Abstract
California melon ( Cucumis melo ) growers commonly apply calcium (Ca) fertilizers during fruit development to increase fruit firmness and improve storage life. Drip-irrigated field trials were conducted in central California in 2005 and 2006 to evaluate the efficacy of this practice on honeydew ( C. melo Inodorus group) and muskmelon ( C. melo Reticulatus group). In the 2005 honeydew trial, three weekly applications of 10 lb/acre Ca from calcium nitrate (CN), calcium thiosulfate (CTS), or calcium chloride (CC) were injected into the irrigation system during early melon development. In the 2006 muskmelon trial, two applications of 15 lb/acre Ca from CTS or CC were made early, or two applications of CC late, in melon development. The effect of these Ca fertigation treatments on fruit yield, soluble solids concentration, flesh firmness, and Ca concentration were compared with an untreated control receiving no Ca fertigation. Calcium fertigation had no effect on marketable yield, quality, or Ca concentration of honeydew or muskmelon fruit regardless of application timing or Ca source applied. Loss of firmness during either 2 weeks (honeydew) or 1 week (muskmelon) of postharvest storage was unrelated to Ca fertigation treatment and was not correlated with Ca concentration in fruit tissue. We conclude that under conditions representative of the California melon industry, Ca fertigation at typical application rates is ineffective in improving honeydew or muskmelon yield or fruit quality.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Calcium fertigation had no effect on honeydew marketable yield, fruit quality or calcium concentration.
- Taxon
- honeydew
Cucumis melo var. inodoruse0 - Treatment
- Calcium fertigatione0
- Outcome
- marketable yield, quality, or Ca concentratione0
- Direction
- no effecte0
- Qualifier
- regardless of application timing or Ca source appliede0
- Comparator
- untreated controle1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Calcium fertigation had no effect on marketable yield, quality, or Ca concentration of honeydew or muskmelon fruit regardless of application timing or Ca source applied”
e1“untreated control receiving no Ca fertigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Calcium fertigation had no effect on muskmelon marketable yield, fruit quality or calcium concentration.
- Taxon
- muskmelon
.jpg?width=60)
Cucumis meloe0 - Treatment
- Calcium fertigatione0
- Outcome
- marketable yield, quality, or Ca concentratione0
- Direction
- no effecte0
- Qualifier
- regardless of application timing or Ca source appliede0
- Comparator
- untreated controle1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Calcium fertigation had no effect on marketable yield, quality, or Ca concentration of honeydew or muskmelon fruit regardless of application timing or Ca source applied”
e1“untreated control receiving no Ca fertigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Honeydew firmness loss over two weeks of storage was unrelated to calcium fertigation.
- Taxon
- honeydewCucumis melo var. inodoruse0
- Treatment
- Ca fertigation treatmente0
- Outcome
- Loss of firmnesse0
- Direction
- unrelatede0
- Value
- 2 weekse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Loss of firmness during either 2 weeks (honeydew) or 1 week (muskmelon) of postharvest storage was unrelated to Ca fertigation treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Muskmelon firmness loss over one week of storage was unrelated to calcium fertigation.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis meloe0
- Treatment
- Ca fertigation treatmente0
- Outcome
- Loss of firmnesse0
- Direction
- unrelatede0
- Value
- 1 weeke0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Loss of firmness during either 2 weeks (honeydew) or 1 week (muskmelon) of postharvest storage was unrelated to Ca fertigation treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Firmness loss was not correlated with fruit-tissue calcium concentration.
- Taxon
- honeydewCucumis melo var. inodoruse1
- Organ / stage
- fruit tissuee0
- Outcome
- Ca concentration in fruit tissuee0
- Direction
- not correlatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“was not correlated with Ca concentration in fruit tissue”
e1“2 weeks (honeydew) or 1 week (muskmelon)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude typical calcium fertigation is ineffective for improving honeydew or muskmelon yield or quality in California.
- Taxon
- honeydew or muskmelonCucumis meloCucumis melo var. inodoruse0
- Outcome
- Ca fertigation at typical application ratese0
- Qualifier
- ineffective in improving honeydew or muskmelon yield or fruit qualitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ca fertigation at typical application rates is ineffective in improving honeydew or muskmelon yield or fruit quality”
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