Abstract
Climate change and a growing population demand the adoption of new technologies to enhance food production. Off-season cultivation of muskmelon facilitates early market availability, meeting food demands and ensuring better prices for farmers. To evaluate the growing conditions for muskmelon under Punjab’s agro-climatic conditions, an experiment was conducted from 2019-2021 at the Vegetable Research Farm, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. This study was aimed to assess the influence of planting time during the offseason on the growth, yield and quality parameters of muskmelon. The study included eight treatments, comprising four planting dates-15th November, 15th December and 15th January under low tunnels and 15th February under open-field conditions combined with two mulching treatments: black polyethylene mulch and no mulch. Various meteorological, growth, yield and economic parameters were assessed. The results revealed that low tunnels and mulching significantly influenced soil and air temperatures and relative humidity. Enhanced plant growth was observed under low tunnels, with the longest vine length at maturity recorded for the January sowing. The highest number of fruits per plant was recorded in the February and November sowings. The maximum total yield was achieved with the November planting, followed by the December planting, attributed to enhanced photosynthetic activity under low tunnels. Black polyethylene mulch also significantly improved plant growth, yield and fruit quality compared to bare soil. The highest net returns were obtained with the 15th November transplanting under low tunnels combined with black polyethylene mulch, yielding a cost-benefit ratio of 1:2.06.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Low tunnels and mulching significantly changed soil and air temperatures and relative humidity.
- Taxon
- muskmelon
.jpg?width=60)
Cucumis melot0 - Treatment
- low tunnels and mulchinge0
- Outcome
- soil and air temperatures and relative humiditye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“The results revealed that low tunnels and mulching significantly influenced soil and air temperatures and relative humidity.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Low tunnels enhanced muskmelon plant growth.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- low tunnelse0
- Outcome
- plant growthe0
- Direction
- Enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Enhanced plant growth was observed under low tunnels, with the longest vine length at maturity recorded for the January sowing.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
January sowing gave the longest vine length at maturity.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- January sowinge0
- Outcome
- vine length at maturitye0
- Direction
- longeste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Enhanced plant growth was observed under low tunnels, with the longest vine length at maturity recorded for the January sowing.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
February sowing had the highest fruit number per plant.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Februarye0
- Outcome
- number of fruits per plante0
- Direction
- higheste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The highest number of fruits per plant was recorded in the February and November sowings.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
November sowing had the highest fruit number per plant.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Novembere0
- Outcome
- number of fruits per plante0
- Direction
- higheste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The highest number of fruits per plant was recorded in the February and November sowings.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
November planting produced maximum total yield, followed by December planting.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- November plantinge0
- Outcome
- total yielde0
- Direction
- maximume0
- Comparator
- December plantinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maximum total yield was achieved with the November planting, followed by the December planting, attributed to enhanced photosynthetic activity under low tunnels.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Black polyethylene mulch significantly improved plant growth against bare soil.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Black polyethylene mulche0
- Outcome
- plant growthe0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- bare soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Black polyethylene mulch also significantly improved plant growth, yield and fruit quality compared to bare soil.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Black polyethylene mulch significantly improved yield against bare soil.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Black polyethylene mulche0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- bare soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Black polyethylene mulch also significantly improved plant growth, yield and fruit quality compared to bare soil.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Black polyethylene mulch significantly improved fruit quality against bare soil.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Black polyethylene mulche0
- Outcome
- fruit qualitye0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- bare soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Black polyethylene mulch also significantly improved plant growth, yield and fruit quality compared to bare soil.”
t0“muskmelon”
Claim · model-written summary
November transplanting under tunnels with black mulch had highest net returns and a 1:2.06 cost-benefit ratio.
- Taxon
- muskmelonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- 15th November transplanting under low tunnels combined with black polyethylene mulche0
- Outcome
- net returnse0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 1:2.06e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The highest net returns were obtained with the 15th November transplanting under low tunnels combined with black polyethylene mulch, yielding a cost-benefit ratio of 1:2.06.”
t0“muskmelon”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.