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Horticulture Series # 217

Principle Investigators

Jonathan R. Schultheis, Professor and Vegetable Extension Specialist, Department of Horticultural Science, N.C. State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7609.

Keith D. Starke, Research Associate,  N.C. State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7609.

Disclaimer: This publication presents data from the cultivar evaluation trials conducted during 2016. Information in this report is believed to be reliable but should not be relied upon as a sole source of information. Limited accompanying detail is included but excludes some pertinent information, which may aid interpretation.

General Cultural Practices

All melon trials were grown using recommended practices for commercial melon production in North Carolina. All plots in the study were under black plastic mulch and fertigated with drip irrigation. Furthermore, pesticides used on all plots were chemicals labeled for use on that crop, (2016 North Carolina Agricultural Chemicals Manual.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Phillip Winslow (Superintendent) and Chris Lee (Horticulture Crops Supervisor), Cunningham Research Station, Kinston, NC, as well as, the personnel at the research station for their help to establish, maintain, and harvest the cultivar evaluation trials. We want to also acknowledge the following summer research interns for their assistance with the trials: Steven Bajorek, Elizabeth Indemaur, Logan Haislip and Matt Hooper. The cooperation and support of the following seed companies is also greatly appreciated: Bayer Cropscience; DP Seeds, LLC; Hollar Seeds; Origene Seeds; Rijk Zwaan USA Inc.; Seminis; Syngenta Seeds, Inc.; US Agriseeds and United Genetics. We also want to acknowledge support for this study was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, for the CucCAP Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant under award number 2015-51181-24285.

Introduction

Growers in the United States reported an increase of 8,300 acres for cantaloupe production in 2013 and this brought the total cantaloupe acreage to 74,730. However, the total value of the cantaloupe/muskmelon (orange flesh melons) crop was reported at $319 million in 2013, a decrease of $6 million from the previous year when the crop was valued at $325 million. Further reporting reflected seasonal fluctuations in domestic cantaloupe prices, however, they have shown a moderate decline from their price peak of 0.25 per lb in 1980 to a season-average of 0.18 per lb in 2013 (http://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/vegetables/melon-profile/). In North Carolina the acreage for cantaloupe/muskmelon production has not been published in recent years, although, it is estimated that 3,000 – 4,000 acres are grown in the state. The majority of the melons grown in the state over the last 20 years are the eastern type with ‘Athena’ being the principle cultivar produced. In addition to the eastern type cantaloupe/muskmelon, other orange flesh melons being grown on much smaller acreage include Extended Shelf Life (ESL) or Long Shelf Life (LSL) melons, often termed Harper melons; and a third type termed Italian (Tuscan) melons. The Extended or Long Shelf Life melons, as the name suggests, will hold for a longer period than the eastern type melons. However, it can be more difficult to determine readiness on ESL/LSL melons and this has
delayed willingness from growers to move into larger scale production of these melons. Flesh firmness and sweetness tend to be greater in ESL/LSL melons when compared to the eastern melon types. The Italian (Tuscan) type melons tend to split easier than the ESL/LSL or eastern types and more intense management of the crop harvest may be necessary in order to minimize fruit loss due to splitting. In spite of these weaknesses with ESL/LSL and Italian (Tuscan) type melons, North Carolina growers have had some success in producing and marketing these
newer melon types. In 2016 several new cultigens were evaluated in our melon field trial and we had a total of 21 advanced lines or cultivar entries (cultigens) from 9 seed companies. These entries were evaluated for yield, earliness, and various other qualities. The entries were as follows:

Seed Company	Advanced Line Cultivar (Cultigen)
Bayer Crop Science	DuraWest, Maxi-East, NUN-26181, NUN-26191, Sweet East
DP Seed	Napoli, Tasty Sherbet
Hollar Seed	HSR 4414
Origene	Re-Start
Rijk Zwaan	Caribbean King, Santa Monica Beach
Seminis	SVMF 5196
Syngenta	Aphrodite, Athena, Astound(ME 3716), Accolade (ME 3743)
United Genetics	UGR 1594 13, UGR 2101 14, UGR 2102 14
US Agrise	USAMR 15331, USAMR 15332

