The fruit yield of muskmelon plants grown in substrate under three nutrient solutions was obtained. The experiment was conducted in a polyethylene tunnel at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil. Sowing was done on 19th July 2001, in polystyrene trays, using a commercial substrate. On 32 days after sowing, each plant was transferred to a 4.5 L bag, placed inside the tunnel using 1.0 m between rows and 0.3 m within each bag row. During the growing period, plants were trained vertically and two fruits were kept to set in each plant. Exceeding fruits were picked out twice a week. Treatments consisted of three nutrient solutions, used in the commercial production of muskmelon crops. Treatment 1 (T1) was the nutrient solution recommended for growing this crop in NFT system in São Paulo State and treatments 2 (T2) and 3 (T3) were those used in substrate in France and in Spain, respectively. In all treatments, 1 L of nutrient solution was supplied weekly to each plant by fertigation. From 35 to 63 days after planting, plant leaf surface was determined weekly by non destructive measurements. Fruit yield, at the end of the experiment was significantly higher on plants supplied with T2 and T3 nutrient solutions when compared with T1 treatment. However, no significant difference was found between T2 and T3 treatments.
Cucumis melo; fertigation; soilless culture; leaf surface
