Two experiments were carried out at the same time in Baraúna, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, from October to December 2004, to evaluate different soil coverages and irrigation depth as well as the use of agrotextile on the melon yield. In the first experiment the agrotextile was used, but not in the second one. Both experiments were designed in a 5 x 3 factorial scheme in randomized complete blocks with two replications. The treatments of the factorial consisted of the combination of five soil coverages (films of yellow, brown, black and silvered polyethylene, and no soil coverages) with three irrigation depths (100%, 84% and 67% of the standard water amount). The fruit number, mean fruit mass, marketable fruit yield, refused and total fruit yield were evaluated. The treatments with film of yellow polyethylene increased the marketable fruit yield in the absence of agrotextile. The fruit yield decreased with decreasing irrigation depths. The treatments with black polyethylene film or with nude soil associated with agrotextile had the best economic results.
Cucumis melo L.; polyethylene films; yield; irrigation