Materials and Methods

In February and March commercial seed companies were contacted to obtain seed for the muskmelon cultigen evaluation trial. Seed were sown into 72 cell Poly trays to grow transplants (Hummert Int.; Earth City, MO) on 14 April 2016. The planting medium used was a Fine Germinating Mix, a commercial soilless mix (SunGrow, Agawam, MA). A complete fertilizer (10-10-20 at 600 lbs/ac) was broadcast applied over the entire area that was planted on 14 April. Telone II fumigant (6.5 gal/ac) was soil injected in tandem with laying black polyethylene plastic mulch (0.70 mil thick high density plastic film, 48 inches wide; B.B. Hobbs, Clinton, NC) on 27 April. Herbicide products, Dual (1.5 pints/ac) and Sinbar (3 oz/ac), were applied to row middles for pre-emergent weed control on 10 May. Muskmelon transplants were approximately 3 weeks old when placed in a “hardening” greenhouse for 7 days prior to being established in the field on 11 May. A starter fertilizer solution was applied at transplant (0.5 lb/50 gal H₂O of 20-20-20 fertilizer, water soluble). Plot size was one row with 10 plants per plot (20 ft) with in-row spacing of 2 feet and between row spacing of 5 feet. Field arrangement for the muskmelon cultigen trial was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Plots with missing plants were replanted approximately 7 days after transplanting to achieve 100% stand, in most cases. Drip irrigation was utilized (NETAFIM, 12 inch spacing, 0.24 gal/hr; NETAFIM, Tel Aviv, Israel) throughout the growing season. Fertigation, using a 7-0-7 liquid fertilizer, was initiated 15 days after planting and applied weekly, thereafter. The first application of liquid fertilizer (2 gal) was applied through the drip on 26 May and the last application (1 gal) was applied 16 August. In this trial fertilizer was applied either preplant or through fertigation. Total amount of fertilizer applied through fertigation for the season was 60 lbs/ac of N and 120 lbs/ac K₂O. The total amount of fertilizer applied for the entire growing season was 120 lbs of N, 60 lbs/ac of P₂O₅ and 180 lbs/ac of K₂O. Insecticides were applied every 7 to 10 days as a preventative measure beginning 17 May and again on the following dates: 20 and 27 May 2016; 14 and 24 June; 1, 14 and 20 July; 5 and 11 August 2016. The following products were alternated during consecutive spray applications to avoid potential resistance development in insect or mite species: Asana, Venom, Permethrin, Brigade, Sevin and Abamectin. Similarly, the following fungicide products were applied; Kocide, Pristine, Gavel, Zampro, Quadris, Procure, Rally, Tanos, Prevacur Flex, Pristine and Presidio; and applied on the following dates; 27 May 2016; 14 and 24 June 2016; 1, 14 and 20 July 2016; 5 and 11 August 2016. There were a total of 16 harvests for the muskmelon evaluation trial. The first harvest was 15 July 2016 and the sixteenth harvest was 19 August 2016. Harvests were made three times per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each fruit was harvested when ripe and weighed. Evaluations of each melon entry included: yield, fruit size, production earliness, soluble solids (using a digital refractometer), fruit shape and size, exterior and interior descriptions (rind, length/width ratio, and flesh color), and interior flesh firmness. Flesh firmness was measured (recorded in pounds) by using a Penetrometer FT 011 with a 5/16” plunger tip, (QA Supplies LLC, Norfolk, VA). Melon samples were obtained by cutting the center of the fruit, lengthwise, from the fruit’s stem end to blossom end. Pressure measurements were then taken between the cavity and rind (near fruit bottom or ground spot and one from the top of the fruit) on each half of the cut fruit. The reported measures on flesh firmness are an average of the two sample areas from five fruit per plot (10 total fruit halves were measured for flesh firmness per plot). Most of the quality measurements were taken when the melons became ripe between the first and fourth harvests for a given cultigen. The field and growing conditions throughout the harvest period were normal to slightly wet for this trial. There was average to above average rainfall throughout the month of July and August, as well as, optimal ambient temperatures that allowed for good plant growth and fruit set within all the cultigen plots.

