THE INFLUENCE OF THE PLACEMENT SCHEME AND PLANT DENSITY ON YIELD AND BIOMETRIC INDICATORS OF THE COMMON MELON (CUCUMIS MELO L.) IN THE RIGHT BANK FOREST STEPPE OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article highlights the results of the study of the impact of the arrangement of melon plants on productivity and biometric indicators. The research was conducted in the conditions of the Right Bank Forest Steppe of Ukraine (Uman, 48°46′N, 30°14′E) in 2023–2024. For the study the early-ripening melon hybrid Amal F1, intended for fresh consumption, which is considered one of the most popular melon hybrids in Ukrainian supermarket chains, was used. The research used the following plant placement schemes 1.4+0.4×0.5 m (K), 1.6+0.4×0.5 m, 1.8+0.4×0.5 m, 2 ,0+0.4×0.5 m, 2.2+0.4×0.5 m, 2.4+0.4×0.5 m. During the growing season, stem length was determined in different phenological phases of plant development, fruit weight, and productivity. Field and laboratory research methods were used to conduct the research. The experiment is laid out in accordance with the research methodology. As a result of research, it was established that the length of the stem depended significantly on the arrangement of the plants, the greater the distance between the plants, the longer the stem was. The largest length of the stem was formed using the placement scheme of 2.4+0.4×0.5 m and 2.2+0.4×0.5 m. Melons grown according to the schemes 2.0+0.4×0.5 and 2.4+0.4×0.5 formed the largest fruit mass and amounted to 2.0 and 1.9 kg, respectively. Plants grown according to the scheme 1.6 +0.4×0.5 had the lowest average yield, where the correspondence of the weight of the fruit to the number of plants per hectare does not ensure a better yield, as in the variants with a different placement scheme. The highest yield was recorded in melon grown according to the scheme of 2.0+0.4×0.5 m, and it was 53.8 t/ha, which is 5.95 t/ha more than in the control variant. The yield was strongly influenced by the distance between the plants, the greater the distance between the plants, the greater the weight of the fruit. Therefore, cultivation of common melon according to the scheme 2.0+0.4×0.5 provides better yield, with rational use of the land area.