Melon is the main vegetable crop exported by the Brazilian state of Ceará, Brazil, and also an important income (and job) generator for the region. Considering this, we aimed at evaluating the effects of different irrigation frequencies and the effects of nitrogen fertigation on the physical characteristics and productivity of yellow melon. The experiment was carried out at the Cruz municipality, Ceará, from October 10th to December 15th, 2010. We evaluated the hybrid Canarian Kobayashi under various drip irrigation regimes. On experiment I, six irrigation frequencies were evaluated: daily (50% in the morning and 50% on the afternoon), daily (100% on the morning), daily (100% on the afternoon), every two days by morning, every three days at morning and every four days at morning. On experiment II, six nitrogen fertigation frequencies were evaluated: two (2F), four (4F), eight (8F), sixteen (16F), thirty-two (32F) and sixty-four (64F) fertigations during the development cycle of the crop. Randomized block design with four replications was used. A simplified economic analysis was also carried out, for the two experiments. In the first experiment, the values of fruit weight, marketable yield, polar diameter, equatorial diameter and pulp thickness were influenced by the irrigation frequency and those who had daily irrigation and every two days recorded net positive revenue. In the second experiment the variables marketable yield, polar diameter, equatorial diameter, soluble solids, pulp thickness and pulp firmness were influenced by treatments, and only the 32F and 64F treatments had positive net income. The daily irrigation frequencies showed the best results. In fertigation with nitrogen, better yield and quality of melon was obtained with treatment 64F.
Cucumis melo; chemigation; nitrogen