Results

In the early harvests (1-5) entries that yielded over 500 cwt were Aphrodite, HSR 4414, Astound (ME 3716), UGR 2101 14 and Tasty Sherbet (Table 1). The highest yielding entries based on fruit numbers that exceeded 7,500 per acre for early harvests (1-5) were Aphrodite, Athena, HSR 4414, Astound (ME 3716), Accolade (ME 3743), Santa Monica Beach, UGR 1594 13, UGR 2101 14, UGR 2102 14, Napoli and Tasty Sherbet (Table 2). The 3 to 7 lb. size category had the highest percentage of fruit produced from the early yielding entries. This is the most desirable and marketable size category for muskmelons (Table 3 & 4). The highest yielding entries for fruit weight in the midseason harvests (6-10) were USAMR 15331, Re-Start, USAMR 15332, NUN 26181, NUN 26191 and UGR 1594 13. The entries that yielded the highest (> 5,000 fruit number) in the mid-season harvests (6-10) were Re-start, USAMR 15331, NUN 26181, NUN 26191, UGR 1594 13 and USAMR 15332. Most fruit produced from these entries were between 3 to 7 lbs.; with the exception of USAMR 15332 which, combined, had 82% of its fruit in the 7.1 to 9 and >9 lb. size categories, respectively (Tables 5 & 6). Fruit in the >9 lb. size category are too large for most 3 growers producing muskmelons in North Carolina and likely for most other areas in the U.S. producing muskmelon for shipping (Tables 7 & 8). Some of the latest yielding (harvests 11-16) melon entries were Aphrodite, Astound (3716), Accolade (3743), Tasty Sherbet and NUN 26191(Table 9). Average fruit size for these entries were 7.2, 6.3, 5.6, 5.2 and 4.7 lbs. (Table 9). The highest yielding entries across all harvests, in terms of tonnage (>800 cwt) were Accolade (ME 3743), Aphrodite, Astound (ME 3743), USAMR 15332, UGR 2101 14 and Tasty Sherbet (Table 13). The melon entries that produced the greatest number of fruits across all harvests were NUN 26181, UGR 1594 13, NUN 26191, Accolade (ME 3716) and Tasty Sherbet (Table 14). Melon entries with the highest average fruit weights across all harvests (16) were USAMR 15332, 7.6 lbs. followed by Aphrodite, 7.2 lbs. and finally, Sweet East, 6.9 lbs. (Table 13). The following melon entries had the lowest average fruit weights across all harvests: NUN 26181, 3.6 lbs. followed by NUN 26191, 4.5 lbs. and finally, Napoli, 4.6 lbs. (Table 13).

Financial Support

In addition to the seed companies, this program has been supported by the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.

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Table 1. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields, Cumulative fruit weight, (x 100), per acre for early¹ season harvests 1 – 5. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category				Cumulative Totals 2	Avg. Wt. 3
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	10	179	190	184	563	7.4
Athena	6	314	102	46	468	5.8
Caribbean King	9	160	69	11	249	5.9
DuraWest	2	198	113	32	345	6.1
HSR 4414	7	388	130	10	535	5.8
Maxi-East	6	183	158	104	451	6.6
Astound (ME 3716)	12	315	126	52	505	6.1
Accolade (ME 3743)	15	292	180	10	497	6.0
NUN 26181	29	137	0*	0*	166	3.4
NUN 26191	3	218	0*	0*	221	4.4
Santa Monica Beach	12	374	10	11	407	5.0
SVMF 5196	6	294	92	0*	392	5.6
Sweet East	8	181	134	154	477	7.2
UGR 1594 13	10	428	34	0*	472	5.2
UGR 2101 14	7	532	90	0*	629	5.4
UGR 2102 14	8	240	200	51	499	6.5
USAMR 15331	1	106	0*	0*	107	5.5
USAMR 15332	3	101	166	104	374	8.0
Napoli	13	430	8	0*	451	4.6
Tasty Sherbet	12	434	116	21	583	5.7
Re-Start	0*	92	49	0*	141	6.1
Average LSD (0.05)	9 18	266 130	109 86	61 78	406 128	5.8 0.9

