The muskmelon is a vegetable with high economic impact that can be grown throughout the year in the Brazilian Northeast, due to its favorable weather conditions. Proper management of water in this crop associated with the use of polypropylene, can yield benefits. The purpose of this work was to measure the development of muskmelon under the use of polypropylene, subjected to different water management. The experiment was carried out from August to November 2010, at experimental field of the Universidade da Bahia. The experimental design was randomized blocks in split plot 4x2 with three replications. The treatments consisted of a combination of irrigation (method based on tensiometer and method based on the reading of a Class A tank, using 100, 80 and 60% of standard water amount) with the use or non-row cover, and the plot by irrigation levels and subplots for the use of polypropylene. The size of the plot was 18 m², resulting in 18 plants per plot. The crop was harvested 66 days after sowing, evaluating the total yield (t ha-1), marketable yield (t ha-1), cull fruits (%), fruit average mass (kg), number of fruits per plant, length and diameter of the fruit (cm), longitudinal and transverse internal cavity (mm), pulp thickness (mm), pulp firmness (N), and water use efficiency (kg m-3). The use of polypropylene did not increase the total fruit yield. The water management by tensiometry proved to be the most suitable for muskmelon cultivation, irrespective of the use of polyprolylene.
Cucumis melo; yield; polypropylene
