Everything you need to learn about the cultivation, production and growth of muskmelon in greenhouse!
Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important fruit vegetable grown over a large area in different parts of India during hot summer months. It is a dessert fruit mainly eaten for sweetness, pleasant flavour and also has thirst quenching ability. The normal crop of muskmelon is grown through seed sowing from end of February to second week of March and ready for harvesting in the month of May-June.
But the crop can be grown under low cost greenhouse of polyhouses for off-season production to obtain very high prices of the produce. Naturally ventilated low cost greenhouses are suitable for off-season cultivation of muskmelon.
Climate and Soil Requirement for Muskmelon Cultivation:
Muskmelon is a drought resistant crop and can be grown in hot and dry atmosphere. Plants are sensitive to low temperature and frost. A humid climate may favour the development of foliar diseases. High humidity and excess moisture at the time of fruit maturity may hamper the quality of fruits.
The optimum temperature for plant growth is 28-30°C. Comparatively, low humidity and high day temperature during ripening period with enough sunshine are conducive for the development of flavour and total soluble solids (TSS) in fruits. These conditions are also suitable for reducing the chances of foliar diseases.
A well-drained sandy loam soil is most suitable for the cultivation of muskmelon. It is slightly tolerant to soil acidity and prefers a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
Selection of Variety for Growing Muskmelon:
The variety having netted fruits are mostly grown under greenhouse conditions in Israel and other countries for off-season cultivation and export to high markets. Now-a-days several high yielding hybrids are available, which can be grown successfully under naturally ventilated greenhouses. Among the Israeli hybrids ‘Arava’ is a high yielding hybrid having high netting on fruits with high shelf-life and 12-13 percent TSS. Most of the varieties grown are andromonoecious.
Planting:
Under greenhouse conditions, muskmelon crop is usually planted in November-December for off-season harvesting of fruits. First of all the seedlings are raised in pro-trays or polyethylene bags under protected conditions. In pro-trays the nursery is raised in soil-less media. Nursery is ready for transplanting in 28-32 days. One row of muskmelon is planted on each bed at a plant spacing of 30 cm in greenhouse.
Training and Pruning of Muskmelon Plants:
Muskmelon plants are trained upwards, so that the main stem of plants is allowed to climb to the overhead wires along with a polyethylene twine. The base of the twine is anchored loosely to the base of the stem with a non-slip noose and the plants are trellised on the twine vertically.
After the plant reaches the horizontal support wires, it can be trained along with the steel wire (running on the length of the rows at a height of 8-9 feet) and then plants are trained downwards. The side branches are pruned up to 45-60 cm above the bed surface then side branches are pruned only after leaving one or two fruit buds (female flowers), which will bear the fruits. Plants are trellised, carefully, without any damage to the side branches and male flower on the main stem.
Pollination in Muskmelon:
Pollination is required for growing muskmelon under greenhouse conditions, because almost all the varieties available for commercial cultivation are andro-monoecious, which bears male and hermaphrodite flowers on the same plant but different nodes. Male flowers appear on the main stem, while hermaphrodite flowers born on side branches.
Honeybees are the best pollinators for greenhouse grown muskmelon crop. One colony of honey bees (Apis melifera) having 20000 bees is sufficient for effective pollination in 1000 m2 area of greenhouse. The direction of the beehive and proper ventilation are important factors for efficient working of the bees.
Fertigation in Muskmelon:
Mostly drip irrigation system is used for cultivation of muskmelon crop under greenhouse condition. Fertilizers are applied through irrigation water. The quantity and duration of fertigation depends upon the season and stage of the melon crop. Fertigation also plays an important role in determining the quality of muskmelon fruits.
During December-January the fertigation is done at an interval of 12-14 days and 3.0 m3 of water is to be applied per 1000 m3 area through each irrigation. Apply fertilizer solution of N: P: K (5: 3: 6) through irrigation @ 6.0 litre per m3 of water. The interval of irrigation is reduced to 8 days in March and 6 days in April and the fertilizer solution of N: P: K is reduced to 1.0 litre per m3 of water after fruit setting and continued until the fruits become of lemon size and thereafter application of fertilizer solution is again increased to 3.0 litre per m3 of water.
Harvesting of Cultivated Muskmelon:
In December planted crop of muskmelon fruits are ready for harvesting in second week of March and continued up to April or even May. This is due to the reason that at one time only two or three fruits are taken on one vine and two to more fruits can be taken again after harvesting of the previous fruits. The fruits are mostly harvested at full slip stage and are graded according to their size and netting on the fruits. On an average, 15-20 quintal off-season fruits can be harvested from 1000 m2 area of greenhouse muskmelon.
Muskmelon Plant Protection:
Among the fungal diseases Fusarium wilt is most destructive. For control of the Fusarium, growing of resistant variety is the best measure. Powdery mildew and downy mildew diseases can be controlled by spraying fungicides like karathane or mencozeb @ 1.0 and 2.0 g per litre of water, respectively.
Mites also create severe problem for successful cultivation of muskmelon under greenhouse conditions. Timely spray of miticides like dicofol @ 2.0 ml per litre of water can control the mites, but it needs repeated sprays for effective control. While spraying, any pesticide care should be taken not to spray when the bees are active.