¹ Early harvests (1-5) : 15 – 25 July (52 – 62 days after planting).
² Cumulative total includes all fruit size categories.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.
** Each number for fruit size category and cumulative total is rounded to the nearest whole number. **

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Table 2. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields, Cumulative fruit number per acre for early¹ season harvests 1 -5. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category				Cumulative Totals 2
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	436	2940	2396	1851	7623
Athena	327	6098	1307	436	8168
Caribbean King	436	2831	871	109	4247
DuraWest	109	3920	1416	327	5772
HSR 4414	327	7296	1634	109	9365
Maxi-East	436	3376	1960	980	6752
Astound (ME 3716)	545	5554	1634	545	8276
Accolade (ME 3743)	653	5336	2287	109	8385
NUN 26181	1089	3812	0*	0*	4901
NUN 26191	109	4901	0*	0*	5009
Santa Monica Beach	545	7405	109	109	8168
SVMF 5196	218	5772	1198	0*	7187
Sweet East	327	3267	1634	1525	6752
UGR 1594 13	436	8385	436	0*	9257
UGR 2101 14	327	10128	1198	0*	11652
UGR 2102 14	327	4356	2505	545	7732
USAMR 15331	109	1851	0*	0*	1960
USAMR 15332	109	1742	2069	980	4901
Napoli	545	9148	109	0*	9801
Tasty Sherbet	762	7950	1525	218	10454
Re-Start	0*	1634	653	0*	2287
Average	408	5129	1385	603	7079
LSD (0.05)	751	2570	1073	780	2550

¹Early harvests (1-5) : 15 – 25 July (52 – 62 days after planting).
²Cumulative total includes all fruit size categories.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.
** Each number for fruit size category and cumulative total is rounded to the nearest whole number. **

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Table 3. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields; Percent¹ of fruit weight per indicated size category – Early harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	2	32	34	33
Athena	1	67	22	10
Caribbean King	4	64	28	4
DuraWest	1	57	33	9
HSR 4414	1	72	24	2
Maxi-East	1	41	35	23
Astound (ME 3716)	2	62	25	10
Accolade (ME 3743)	3	59	36	2
NUN 26181	17	83	0*	0*
NUN 26191	1	99	0*	0*
Santa Monica Beach	3	92	2	3
SVMF 5196	2	75	23	0*
Sweet East	2	38	28	32
UGR 1594 13	2	91	7	0*
UGR 2101 14	1	85	14	0*
UGR 2102 14	2	48	40	10
USAMR 15331	1	99	0*	0*
USAMR 15332	1	27	44	28
Napoli	3	95	2	0*
Tasty Sherbet	2	74	20	4
Re-Start	0*	65	35	0*
Average	3	68	25	13

