A field and grenhouse study of the effects of two levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium on the growth and development of cantaloupes

In the continental United States the name cantaloupe is improperly applied to all varieties of muskmelons that are included in Cucumis melo var. reticulatus, the variety commonly grown in this country. Because such usage has resulted in the adoption of the name cantaloupe, this term will be used through this thesis. Probably no fruit offered to the American public is as appealing and tasty as the cantaloupe when the quality is good or as unappetizing when the quality is poor. The cantaloupe is offered to the public as a fruit to be purchased solely for the enjoyment of its flavor. A cantaloupe with poor flavor is worthless. Because of this assumption most of the research work in breeding and production of cantaloupes is done with one principal end in view: to produce high yielding varieties with improved flavor and qaulity (18).* The cantaloupe is difficult to grow in many areas. During its early stages of growth the plants need warm weather, ample soil moisture. and a dry atmosphere. Frequent rains or cloudy weather while cantaloupes are ripening may lower the quality of the fruit (4). These factors make successful cantaloupe culture in humid areas more difficult than the culture of many other vegetable crops. The mineral requirements of the cantaloupe have not been thoroughly investigated, This study was conducted in order to obtain a better understanding of the mineral requirements of this crop when grown in unfavorable, humid areas. Two experiments were designed to study the inter relationships of two levels each of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium on the growth and development of cantaloupe plants and fruit.