Yield and fruit quality of melon plants grown under saline conditions in relation to phosphate and calcium nutrition

SummaryMelon plants were grown hydroponically in a greenhouse to investigate the interaction of phosphorus and Ca21 under saline conditions on vegetative biomass production, yield and fruit quality. Two levels of Ca21 (2 and 8 mM) were combined factorially with two levels of phosphate (0.2 and 1 mM) under two regimens of NaCl salinity (10 and 80 mM). The increase of Ca21 concentration in the nutrient solution under saline conditions improved to the same extent vegetative growth and fruit yield. Parameters of fruit quality were affected by salinity, phosphorus and Ca21 nutrition. Salinity increased fruit quality by increasing firmness, total sugars and total soluble solids (TSS). High Ca21 treatment increased sucrose, fructose and glucose, this effect being greater under low salinity conditions than under high. In the two saline treatments, the highest concentration of sucrose in flesh was found at 0.2 mM of phosphate in the nutrient solution.