Evaluation of melon genotypes for fruit yield and quality characteristics

Abstract

The assay was used to evaluate experimental hybrids and their parental lines and commercial cultivars and hybrids of melon for yield and fruit quality characteristics. Two monoecious yellow skinned lines, ‘O’ and ‘R’, were used as female parents. Six andromonoecious acessions (lines 015 and 017 – inodorus - and four open pollinated cultivars – Amarelo Chile, Amarelo Ouro, Eldorado and Orange Flesh) were used as male parents. The 12 hybrids between the two parental groups were grown, along with the parental genotypes and five commercial F1 hybrids and an open pollination cultivar in a randomized block design with three replications, in Mossoró, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Analysis of variance showed significant differences among parents and experimental and commercial hybrids for all the traits studied. The experimental hybrids tended to produce bigger fruits, but all of them were suitable for the usual commercialization practices. The combinations OxAC, OxAO, Ox017, RxAO and Rx015, the hybrid Gold Mine, ‘O’, Eldorado and ‘OFMAISA’ were good genotypes for yield, especially for local markets. The male parental ‘015’ and the commercial F1 hybrids Gold Pride and AF-522 produced smaller fruits, more suitable for external markets. No major differences were found for pulp resistance, but OxAO, OxOF, OF melons and Gold Mine and Gold Pride presented\ the best performance. Total soluble solids (TSS) were found to be high on Rx017, OxOF, OxE, RxOF, OxAC, ‘017’, ‘AO’, ‘R’ and Gold Mine. None of the genotypes showed TSS values under the patterns of commercialization practices.