Growing a melon crop during the rainfall period has been a great challenge for producers from the north eastern Brazil due to crop sanitary problems. This work was aimed at evaluating the effects of soil coverages and irrigation depth on yield and quality of yellow melon (hybrid Goldex) during the rainfall period. The experiment was carried out at Fazenda Santa Júlia Agro-Comercial Exportadora de Frutos Tropicais Ltda, Mossoró-RN, Northeastern Brazil, during the period of April to July 2003. The experimental design was a randomized complete blocks with four replications. The treatments were the combinations of five soil coverages (soil with no coverage and coverages with polyethylene films - black, silvery, yellow, and brown) with three irrigation depth (100%, 86% and 72% of the standard lamina, this equivalent to 238.44mm). The traits evaluated were number, mean weight and yield of marketable (internal and external markets), refuse and total fruits, pulp firmness and thickness, fruit shape index, and soluble solids content. Interaction between soil coverage types and irrigation depth was significant with regard to total fruit yield. The greatest marketable fruit yields and soluble solids contents were obtained with the use of polyethylene soil coverages. The numbers of marketable, refuse and total fruits, as well as the yields of marketable and refuse fruits were not significantly affected by the irrigation depth.
Cucumis melo; polyethylene films; irrigation water management; yield; postharvest
