Yield and quality of melon under silicon doses and irrigation management in a greenhouse

Abstract

The netted melon requires special growing conditions, including a protected environment, an adequate staking system and proper water and nutrient management. This study aimed to assess the effect of irrigation levels and silicon doses on the yield and quality of Sunrise hybrid melons, in a greenhouse. A randomized block design was used, with a 5 x 3 factorial scheme and four replications. The first factor consisted of five silicon doses (0 kg ha-1, 50 kg ha-1, 100 kg ha-1, 150 kg ha-1 and 200 kg ha-1) and the second of three irrigation levels (40 %, 70 % and 100 % of the ETc). The results demonstrated that the applied irrigation levels and silicon doses have no influence on the yield traits of melon plants. The irrigation level corresponding to 100 % of the ETc promotes higher values for soluble solids (9.86 ºBrix) and maturation index (114.9) on fruits. The increase of silicon doses up to 200 kg ha-1 also increases the maturation index in the treatment with the greatest irrigation level and reduces this index at the shallowest level applied.

Fruit characteristics of cantaloupe melon in protected environment subjected to irrigation frequencies and substrate volumes

“…This average fruit mass meets the marketing standard for melon fruits, because according to Medeiros et al (2011), the masses of commercial fruits vary from 1000 to 1500 g fruit -1 and larger fruits are devalued in the foreign market, but appreciated in the domestic market. However, the average observed in this research is lower than that observed by Lozano et al (2018), who found in cantaloupe melon fruits average fruit mass of 1243 g plant -1 .…”

Silicon accumulation in cauliflower grown in a protected environment with different water availability conditions

“…The treatments were characterized in a 3x4 factorial arrangement, with three levels of water replacement -40, 70, and 100% evapotranspiration (ETc) -and four Si rates -0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ha -1 -, with four replicates per treatment. To define the applied rates, the study of Lozano et al (2018) with the same soil was considered.…”

“…After 35 days, the seedlings were transplanted to 3.0×0.5 m beds, each with six plants, and the useful portion consisted of the three central plants. The soil of the beds was characterized as a Nitossolo Vermelho distroférrico (Santos et al, 2018), corresponding to a Nitosol (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2015) or an Ultisol (Soil Survey Staff, 2014), with a very clayey texture, with 720 g kg -1 clay, 160 g kg -1 silt, 70 g kg -1 fine sand, and 50 g kg -1 coarse sand. The Si content (CaCl 2 0.01 mol dm -3 ) before cultivation was 15.7 mg dm -3 .…”

“…a base fertilization of 30 kg ha -1 N, 250 kg ha -1 P 2 O 5 , 100 kg ha -1 K 2 O, and 4.0 kg ha -1 B, according to the recommendations for the crop (Pauletti & Motta, 2017). Daily ETc was estimated with lysimeters with a constant water table with compensation inside the greenhouse, according to the methodology adopted by Lozano et al (2018). Water replacement was performed with a polyethylene tube with drippers spaced 0.25 m apart, with a flow of 5.0 L h -1 , a service pressure of 20 m, and Christiansen's uniformity coefficient equal to 94%.…”

“…Under conditions of tropical and subtropical climate, the availability of Si is low due to soil characteristics, which makes it necessary to use mineral sources to increase the levels of the element for the long term (López-Pérez et al, 2018;Yan et al, 2018). In vegetable cultivation, the use of silicate fertilizers has resulted in yield, commercial, and post-harvest quality (Barreto et al, 2017;Lozano et al, 2018;Nunes et al, 2019). However, these benefits are associated with the extraction capacity of the plant, which is influenced by Si availability in the soil and form of application, as well as by the used plant species (Menegale et al, 2015).…”