Muskmelon Production in Southern New England

As the demand for local food grows, and farmers increasingly rely on direct-to-consumer marketing, there is a renewed interest in crops that may be marginally adapted to a particular area. In southern New England melons (Cucumis melo L.) are one such crop. Melons do best with a mean temperature of 18 to 24 °C and low humidity; growing season temperatures in southern New England range from 13 to 23 °C and humidity is often high. Use of transplants and black plastic mulch have been shown to greatly improve melon production in areas such as New England where the period of high temperatures is shorter than optimum. Recent research at the University of Rhode Island has focused on determining whether yields, quality, and earliness can be further enhanced by use of tunnels for season extension, and on identification of the best hybrid varieties for our production region. Low tunnels of slitted or perforated plastic consistently resulted in higher yields and quality than either high tunnels or open field production. Five varieties were trialed in all three production systems in both years. ‘Athena’ and ‘Sarah’s Choice’ yielded the greatest weight of marketable fruit in the low tunnel production system.  Twenty-seven varieties were trialed in the open field in 2011, and 33 in 2012. Years were analyzed seperately due to significant interactions between year and variety.  The varieties 'Electra', 'Maverick', and 'Halona' had the best combination of pest resistance and fruit quality in 2011; 'Electra' and 'Maverick' also did well in 2012 but were surpassed by 'Sarah's Choice', 'Sugar Cube', and 'Wrangler'. 'Maverick' yielded the most marketable fruit per plot in 2011 while 'Halona' yielded the most in 2012. Striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma vittatum) feeding on roots, crowns, and fruit impacted yield and quality in both years, with gummy stem blight causing additional damage in 2011.