Effects of sowing date and cultivar on greenhouse-grown melons in winter. Yield and quality of fruit.
1990
Nerson H. | Burger Y. | Bardugo R.
Five Galia-type muskmelon cultivars and one American-type muskmelon cultivar were sown in the greenhouse at Mevo Hamma (northeastern Israel) on three days approximately ten days apart in October-Novem- er, 1989. The first yield cycle spanned two months (January-Februa- ry, 1990) and in the present report characteristics of quality of the yield in general and of the fruits in particular are presented and discussed. The old cultivar Arava and the new cultivars Galit and Gala exhibited improved quality characteristics as compared to the old cultivar Galia. Arava and Galit had yields which were earlier and more concentrated than those of Galia on the average for the three sowing dates. Arava bearing 44% of its yield early, Galit 37% and Galia only 10%. Especially concentrated yields were born by Arava and Galit from the second sowing date (approximately 54% of the yield in a one-week period). Gala also had a yield that was more concentrated than that of Galia but was not significantly earlier. Of the new cultivars Gala excelled in the sweetness of its fruits. The three cultivars Arava, Galit and Gala had higher marketable yield than Galia. Also, these three had less flesh breakdown. The new cultivar Qalya was neither earlier nor more concentrated-yielding than Galia in the present experiment, and its fruits tended to be too small - approximately one-fourth weighed less than 400 g. The new cultivar Petra was not adapted for greenhouse-growing; it was very late maturing and the fertigation methods used with the artificial growing medium and the limited volume for root growth are the probable causes of its widespread fruit cracking, rotting, and flesh breakdown prior to ripening.
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