EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOILLESS CULTURE SYSTEMS ON PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF CANTALOUPE GROWN UNDER PROTECTED CULTIVATION

     The study was carried out in Central Laboratory for Agriculture Climate (CLAC), Agriculture Research Center (NRC), Egypt. This study was conducted for two successive seasons (2001 - 2002) to investigate the effect of different soilless culture systems on production and quality of cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) cv. Regal grown under protected cultivation. Two methods of cultivation (horizontal bags & vertical bags) and two substrates (perlite and pumice) were tested in comparison with the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT). The electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution was maintained between 2-2.5 m mhos cm ^–1, 1.8-2.0 m mhos cm ^–1 in NFT and substrate respectively, while pH adjusted between 5.5 and 6.5. Vegetative growth (number of leaves, plant height, leaf area, fresh weight, dry matter), physical quality of fruits (firmness, flesh thickness, fruit diameter, number of fruits / plant, mean productivity / plant), chemical quality of fruits (TSS, total sugars, total acidity and vitamins C) were recorded. The results showed that NFT gave the best vegetative growth, yield and quality comparing with the others treatments. Regarding the substrates treatments, using horizontal bags gave higher vegetative growth; yield and quality in both substrates comparing with using vertical bags. The differences among them were significant. There were no significant differences between two substrates under the same methods of cultivation.

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