Chilling injury of cantaloupe melons (Cucumismelo, Cantalupensis group), although variable among cultivars, precludes the use of temperatures close to 0 °C for long term storage or transport. Diseases, either associated with chilling or independent from it, are usually the main factor terminating postharvest life of these melons. `Colima', a Western Shipper cultivar highly sensitive to chilling, was used to evaluate chilling and disease response to the following treatments: immersion in water at 60 °C for 1 minute (with or without 150 ppm chlorine), individual packaging (PVC, whole or perforated), exposure to air at 38 °C for 12 hours (with or without individual packaging), and control. After storage for 18 days at 0 °C and a simulated retail period of 3 days at 20 °C, there were significant differences among treatments: chilling was alleviated in heat-treated and especially in plastic-wrapped fruit, and the presence of diseases caused by pathogens such as Alternaria, Cladosporium, Fusarium, and Rhizopus was markedly reduced by heat treatments. Overall, visual quality was high and superior in fruit immersed in water at 60 °C with 150 ppm chlorine due to almost complete supression of diseases. Project financed by FONDECYT 1020882.
Abstract
Three-week old plants of 10 cantaloupe varieties grown in 3-inch peat pots were transplanted to the field from April 15 to 24 for a S-year period. Field seeded plots were direct seeded the same day and 7-10 days earlier.
The yield and fruit weight from transplants were significantly higher than those from field seeded plants. The total soluble solids content of fruit from transplants averaged more than 2 per cent higher than that of field seeded plants started the same date. When field seeded 7-10 days earlier, the difference was not as great; however, total soluble solids were consisently higher in fruit from transplants. Two factors were possibly responsible for the higher yields, fruit weights, and soluble solids. Because field seeded plants matured later, foliar diseases were more severe and plants were also exposed to additional cloudiness and rainfall.
Fruit of transplants matured approximately 14 days earlier than that of field seeded plants started the same date. When field seeding was accomplished 7-10 days before transplanting, fruit from field seeded plants matured only 7-10 days after the transplants.
Although minimal processing increases the perishability of products, largely due to microbial decay, quality changes may be similar between tissues from intact produce and fresh-cut pieces. This study compared pulp quality changes of intact cantaloupe melons and of sanitized fresh-cut pieces (1.8 x 3-cm cylinders) during storage in air at 2.5 (cv. Corona) and 5 °C (cv. Corona and Durango) for 15 days. Quality evaluations included subjective (visual quality, decay, translucency, aroma, off-odor) and objective (color, firmness, SSC) measurements. At 5 °C, visual quality of the pieces was below the limit of salability by day 15 due to decay, whereas pulp from stored melons was excellent. Pulp from intact melons did not suffer from development of translucency as did the fresh-cut pieces. At 5 °C, pulp from intact fruit had higher aroma scores than pieces, but there were no differences in off-odor scores. At 2.5 °C there were no differences in the subjective quality measurements of pulp from intact or fresh-cut pieces. Pulp from intact fruit had higher chroma (at 2.5 and 5 °C) and L* (only at 5 °C) than the pieces after 6 or 15 days, depending on the variety. There were no differences in hue between intact and fresh-cut pulp. Pulp from intact and fresh-cut pieces had similar firmness changes and SSC during storage at 2.5 and 5 °C. We conclude that pulp of intact fruit and fresh-cut pieces had similar quality up to 15 days at 2.5°C; but at 5 °C, the fresh-cut pieces lost intrinsic quality (visual quality, aroma, and color) before the pulp of intact fruit did.
Abstract
Six cultivars of cantaloupe-type muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), grown in central Pennsylvania, were harvested at the yellow full-slip, green full-slip, or half-slip stages of maturity and evaluated for quality after storage at 0° or 4.5°C. Fully ripe (yellow full-slip) melons had excellent appearance and flavor at harvest, but they deteriorated rapidly in storage, as shown by loss of flavor and ascorbic acid, development of stem-end cracks and decay, and water-soaking of the flesh. Of the 3 maturity stages, green full-slip melons had the highest soluble solids and ascorbic acid content and excellent flavor at harvest, and maintained flavor and appearance best in storage. Halfslip melons maintained a good appearance during storage, but were slightly inferior in flavor to full-slip melons. No evidence of chilling injury was found for melons harvested at any of the maturity stages and stored up to 2 weeks at 0° plus 1 day at 13°; in fact, melons stored at 0° were superior to those stored at 4.5° because less decay was evident.
