Impacts of cultivar and growing substrate on growth and yield of melon

The effects of substrates on melon production in a net house were studied. The experiment used a 2×3 factorial in a completely randomized design with four replications. Factor A was the melon cultivar; 'POT ORANGE T1957' and 'GREEN NET T778'. Factor B was the substrate type consisting of either sand mixed with coir dust, or sand mixed with rice husk charcoal, or sand mixed with peat (all with 1:1 v/v). 'POT ORANGE' had a higher vine length and fruit weight than 'GREEN NET'. Melons grown in sand mixed with peat gave the highest soluble solids of 17.4 °Brix, higher than those grown in sand mixed with coir dust (15.8 °Brix) or sand mixed with rice husk charcoal (15.7 °Brix). Yields were not significantly different among substrates. After harvest, sand mixed with peat and sand mixed with rice husk charcoal had an equal bulk density of 1.01 g cm^‑3, and the mixes subsided by 2.95 and 4.08 cm, respectively. In contrast, sand mixed with coir dust had 0.9 g cm^‑3 bulk density and subsided by only 2.29 cm. Hence, sand mixed coir dust was considered to be the best substrate for melon culture in this study based on and overall consideration of plant responses and the physical properties of the growing medium.