Two successive trials were carried out in a field at Mossoró, RN, Brazil, with the objective of studying growth characteristics of melon crop under different irrigation levels of water salinity. The experimental design was a completely randomized blocks with four replications, with four water salinity levels as treatments (T1=0.6 dS m-1; T2=1.9 dS m-1; t3= 3.2 dS m-1 and T4= 4.5 dS m-1). Growth was inhibited by the negative effect of water salinity levels on leaf area index, shoot dry mass, specific leaf area, and shoot leaf area ratio. The influence of irrigation of the water salinity level along melon cycle was observed for shoot absolute growth rate, but not for relative growth rate and net assimilation rate of shoot.
Cucumis melo L; water quality; assimilation rate