¹Percentages for each fruit size category for each cultivar were rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 4. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields; Percent¹ of fruit number per indicated Fruit size category (FSC) – Early harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	6	39	31	24
Athena	4	75	16	5
Caribbean King	10	67	21	3
DuraWest	2	68	25	6
HSR 4414	3	78	17	1
Maxi-East	6	50	29	15
Astound (ME 3716)	7	67	20	7
Accolade (ME 3743)	8	64	27	1
NUN 26181	22	78	0*	0*
NUN 26191	2	98	0*	0*
Santa Monica Beach	7	91	1	1
SVMF 5196	3	80	17	0*
Sweet East	5	48	24	23
UGR 1594 13	5	91	5	0*
UGR 2101 14	3	87	10	0*
UGR 2102 14	4	56	32	7
USAMR 15331	6	94	0*	0*
USAMR 15332	2	36	42	20
Napoli	6	93	1	0*
Tasty Sherbet	7	76	15	2
Re-Start	0*	71	29	0*
Average	6	72	20	9

¹Percentages for each fruit size category for each cultivar were rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 5. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields, Cumulative fruit weight, (x 100), per acre for mid¹ season harvests 6 – 10. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category				Cumulative Totals 2	Avg. Wt. 3
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	0*	21	42	27	90	6.3
Athena	3	44	9	0*	56	5.1
Caribbean King	0*	161	33	0*	194	5.2
DuraWest	3	155	40	0*	198	5.6
HSR 4414	0*	47	17	0*	64	5.8
Maxi-East	5	54	60	73	192	7.4
Astound (ME 3716)	6	96	50	0*	152	5.9
Accolade (ME 3743)	3	70	8	0*	81	5.2
NUN 26181	39	226	0*	0*	265	3.5
NUN 26191	3	247	8	0*	258	4.5
Santa Monica Beach	6	39	16	20	81	6.4
SVMF 5196	2	37	0*	0*	39	5.2
Sweet East	0*	71	25	0*	96	5.3
UGR 1594 13	24	182	33	0*	239	4.6
UGR 2101 14	3	55	8	11	77	6.2
UGR 2102 14	2	158	26	0*	186	5.2
USAMR 15331	9	370	84	0*	463	5.4
USAMR 15332	5	68	164	166	403	7.3
Napoli	1	66	8	0*	75	4.6
Tasty Sherbet	0*	17	10	0*	27	6.2
Re-Start	0*	421	17	0*	438	4.8
Average	8	124	35	59	175	5.5
LSD (0.05)	13	80	60	118	110	1.9

¹Mid harvests (6-10) : 27July – 5 August (64 – 73 days after planting).
²Cumulative total includes all fruit size categories.
³Average fruit weights were determined using total cumulative weights and numbers from respective harvests.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 6. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields, Cumulative fruit number per acre for mid¹ season harvests 6 – 10. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category				Cumulative Totals 2
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	0*	545	545	218	1307
Athena	109	871	109	0*	1089
Caribbean King	0*	3158	436	0*	3594
DuraWest	109	2940	545	0*	3594
HSR 4414	0*	871	218	0*	1089
Maxi-East	218	980	762	653	2614
Astound (ME 3716)	218	1742	653	0*	2614
Accolade (ME 3743)	109	1307	109	0*	1525
NUN 26181	1634	5990	0*	0*	7623
NUN 26191	109	5554	109	0*	5772
Santa Monica Beach	327	653	218	218	1416
SVMF 5196	109	653	0*	0*	762
Sweet East	0*	1307	327	0*	1634
UGR 1594 13	1089	3920	436	0*	5445
UGR 2101 14	109	980	109	109	1307
UGR 2102 14	109	2940	327	0*	3376
USAMR 15331	327	7079	1089	0*	8494
USAMR 15332	327	1307	2069	1525	5227
Napoli	109	1307	109	0*	1525
Tasty Sherbet	0*	327	109	0*	436
Re-Start	0*	8821	218	0*	9039
Average	334	2536	447	545	3308
LSD (0.05)	558	1519	780	1058	1830

