THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MELON PLANTS DEPENDING ON GROWING CONDITIONS

The article presents the results of studies of melon culture in the conditions of the Volgograd Zavolzhye. The purpose of scientific research was to determine the dependence of melon culture on the moisture content of crops for their further use in the  development of  the  necessary agricultural practices to increase the yield of melon without reducing the quality of the fruit. Evaluation of the research results showed that the level of water availability of melon crops has a significant impact on the growth and development  of plants. With an increase in total water consumption during the growing season by 18%, plants that are more powerful were obtained. During the formation and maturation of fruits, the length of the lashes is 17.2% more, the leaf area is 20.1% more with an increase in the total weight of the plant by 12.5%. The positive effect of the increased level of water availability of crops on the root system of melon plants was  revealed. With  the  total  water consumption of  2300 m3/ha, the root mass is 6.6% more than the moisture content of 1795 m3 /ha. The depth of the main mass of the roots is 1-3 cm deeper with an increased level of moisture, which contributes to a better use of available moisture by plants with the drying of the upper soil layer. Comparative  evaluation  of the yield of melon with different values of the total water in the vegetative period. The best results were obtained in the cultivation of melon with a moisture  level of 2300 m3  / ha, where the total yield of 31.7% more than the level of moisture 1975 m3  / ha, with larger fruits, the average fruit weight of  1.1  kg  more. Studies have determined the dependence of the biochemical parameters  of melon fruits on the moisture content of crops. Despite the rather high quality of  melon fruit, there was a decrease in dry matter and total sugar and an increase in vitamin "C"with an increased  level of moisture.