primed for 6 days at 25 °C in darkness in 3.5 % (0.35 M) KNO3solution containing one of the following: 1, 3, 5 or 10 µM methyl jasmonate ( MeJA ), or 1, 3, 5 or 10 mM spermine . Following priming, seeds were subjected to germination and emergence tests at 15±0.5 °C. Inclusion of 1 µM MeJA and 3 mM spermine into the priming solution led to the highest emergence percentages with 90 % and 85 %, respectively, Therefore, priming in 1 µM of MeJA or 3 mM spermine incorporated into the KNO3solution can be used as an effective method to improve low temperature performance of muskmelon seeds.

36. Harvesting and Postharvest management The fruits for distant markets should be harvested as they reach the half-slip maturity, to avoid losses from the over-ripeness and decay. For local markets, harvesting should be done at ‘full-slip’ stage. Hara Madhu however, never reaches the full-slip stage and colour of the rind can be taken as the criteria of maturity. Flavour and texture of the flesh improve for a few days after harvesting and attain highest quality if the fruits are harvested when they have developed their maximum sugar content.

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