Fertigation has developed considerably and its management, which is done through the use of the uptake curves of nutrients, begins to change for the monitoring of the nutrients in the soil solution. Thus, this work studied the response of melon plants subjected to controlled concentrations of nitrogen and potassium in the soil solution, by adopting 13 treatments disposed in fully randomized design with 4 replications. Each treatment was applied through the management of controlled concentrations of nitrogen and potassium in the soil solution. The crop was drip irrigated and the fertigation carried out only when necessary. The number of fruits, production, the average weight of fruit, the percentage of the area tracery fruit, the fruit diameter, thickness and firmness of flesh and the soluble solids were evaluated and analyses of variance and regression using the SAS were performed. Low yield and low average weight of fruits were verified and, in general, the fruits harvested were of low quality. The best features of the quality of fruits were obtained with concentrations of nitrogen in the soil solution between 240 and 260 mg L-1, and the potassium varied between non-application in fertigation and 84 mg L-1.
Cucumis melo L.; ionic concentration; porous ceramic cup extractors; nitrogen; potassium
