This research team was awarded funding through the state’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program for a three year project to evaluate melon varieties, production techniques and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods for the Nevada high desert climate. The project combines both research and outreach to the farming community. The research was conducted within DFI’s certified organic farm at the Valley Road Field Station in Reno. Farming practices followed organic production standards, and fertilization practices focused on soil health management practices, including soil testing, annual compost application and fertilization throughout the season.

The melon research team includes Heidi Kratsch, Extension Associate Professor; Felipe Barrios Masias, CABNR Associate Professor; Wendy Hanson Mazet, Extension Program Officer and IPM specialist; DFI faculty and annual DFI Melon Research Interns. Rick Lattin from Lattin Farms served as an advisor to the project, with more than 30 years of experience of producing melons in Northern Nevada. Below is a summary of each year of research that was conducted. Find the full technical publication here. 

Research Objectives

• Screen melon varieties that confer improved crop performance, increased yields and fruit quality in the high desert, determining superior melon varieties for commercial production in Nevada.
• Evaluate standard melon production techniques to accelerate crop establishment and improve crop performance, yield and fruit quality.
• Evaluate common melon pests for Nevada and develop a standard Integrated Pest Management Plan for organic melon production
• Track yield and sales revenue data will be tracked for each variety and share research results.

2022

In 2022, the research team evaluated the same six best performing melons so far, but under two different mulch conditions. Plastic mulch is used by most melon producers to prevent weeds and retain moisture. In the interest of weighing those benefits against agricultural plastic waste reduction, we compared it to a paper mulch alternative from Sunshine Paper Company LLC. The performance of each variety under these different mulches was assessed by collecting weekly data (see below). The research team is pretreated plants and soil for fusarium wilt with Serenade, a bacillus product for control of diseases in the soil (approved for organic operations). Results are summarized below. The final project report to the Nevada Department of Agriculture is available by contacting dfi@unr.edu.

2022 Data Collected:

• Greenhouse seeding and transplant date
• Date of first female flower
• Nodes to first flower
• Fruit weight
• Fruit brix
• Total harvest yields
• Soil canopy cover images
• Insect identification (pests and beneficials)
• Disease or plant issue identification
• Fertilizer and Irrigation input
• Pest pressure

Cultivar screening in 2022 built upon evaluations in 2020 and 2021. Data analysis and findings are summarized below – project data may be obtained by contacting dfi@unr.edu.

Cultivar performance observations:

• Athena F1 (VI) was the best performing cantaloupe variety for fruits per plant, and slightly better for fruit weight. However, this may only be the case when paper mulch is used.
• Honeydew fruit weights appeared to be greater than cantaloupe varieties.

Paper vs. plastic mulch observations:

• Paper mulch appeared to delay flowering, in comparison to plastic mulch.
• Paper mulch appears to increase plant survival.

Pest pressure observations:

• An abundance of false chinch bugs did not affect melon plants.
• Squash bugs did not have a significant effect on melon plants, although they reproduced on them.
• The main pest insect in 2022 was leaf hoppers, but plant damage did not affect plant health or photosynthesis significantly. They also did not appear to transfer disease.
• No difference was observed in pest pressure in the plastic vs. paper mulched beds, although the paper mulch appeared to create more habitat and attract decomposer insect populations when it started to break down.
• There was a significant number of beneficial spiders in the melon research plot in 2022, and they could have helped control the leaf hopper population.

Additional statistical analysis will be conducted and shared in an Extension publication in 2023, including further comparisons to results in previous seasons and observations about irrigation and weather effects on melon production.

2021

In year 2, the research team selected the six best performing melons from the 2020 list (below), primarily based on survival and fruit production metrics. Varieties included in the 2021 trial:

• Honey Dew – Honey Pac
• Honey Dew – Santa Fe
• Honey Dew – Dream Dew
• Cantaloupe – Athena
• Cantaloupe – Sarah’s Choice
• Cantaloupe – Karameza

The 2021 DFI melon research field was laid out at the Valley Road Field Station (again following a randomized block design):

2021 results were significantly affected by fusarium wilt throughout the trial area, so the same 6 varieties will be evaluated again in 2022. The best performing varieties based on survival and fruit production metrics were the honey dew varieties and Sarah’s Choice cantaloupe. Contact us at dfi@unr.edu for more detail and a copy of the project annual report.

2021 Data Collected:

• Greenhouse seeding and transplant date
• Date of first female flower
• Nodes to first flower
• Fruit weight
• Total harvest yields
• Soil canopy cover images
• Insect identification (pests and beneficials)
• Disease or plant issue identification
• Fertilizer and Irrigation input
• Treatment methods of pest issues

2020

Year 1 focused on a screening of melon varieties. We selected 7 cantaloupe, 4 honeydew and 1 rock melon varieties, and planted them in a randomized block design. The randomized block consisted of 6 subplots for each variety and 6 plants per subplot. Variety selection considered melons grown in the large scale commercial melon industry throughout CA and AR, and strong varieties that are popular for smaller, direct to market farms. All melons were seeded in the greenhouse between May 6-11 in the DFI greenhouse and transplanted on June 11. All beds are covered with green plastic mulch. Upon transplanting were hardened off outside the greenhouse for a few days, and all beds were covered with frost cloth to protect the plants from desiccating winds. Varieties included:

• Honey Dew – Dream Dew
• Honey Dew – Santa Fe
• Honey Dew – Honey Pac
• Honey Dew - Honey White
• Cantaloupe – Infinite Gold
• Cantaloupe – Athena
• Cantaloupe – Sarah’s Choice
• Cantaloupe - Iperione
• Cantaloupe (Galia Hybrid) – Melidor
• Cantaloupe – Caribbean JackPot RZ F1
• Cantaloupe – Karameza
• Hybrid Rock Melon – Zacapa Gold

Commercial seeds were provided by TS&L Seed as a donation and market seeds were purchased from Johnny’s Select Seed and Harris Seed Co.

2020 Data Collected:

• Greenhouse seeding and transplant date
• Date of first flower
• Date of fruit set
• Fruit weight
• Total harvest yields
• Fruit brix
• Soil canopy cover images
• Above ground biomass
• Insect identification (pests and beneficials)
• Disease or plant issue identification
• Photo monitoring
• Fertilizer and Irrigation input
• Treatment methods of pest issues

Melon Growing Resources

• Commercial Melon Production – Iowa State University
• Specialty Melon Production for Small and Direct Market Growers – ATTRA
• Cantaloupe Production in California – UC Vegetable and Information Center
• Cantaloupes – Western Institute for Food Safety and Security
• Melon Economics - Agriculture Marketing Resource Center