TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO ALLEVIATE THE EFFECT OF HIGH AIR TEMPERATURES ON MELON SEED FORMATION AND YIELD

Abstract

Purpose: to improve elements of melon seed growing technology in order to reduce the negative impact of high air and soil temperatures on seed yield and quality. Methods: field: yield assessment, biometric records and measurements; laboratory: seed quality analyses; mathematical and statistical: analysis of variance and statistical processing of data. Results. The best intercrop for melon crops has been identified: sweet corn. It was found that thickening of melon plantations with intercrop plants alleviated the negative effect of high air and soil temperatures on fruits, seed productivity and quality. The least sunburn damage of 7.6% (or 20.0% lower than in the control) to fruits was recorded when sweet corn was planted in melon interrows according to the intercrop plant arrangement of 2.8 × 1.0 m. Reduction in sunburn damage to fruits when melon interrows were seeded sweet corn increased the yield of seed fruits by 8.5 and 10.7% compared to the control (11.8 t/ha). More seeds per fruit (12.9 g) and a higher percentage of certified seeds in fruits (86.8%), or 20.0% and 13.5% higher, respectively, compared to no thickening variant, were also achieved when corn plants were placed between the main crop rows according to this scheme. The highest seed yield of 116.0 kg/ha was harvested when the melon interrows were seeded with sweet corn according to a 2.8 × 1.0 m scheme; the gain in the yield was 15.0 kg/ha (14.8%) compared to the control. It was revealed that upon thickening of the main crop with green beans a higher yield of melon seeds (111.0 kg/ha) was harvested when the green bean plants were sown in the melon interrows according to a 1.4 × 0.5 m scheme; the yield increased by 9.9% compared to the no thickening variant. Discussion. These data are similar to results of studies conducted by Ukrainian and foreign researchers. At the same time, the high efficiency of agricultural crop thickening has been proven. Conclusions. The processes that determine the formation of fruits and seeds and their quality were studied; the sunburn damage to fruits was evaluated relative to the total fruit number. The best intercrop - sweet corn - and its arrangement in the melon plantations were selected.