Muskmelon seedlings, hybrid Torreon, were planted on September 12, 2002, in 4.5 dm³ bags filled with a commercial substrate, in a plant density of 3.3 plants m-2. Plants were trained vertically with two fruits per plant. Nutrients were supplied to plants by 1 L of nutrient solution, delivered to each plant once a week by fertigation. Only water was delivered between successive fertigations, in order to replace volumes lost by transpiration. The control (T2) was a nutrient solution containing, in mmol L-1: 13.0 NO3-; 0.9 H2PO4- ; 6.0 K+ ; 5.01 Ca++ ; 2.25 Mg++ ; 2.25 SO4-, with added micronutrients. For treatments T1 and T3, quantities of fertilizers from T2 were multiplied by a factor of 0.5 and 2, respectively. LAI values at the ending date were 1.99; 2.22 and 2.28 m² m-2 for T1, T2 and T3, respectively, T1 differing significantly from T2 and T3. Fruit yield reached 56.2; 65.0 and 65.9 Mg++ ha-1, for T1, T2 and T3, respectively. Maximum fruit yield was estimated by a nutrient concentration of 44.1 mmol L-1, corresponding to the following composition of the nutrient solution, in mmol L-1: 19.5 of NO3-; 1.35 of H2PO4-; 9.0 of K+; 7.51 of Ca++; 3.37 of Mg++; 3.37 of SO4-, and in mumol L-1: 50.25 of Fe; 22.5 of Mn; 3.45 of Zn; 1.5 of Cu; 22.5 of B e 0.78 of Mo. Similar results were observed for fruit quality variables.
Cucumis melo L.; fertigation; leaf area; hydroponics
