Melon fruit quality can be reduced by soil nutrient excess and imbalance, both caused by excessive and non uniform fertilizations. Soil samples were taken from two melon fields aiming to identify, among soil cationic ratios (K:(Ca+Mg), K:Ca, K:Mg, K:CTC, Ca:Mg, Ca:CTC, Mg:CTC, Na:Ca, Na:Mg, and ESP), those better correlated with fruit quality characteristics (pulp thickness, pulp firmness and total soluble solids (SST)). Descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation and multiple regressions were used in the analysis. Melon fruit quality characteristics presented few correlation with soil cationic ratios. In Goldex, the best correlation found were of K:CTC with pulp fruit thickness; Ca:CTC and Mg:CTC with pulp firmness and of K:CTC, K:Ca, K:(Ca+Mg), Na:Ca and Na:Mg with SST, all positive. In Orange Flesh, only pulp firmness showed correlation with Ca:CTC (positive), K:Mg, K:Ca, K:(Ca+Mg) and Na:Ca (negative). On the basis of their contribution to regressions in Orange Flesh, cationic ratios identified as more important were Ca:CTC for pulp fruit thickness (6,2%) and pulp firmness (10,9%), and Mg:CTC for total soluble solids (1,5%).
Cucumis melo; pulp firmness; total soluble solids
