Abstract
Muskmelon [ Cucumis melo L. (Reticulatus Group)] fruit sugar content is directly related to potassium (K)-mediated phloem transport of sucrose into the fruit. However, during fruit growth and maturation, soil fertilization alone is often inadequate (due to poor root uptake and competitive uptake inhibition from calcium and magnesium) to satisfy the numerous K-dependent processes, such as photosynthesis, phloem transport, and fruit growth. Experiments were conducted during Spring 2003 and 2004 to determine if supplemental foliar K applications during the fruit growth and maturation period would alleviate this apparent inadequate K availability in orange-flesh muskmelon `Cruiser'. Plants were grown in a greenhouse and fertilized throughout the study with a soil-applied N-P-K fertilizer. Flowers were hand pollinated and only one fruit per plant was allowed to develop. Starting at 3 to 5 days after fruit set, and up to 3 to 5 days prior to fruit maturity (full slip), entire plants, including the fruit, were sprayed with a glycine amino acid-complexed potassium (potassium metalosate, 24% K) solution, diluted to 4.0 mL·L -1 . Three sets of plants were sprayed either weekly (once per week), biweekly (once every 2 weeks) or not sprayed (control). Fruit from plants receiving supplemental foliar K matured on average 2 days earlier than those from control plants. In general, there were no differences in fruit maturity or quality aspects between the weekly and biweekly treatments except for fruit sugar and beta-carotene concentrations, which were significantly higher in the weekly compared to the biweekly or control treatments. Supplemental foliar K applications also resulted in significantly firmer fruit with higher K, soluble solids, total sugars, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and beta-carotene concentrations than fruit from control plants. These results demonstrate that carefully timed foliar K nutrition can alleviate the developmentally induced K deficiency effects on fruit quality and marketability.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar K fruit matured two days earlier than controls.
- Taxon
- Muskmelon
.jpg?width=60)
Cucumis melot0 - Treatment
- supplemental foliar Ke0
- Outcome
- maturede0
- Direction
- earliere0
- Value
- 2 dayse0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Fruit from plants receiving supplemental foliar K matured on average 2 days earlier than those from control plants.”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Weekly foliar K had significantly higher sugar concentration than biweekly or control treatments.
- Taxon
- MuskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- weeklye0
- Outcome
- fruit sugare0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- biweekly or control treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit sugar and beta-carotene concentrations, which were significantly higher in the weekly compared to the biweekly or control treatments.”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Weekly foliar K had significantly higher beta-carotene concentration than biweekly or control treatments.
- Taxon
- MuskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- weeklye0
- Outcome
- beta-carotene concentrationse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- biweekly or control treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit sugar and beta-carotene concentrations, which were significantly higher in the weekly compared to the biweekly or control treatments.”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Weekly and biweekly treatments generally did not differ in maturity or other quality aspects.
- Taxon
- MuskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- weeklye0
- Outcome
- fruit maturity or quality aspectse0
- Direction
- no differencese0
- Comparator
- biweekly treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there were no differences in fruit maturity or quality aspects between the weekly and biweekly treatments except for fruit sugar and beta-carotene concentrations”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar K produced significantly firmer fruit than controls.
- Taxon
- MuskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Supplemental foliar K applicationse0
- Outcome
- firmer fruite0
- Direction
- firmere0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Supplemental foliar K applications also resulted in significantly firmer fruit with higher K, soluble solids, total sugars, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and beta-carotene concentrations than fruit from control plants.”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar K increased fruit K, soluble solids and total sugars relative to controls.
- Taxon
- MuskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Supplemental foliar K applicationse0
- Outcome
- K, soluble solids, total sugarse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Supplemental foliar K applications also resulted in significantly firmer fruit with higher K, soluble solids, total sugars, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and beta-carotene concentrations than fruit from control plants.”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar K increased ascorbic acid and beta-carotene concentrations relative to controls.
- Taxon
- MuskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Supplemental foliar K applicationse0
- Outcome
- ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and beta-carotene concentrationse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Supplemental foliar K applications also resulted in significantly firmer fruit with higher K, soluble solids, total sugars, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and beta-carotene concentrations than fruit from control plants.”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors concluded carefully timed foliar K can alleviate fruit quality and marketability effects of developmental K deficiency.
- Taxon
- MuskmelonCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- alleviate the developmentally induced K deficiency effects on fruit quality and marketabilitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“carefully timed foliar K nutrition can alleviate the developmentally induced K deficiency effects on fruit quality and marketability.”
t0“Muskmelon”
The same questions in other papers
application · quality: sugar starch · Cucumis melo (muskmelon)Positive and negative results
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- negative
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See all 11 papers →application · quality: phytochemicals · Cucumis melo (muskmelon)Results agree
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- positive
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See all 9 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.