296 Study of Water Applied on Two Varieties of Honeydew Melons with a Drip Irrigation System
In the Caborca area, water scarcity is the main problem for the farmers, because of the depletion of the aquifer. This is the main reason why they are focusing on orchards and vegetables. Melon is the vegetable annual crop more extensively grown in this area and is furrow-irrigated with 120 cm of water. But, because of the scarcity of water, it is necessary to use drip irrigation. The objective of this study was to validate in a commercial field (15 ha) the effects of drip irrigation system on the water use, yield, and quality of two honeydew melon varieties (green flesh and orange flesh) in the Caborca area. Our results indicate that, with 50 cm of water applied, yields were 2146 to 2802 boxes/ha for green flesh and orange flesh, respectively. The predominant sizes were 4s and 5s with 25% and 38% for green flesh, and 5s and 6s with 42% and 36% for orange flesh. These sizes are the best for the exportation market.