MUSK MELON Hybrid MADHU (ADVANTA)

Cultural Musk Melon
Season	i) Wet Season (Ramzan Spl) July - Aug ii) Dec-Feb
Climate	Melons require tropical climate with fairly high temperature of 35 -40 C during fruit development; susceptible to dew & cold. For sweetness & flavour-cool nights, warm days with low humidity are ideal for accumulation of sugar.
Nursery	Nursery Management - Tips to be followed & monitored : i) Direct Sowing or Sow the seeds in Pro trays of 50 cavities by using the sterilised cocopeat as a media, th ii) At 5 day after sowing mild spray with Uthane M-45 @ 1g/litre of H O + 2 Ulala 0.3 g/litre of H O or Saaf @ 1g/litre of H O + Ulala 0.2 g/litre of H O. 2 2 2 th iii) At 10 day after sowing spray with Saaf @ 1g/litre of H O + Ulala 0.2 g/litre 2 of H O. 2 th iv) At 14 day after sowing spray with Uthane M-45 @ 1g/litre of H O + Ulala 0.3 2 g/litre of H O or Saaf @ 1g/litre of H O + Ulala 0.2 g/litre of H O. 2 2 2 v) Hardening of seedlings is must before transplanting. Seedling will be ready for transplanting in 14-16 days after sowing. Transplanting has to be done preferable in evening hours to avoid sun shock & mortality.
Soil & Land Preparation	Well drained sandy loams and alluvial soils at riverbed are best suited. Watermelon tolerant to medium salt concentration.
Seed Rate	350 g - 500 g/Acre (For UPL L5 trial 200 plants / entry / replications)
Irrigation	Irrigate as & when required based on the soil type & the local practices.
Spacing	i) Row to Row : 150 cm & Plant to Plant : 30 cm or ii) Row to Row : 150 cm & Plant to Plant : 45 cm
Fertilizer Kg/Acre	i) Add Well decomposed FYM 10-12 tons / acre ii) Open ridges & furrows at required spacing and apply basal dose of fertilizer iii) Irrigate one day before sowing iv) Sow 2 seeds per hill v) Basal dose before sowing: 25:50:50 NPK kg/acre vi) Top dressing 30 days after: 25:0:50 NPK kg/acre vii) Apply micronutrients as and when required
1st Picking	70-80 days
Growth Regulator	i) MH @ 50 ppm, at 2 &4 leaf stage-Improves % of Female flowers & fruit quality; ii) TIBA @ 25-50 ppm at 2 & 4 leaf stage-improves flowering & fruit setting ; iii) Bo @ 2-3 ppm at 2 & 4 leaf stage controls cracking; IV) Ethephon @ 250ppm seed soaking- M/F ratio lowest.
Yield T/ha	40-45 T
Avg. per Fruit Weight (g)	Ice Box - 3-4 kg / Junblee type 8-10 Kg /Sugar Baby - 8-10 kg.
No. of Fruits Per Plant	4-5
Major Impediment	Fruit fly, Downey Mildew , Powdery Mildew, Anthracnose, Leaf Minor ; Necrosis
Remedies / Control Measures	Downey Mildew : Unilax 2.5 g / Litre of water / Powdery Mildew - Unsulf Gold 2 to 2.5 g /litre / Fusarium Wilt - Saaf 1.0 g/litre / Anthracnose - Uthane 2 to 2.5 g / Litre / Leaf Minor - Imidagold 0.5 ml/litre
Harvesting:	Judged by – i) Dull sound when fruit is thumped, ii) Withering of tendril at the fruit axil, iii) Ground spot turning yellow, iv) Rind yields to pressure, White - heart, hollow heart and fibrous - flesh signify over maturity
Key Points	Seedlessness: Involves: i) Production of tetraploid lines (4X) by applying colchicine (0.2-0.4%) to growing points of young seeds. 4X characterized by gigas character. ii) Production of 3X seeds : 4X (Female) *2X (Male), iii) Germination of 3X seeds: Imp. owing to high seed cost & poor germination due to hard seed coat, iv) Production of 3X fruits: No fruit set in 3X plants if there are only 3X plants Stimulation of fruit dev. has to be brought about by 2X pollens. v) 3X Plants: Long duration (120-130 DAS), firm rind texture, many empty ovular cavities, sterile on both on mm/F sides bec. Of irregular chromosomal distribution in meiosis causes pollen & ovular abortion.
Average TSS	9-10%
Export Standards	High TSS, deep red flesh with less number of small sized seeds.
Care	Fruit cracking during summer particularly under Vidabhian condition is commonly observed. To check the cracking field should be irrigated early in the morning (4-5 am), spray Bo @ 2-3 ppm at 2 & 4 leaf stages.