2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Melons were among the crops requested for trialing by members of the Maine Vegetable and Small Fruit Growers Association at the 2017 Maine Agricultural Tradeshow. A variety trial was designed at the University of Maine Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station: Highmoor Farm in Monmouth Maine for the 2017 growing season. Thirty-two cultivars of muskmelon including cantaloupe, honeydew, galia, canary, crenshaw, and butterscotch types were planted in a random complete block design with four replications. Melons were seeded on 17 May and 25 May into 2” peat pots and grown in a greenhouse until they were moved into a high tunnel to harden off prior to transplanting. On 7 June the melons were planted through black plastic in rows 8’ on center with an in-row plant spacing of 18”. Melon yields were good at Highmoor farm in the 2017 growing season despite low rainfall amounts. For season yields, medium sized ‘Majus’ and ‘Wrangler’ (both Tuscan type cantaloupes) had high fruit numbers, high total plot weights and good flavor. Larger cantaloupes ‘Afterglow’, ‘Grand Slam’, ‘Athena’ and ‘Avatar’ had high fruit numbers and plot yields and had a harvest window of over 2 weeks. ‘Sarah’s Choice’ produced poorly, exhibited poor netting and worse flavor compared to the other cantaloupes trialed.

‘Minerva’ while having good flavor and a high brix reading, was very large. Melons with larger sizes may be unappealing to consumers who want a more manageable size fruit; or hard to package if shipping. Furthermore, melons that are small compared to their bigger counterparts may have similar edible flesh amounts. Honey dews are typically later than other melons and cooler late summer night time temperatures slowed the ripening process. This trial was terminated before all the honey dews ripened.