Melon Water Managament

The most serious melon yield reductions result from lack of moisture during flowering and fruit-fill. This can result in misshapen fruit at harvest. Furrow, sprinkler and drip irrigation is widely practiced in the major melon producing countries.

Drip irrigation ensures better use of water and reduces disease risks such as fruit rots as well as ensuring better management of harvesting intervals. It also allows more precise application of nutrients, reducing crop growth stresses and minimizing weeds.

Water quality is important. Water applied through overhead irrigation with an Electrical Conductivity (EC) reading of 1300-1400 u s/cm could cause leaf burn. This is less of a problem with trickle irrigation and water with an EC of up to 2000 u s/cm can be used.

As salinity increases, nutrient uptake efficiency declines – particularly of nitrogen and calcium.

In Cantaloupes, the amount of irrigation water needs to be reduced slightly at flowering. Then, during fruit fill, irrigation amounts are increased until the fruit starts to net.

Once the net has properly formed it is important to increase irrigation to levels that encourage fruit fill right through until just before maturity when irrigation again needs to be curtailed so as to ensure TSS contents remain high. Blossom end rot (BER) becomes a problem if water supply during the rapid growing period is low or intermittent, resulting in low calcium uptake and poor distribution to the fruit.