Cantaloupe seedlings may be repeatedly exposed in the field soon after transplanting to temperatures alternating between almost freezing and optimal temperatures. In the first year of a 2-year study, `Athena' cantaloupe seedlings were exposed in walk-in coolers to temperatures cycling from 2 °C for 3, 6, and 9 hours daily to 25 °C for the rest of the 24-h period. Cold stress was repeated for 1, 3, 6, and 9 days before field planting. In the second year, transplants were exposed to 2 °C for 3, 6, and 9 hours for 3, 6, and 9 days before field transplanting. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effect of early season cold temperature exposure on seedling growth, earliness, yield and quality by simulating the cold/warm alternations possible in the field in coolers. Cold-stressed transplants were planted in the field after all risk of ambient cold stress was negligible. In both years, exposure to cycling cold temperatures generally did not effect total productivity and fruit quality, although seedling growth characteristics were reduced in response to longer cold-stress treatments. In the second year, early yield was reduced by exposure to increasing hours of cold stress, but this was not significant in the first year. Therefore, cold temperature stresses occurring in the field at transplanting have negligible effect on yield potential of `Athena' cantaloupe.
The biosolid soil amendment N-Viro Soil (NVS) and a Streptomyces isolate (S 99-60) were tested for effects on root-knot nematode [RKN (Meloidogyne incognita)] egg populations on cantaloupe (Cucumis melo). Application of 3% NVS (dry weight amendment/dry weight soil) in the soil mixture resulted in significant (P ≤ 0.01) suppression of RKN egg numbers on cantaloupe roots compared to all other treatments, including 1% NVS and untreated controls. Ammonia accumulation was higher with the 3% NVS amendment than with any other treatment. Adjustment of soil pH with calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] to the same levels that resulted from NVS amendment did not suppress nematode populations. When cultured in yeast-malt extract broth and particularly in nutrient broth, S 99-60 was capable of producing a compound(s) that reduced RKN egg hatch and activity of second-stage juveniles. However, when this isolate was applied to soil and to seedling roots, no suppression of RKN egg populations was observed on cantaloupe roots. Combining S 99-60 with NVS or Ca(OH)2 did not result in enhanced nematode suppression compared to treatments applied individually. The results indicated that NVS application was effective at suppressing RKN populations through the accumulation of ammonia to levels lethal to the nematode in soil.
The genus Cucumis (family Cucurbitaceae) includes a large number of economically important crops, such as melon ( Cucumis melo ) and cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ), that are widely cultivated. Muskmelons, called cantaloupes in Texas, are popular
Abstract
In field studies with potatoes, cantaloupes, and tomatoes, using N sources banded in the soil, highest yields were obtained with (NH4)2SO4. Yields with urea-formaldehyde and sulfur-coated urea were similar to each other, and less than those from urea. Nitrogen absorption, as determined by NO3 - concn in the petiolar tissue or total N absorption by the entire plant, was in the same sequence as yields. Controlled-release fertilizers did not increase N absorption during late growth. About 90% of the N from (NH4)2SO4 and urea had nitrified and leached from the fertilizer band within 40 days after application. In contrast, about half of the N from urea-formaldehyde remained in the fertilizer band 120 days after application.
specialty melons by vegetable growers could meet some of this demand. Specialty melons are members of the genus and species C ucumis melo and include the subspecies Asian melon ( conomon ), cantaloupe ( cantalupensis ), mango or orange melon ( chito
Field experiments were established at the University of California Desert Station in Coachella Valley from 1998 to 2000. The main plot treatments included: 1) summer cowpea used as mulch in the fall; 2) summer cowpea incorporated into soil in the fall; 3) summer sudangrass incorporated into the soil in the fall; and 4) summer fallow (bare-ground). An economic comparison of cover crop treatments and crop management programs vs. the effect on yield, crop value, value of hand weeding, costs of production and net return, and dollar investment from each treatment was determined. Among the cropping systems tested in 1999, lettuce following the incorporation of a cowpea cover crop produced the highest yield (1082.43 boxes/ha), with a net return of $883.04/ha. The return for each dollar invested in the cowpea-incorporated system was an additional $0.65 if cowpea-incorporated was chosen over cowpea mulch. In 2000, the net return from lettuce following cowpea-incorporated was much higher with 1294.23 boxes/ha and a net return of $1698.46/ha. In 1999, cantaloupe grown in the cowpea-incorporated system had the highest net return of $973.34/ha, with 874.58 boxes. An additional $0.93 was made for choosing cowpea-incorporated over sudangrass. In 2000, cantaloupe grown in the cowpea-incorporated system had even higher yields than in 1999, producing 1522.89 boxes/ha and returning over $3000.00. And an additional $0.93 was made for choosing cowpea-incorporated over sudangrass cover crop. Overall, the rate of return on investment favored cowpea-incorporated over all cover crops.