Abstract
For the earliest yields of spring melons, muskmelon [ Cucumis melo L. (Reticulatus Group)] fields in the southeast United States may be transplanted in late winter before the last frost date. Seedlings may be exposed to cold temperatures cycling between almost freezing and optimal for weeks before warm weather predominates and such exposure may reduce later growth and yields. To test whether cold stress may reduce growth and yield, `Athena' muskmelon seedlings were subjected to cold stress at 2 ± 1 °C then transferred to a greenhouse at 29 ± 5 °C before field transplanting. In 1997, cold exposure durations were 3, 6, or 9 h and were repeated (frequency) for 1, 3, 6, or 9 d before transplanting. In 1998, duration levels were not changed but frequencies were 3, 6, or 9 d. In 1997, as cold stress increased, seedling shoot and root fresh and dry weights, height, leaf area, and leaf chlorophyll content decreased linearly, but shoot carbohydrates decreased curvilinearly and stabilized with ≈54 hours cold stress. In 1998, all seedling growth characteristics except leaf chlorophyll content decreased linearly as cold stress exposure increased. Leaf chlorophyll content decreased curvilinearly as cold stress increased to 36 h, but leveled off with more hours of cold stress. Even 1 week after transplanting, plants exposed to cold stress for up to 81 h continued to transpire more than control plants. In both years, vining (date first runner touched the ground) and male and female flowering were delayed significantly with increasing cold stress, but fruit set was affected only in 1998. Cold stress in 1998 delayed earliness with early fruit weight and number per plot decreasing as cold stress exposure increased. Total yields decreased linearly in both years as cold stress increased with 21 to 32 hours causing 10% yield reduction in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Results indicate a potential risk exists for yield reduction if `Athena' muskmelon is planted weeks before last frost dates.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Cold exposure reduced seedling shoot and root weights, height, leaf area, and chlorophyll linearly in 1997.
- Taxon
- muskmelon
.jpg?width=60)
Cucumis melot0 - Treatment
- cold stresse0
- Outcome
- seedling shoot and root fresh and dry weights, height, leaf area, and leaf chlorophyll contente0
- Direction
- decreased linearlye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“In 1997, as cold stress increased, seedling shoot and root fresh and dry weights, height, leaf area, and leaf chlorophyll content decreased linearly”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Shoot carbohydrates declined curvilinearly and stabilized after about 54 hours of cold stress.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- cold stresse0
- Outcome
- shoot carbohydratese0
- Direction
- decreased curvilinearlye0
- Value
- ≈54 hourse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“shoot carbohydrates decreased curvilinearly and stabilized with ≈54 hours cold stress”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
In 1998 all seedling growth characteristics except leaf chlorophyll declined linearly with cold exposure.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- cold stress exposuree0
- Outcome
- all seedling growth characteristics except leaf chlorophyll contente0
- Direction
- decreased linearlye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 1998, all seedling growth characteristics except leaf chlorophyll content decreased linearly as cold stress exposure increased”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf chlorophyll declined to 36 hours of cold exposure then leveled off.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- cold stresse0
- Outcome
- Leaf chlorophyll contente0
- Direction
- decreased curvilinearlye0
- Value
- 36 he0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Leaf chlorophyll content decreased curvilinearly as cold stress increased to 36 h, but leveled off with more hours of cold stress”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Cold-exposed plants continued to transpire more one week after transplanting.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- cold stresse0
- Outcome
- transpiree0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- 81 he0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Even 1 week after transplanting, plants exposed to cold stress for up to 81 h continued to transpire more than control plants”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing cold stress significantly delayed vining and male and female flowering in both years.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- cold stresse0
- Outcome
- vining (date first runner touched the ground) and male and female floweringe0
- Direction
- delayede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In both years, vining (date first runner touched the ground) and male and female flowering were delayed significantly with increasing cold stress”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit set was affected only in 1998.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- cold stresse0
- Outcome
- fruit sete0
- Qualifier
- only in 1998e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“with increasing cold stress, but fruit set was affected only in 1998”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Early fruit weight declined with cold stress in 1998.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Cold stresse0
- Outcome
- early fruit weighte0
- Direction
- decreasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cold stress in 1998 delayed earliness with early fruit weight and number per plot decreasing as cold stress exposure increased”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Early fruit number per plot declined with cold stress in 1998.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Cold stresse0
- Outcome
- number per plote0
- Direction
- decreasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cold stress in 1998 delayed earliness with early fruit weight and number per plot decreasing as cold stress exposure increased”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Total yield fell linearly in both years, with a 10% loss after 21 to 32 hours of cold.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- cold stresse0
- Outcome
- Total yieldse0
- Direction
- decreased linearlye0
- Value
- 10%e0
- Qualifier
- 21 to 32 hourse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Total yields decreased linearly in both years as cold stress increased with 21 to 32 hours causing 10% yield reduction in 1997 and 1998, respectively”
t0“Muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors identify a risk of yield loss when Athena muskmelon is planted weeks before the last frost.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis meloe0
- Material
- `Athena'e0
- Outcome
- yield reductione0
- Qualifier
- weeks before last frost datese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Results indicate a potential risk exists for yield reduction if `Athena' muskmelon is planted weeks before last frost dates”
The same questions in other papers
cold · yield · Cucumis melo (muskmelon)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- no effect
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →cold · quality: sugar starch · Cucumis melo (muskmelon)Positive and negative results
5 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
2 papers more in this group
See all 6 papers →cold · physiology: pigments · Cucumis melo (muskmelon)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- negative
cold · phenology · Cucumis melo (muskmelon)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- negative
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.