In Spring 2018 and 2019, eight varieties of cantaloupe (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis) and honeydew (Cucumis melo (Indorus Group)) were evaluated for yield and quality characteristics in Tifton, Georgia. This variety trial was part of a larger nationwide trial that evaluated the impact of the environment on the variation of quality traits in melons as well as the ability of human pathogens to adhere to the surface of melon fruit. Melons were planted on March 27, 2018 and April 3, 2019, and grown using plastic mulch and drip irrigation following standard practices for the region. The trial was a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Fruit was harvested 66 days after transplanting (DAT) in 2018 and 78 DAT in 2019 and individually weighed to get size classifications. Fruit from a representative harvest was analyzed for rind thickness, firmness (8 mm probe), total soluble solids, seed cavity area, and netting pattern. In 2018, ‘Athena’ which is an industry-standard was the highest yielding cantaloupe (37,818 kg.ha^-1), though it was not significantly different from ‘Aphrodite’ (36,741 kg.ha^-1), ‘Infinite Gold’ (35,945 kg.ha^-1), and ‘Davinci’ (27034 kg.ha^-1). ‘Athena’ had the highest yield of 9-count fruit and average fruit weight of 1.9 kg. ‘Infinite Gold’ and ‘Davinci’ were had the highest flesh firmness ratings, while F-39 had the lowest firmness of all fruit. ‘HD252’ was the highest yielding honeydew, with a yield of 38,433 kg.ha^-1. In 2019, despite ‘Athena` had the highest yield, there was no difference from the other cantaloupe varieties for total yield (average of 47,026 kg.ha^-1). ‘Athena’ was the highest average fruit weight of 2 kg, though it was not significantly different from ‘Samoa’ (1.7 kg) and ‘Infinite Gold’ (1,7 kg). ‘Samoa’ (12.5 °Brix) and ‘Davinci’ (12.4 °Brix) were had the highest soluble solids, while ‘Infinite Gold’ (3.4 kgf) and ‘Davinci’ (3.9 kgf) had the highest flesh firmness ratings. ‘HD252’ was the highest yielding and flesh firmness ratings honeydew variety, with a yield of 77,639 kg.ha^-1and 3 kgf. Overall, our data suggest that current industry standards are performing adequately in terms of yield and quality; however, new varieties may offer improved characteristics for food safety purposes.

Andre Luiz da Silva

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