There are doubts whether the planting density used for Yellow melon allows harvesting Piel del Sapo fruits that meet the standards of foreign markets. Two experiments were carried out to evaluate Piel de Sapo hybrids in two planting densities, 10 and 15 thousand plants ha-1. Hybrids Sancho, PS 07, and Tendency were evaluated in the first experiment, while hybrids PS RDR, PS 10, PS 15, PS 21, and PS 32 were evaluated in the second experiment. The experimental design used was blocks at random, with four replications. Treatments were arranged in split-plot, with planting densities assigned to plots and hybrids to sub-plots. Sub-plots had 16 and 24 plants in the useful area in the first and the second experiments, respectively. There was no significant interaction between planting densities and hybrids in none of the assessed traits. Fruit yield and total number were significantly higher in the planting density of 15,000 plants ha-1, with mean values of 38.95 t ha-1 and 23.05 thousand fruits ha-1, respectively, in comparison to 10,000 plants ha-1. Pulp firmness and total content of soluble solids were not influenced by planting density. There were significant differences among hybrids for fruit total number, yield, pulp firmness and total content of soluble solids. In the first experiment, hybrids Sancho and Tendency had the best performance, with fruit yields of respectively 31.3 and 32.9 t ha-1, with average weight over than 3.0 kg, pulp firmness of 28 and 27 N, respectively, and soluble solids contents of 9.33 and 12.03%, therefore above the market limit. In the second experiment, hybrids PS 15 and PS 32 outstood, with yields of 36.6 and 41.3 t ha-1, respectively, fruit weight of 3.10 and 3.02 kg, pulp firmness of 27 and 28 N, respectively, and soluble solids contents of 12.03 and 9.96%. Worth mentioning that hybrid PS 32 produced significantly more fruits (25.2 thousand fruits ha-1) as compared to hybrid PS 15 (19.7 thousand fruits ha-1).
Cucumis melo; cultivar evaluation; hybrids; crop practices
