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Muskmelon(Cucumis melo L.); Cucurbitaceae

Pusa Sharbati, Hara Madhu, Durgapura Madhu, Arka Rajhans and Arka Jeet.
Sandy loam rich in organic matter with good drainage and pH range of 6.5-7.5.
November to February. Sow the seeds @ 3.0 kg/ha after treating with Trichoderma viride @ 4g or Pseudomonas fluroscens @ 10 g or carbendazim@ 2g/kg of seed on one side of the channel giving a spacing of 0.6 m between hills. Thin the seedlings after 15 days, to maintain two per hill.
Plough the field to a fine tilth and form long channels at 2.5 m apart.
Irrigate the field before dibbling the seeds and thereafter once in a week.
Apply FYM 20 t/ha, NPK 40:60:30 kg/ha as basal and N @ 40 kg/ha 30 days after sowing. Apply Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria @ 2 kg/ha and Pseudomonas @ 2.5 kg/ha along with FYM 50 kg/ha and neem cake 100 kg/ha before last ploughing.
Nursery for muskmelon can be prepared either with polythene bags of 200 gauge, 10 diameter and 15 cm height or through protrays under protected nursery. Use protrays, each having 98 cells for raising seedlings. Transplant about 12 days old seedlings in the main field.
Install drip system with main and sub-main pipes and place the inline lateral tubes at an interval of 1.5m. Place the drippers in lateral tubes are at an interval of 60 cm and 50 cm spacing with 4 LPH and 3.5 LPH capacities respectively
Around 250 protrays are required for the production of 23,334 (22,223 + 5%) seedlings, which are required for one hectare at spacing of 1.5 m x 30 cm in a raised bed single row system. Raise beds of 120 cm width at an interval of 30 cm and place the laterals at the centre of each bed. Direct sowing or transplanting is done at a spacing of 1.5 m along the laterals and 30 cm interval in the raised bed single row system, using ropes marked at 30 cm spacing.
Apply a dose of 200:100:100 kg NPK/ha throughout the cropping period through split application.
Raise beds of 1.2 m width and 30cm height for sowing
Spread the lateral tubes in the centre of each bed. Irrigate the beds by operating the drip system continuously for 8-12 hrs. Spray pre-emergence herbicide (Pendimethalin @ 1 kg a.i/ha) just before planting. Plant the seedlings in the holes made at 60 cm distance.

Recommended dose: 200:100:100 Kg/ha
Crop Stage
Duratio
n in
Days
Fertilizer
Grade
Total
Fertiliz
er
(Kg/ha)
Nutrient Supplied % Requirement
N P K N P K
Crop
establishme
nt
10 19:19:19 +
MN
13-0-45
Urea
26.81
11.00
29.03
5.00
1.43
13.35
5.00
–
–
5.00
4.95
–
10.00 5.0 10.0
Sub
total
19.78 5.00 9.95
Vegetative 30 12-61-0
13-0-45
Urea
12.28
66.00
109.00
1.47
8.58
50.14
7.49
–
–
–
29.7
–
30.00 7.50 30.0
Sub
total
60.19 7.49 29.7
Flower
initiation to
first picking
30 12-61-0
13-0-45
Urea
12.28
44.00
115.00
1.47
5.72
52.90
7.49
–
–
–
19.8
–
30.00 7.50 20.0
Sub
total
60.09 7.49 19.8
Harvesting 45 19:19:19 +
MN
13-0-45
Urea
26.31
78.00
97.52
5.00
10.14
44.86
5.00
–
–
5.00
35.1
–
30.00 5.00 40.0
Total
duration
115
days
Sub
total
60.00 5.00 40.1
Total 200.06 24.9
(or)
25.0
99.3
(or)
100.
100 25 100
*75% RD of Phosphorus applied as superphosphate = 75 x 6.25 = 469 kg/ha.
1. 19:19:19 = 53kg/ha
2. 13:0:45 = 199kg /ha
3. 12:61:0 = 25kg/ha
4. Urea = 351kg/ha

Hoe and weed thrice

Fruit fly
1. Collect the affected fruits and destroy.
2. The fly population is low in hot day conditions and it is peak in rainy season. Hence
adjust the sowing time accordingly.
3. Expose the pupae by ploughing.
4. Install cucurbit fruit fly trap @ 4/ acre
5. Neem oil @ 3.0 %
Do not use copper and sulphur dust, as these are phytotoxic
White fly
 Spray neem seed kernel extract 5 %.

20 t/ha in 120 days.

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