¹Mid harvests (6-10) : 27 July – 5 August (64 – 73 days after planting).
²Cumulative total includes all fruit size categories.
** Each number for fruit size category and cumulative total is rounded to the nearest whole number. **
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 7. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields; Percent¹ of fruit weight per indicated size category- Mid Season harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	0*	23	47	30
Athena	5	79	16	0*
Caribbean King	0*	83	17	0*
DuraWest	2	78	20	0*
HSR 4414	0*	73	27	0*
Maxi-East	3	28	31	38
Astound (ME 3716)	4	63	33	0*
Accolade (ME 3743)	4	86	10	0*
NUN 26181	15	85	0*	0*
NUN 26191	1	96	3	0*
Santa Monica Beach	7	48	20	25
SVMF 5196	5	95	0*	0*
Sweet East	0*	74	26	0*
UGR 1594 13	10	76	14	0*
UGR 2101 14	4	71	10	14
UGR 2102 14	1	85	14	0*
USAMR 15331	2	80	18	0*
USAMR 15332	1	17	41	41
Napoli	1	88	11	0*
Tasty Sherbet	0*	63	37	0*
Re-Start	0*	96	4	0*
Average	4	71	21	30

¹Percentages for each fruit size category for each cultivar were rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 8. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields; Percent¹ fruit number per indicated size category – Mid Season harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	0*	42	42	17
Athena	10	80	10	0*
Caribbean King	0*	88	12	0*
DuraWest	3	82	15	0*
HSR 4414	0*	8	20	0*
Maxi-East	8	38	29	25
Astound (ME 3716)	8	67	25	0*
Accolade (ME 3743)	7	86	7	0*
NUN 26181	21	79	0*	0*
NUN 26191	2	96	2	0*
Santa Monica Beach	23	46	15	15
SVMF 5196	14	86	0*	0*
Sweet East	0*	80	20	0*
UGR 1594 13	20	72	8	0*
UGR 2101 14	8	75	8	8
UGR 2102 14	3	87	10	0*
USAMR 15331	4	83	13	0*
USAMR 15332	6	25	40	29
Napoli	7	86	7	0*
Tasty Sherbet	0*	75	25	0*
Re-Start	0*	98	2	0*
Average	10	70	16	19

¹Percentages for each fruit size category for each cultivar were rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 9. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields, Cumulative fruit weight, (x 100), per acre for late¹ season harvests 11 – 16. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category				Cumulative Totals 2	Avg. Wt. 3
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	4	73	62	66	205	7.2
Athena	5	85	25	26	141	5.6
Caribbean King	10	73	0*	22	105	4.6
DuraWest	0*	42	16	0*	58	5.8
HSR 4414	0*	56	0*	0*	56	5.3
Maxi-East	3	57	25	38	123	6.8
Astound (ME 3716)	3	107	58	21	189	6.3
Accolade (ME 3743)	16	176	84	11	287	5.6
NUN 26181	14	170	0*	0*	184	4.0
NUN 26191	3	222	0*	0*	225	4.7
Santa Monica Beach	5	90	26	0*	121	5.2
SVMF 5196	0*	19	0*	0*	19	4.5
Sweet East	0*	42	16	25	83	7.4
UGR 1594 13	12	31	0*	0*	43	3.3
UGR 2101 14	5	95	16	0*	116	4.9
UGR 2102 14	5	7	0*	0*	12	6.2
USAMR 15531	0*	43	9	0*	52	5.7
USAMR 15332	0*	39	0*	12	51	5.3
Napoli	3	84	0*	*	87	4.4
Tasty Sherbet	2	149	37	12	200	5.2
Re-Start	4	67	0*	0*	71	4.2
Average	6	82	34	26	116	5.3
LSD (0.05)	14	76	56	44	94	2

¹Late harvests (11-16) : 8 – 22 August (76 – 93 days after planting).
²Cumulative total includes all fruit size categories.
³Average fruit weights were determined using total cumulative weights and numbers from respective harvests.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 10. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields, Cumulative fruit number per acre for late¹ season harvests 11 – 16. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category				Cumulative Totals 2
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	218	1416	762	653	3049
Athena	327	1742	327	218	2614
Caribbean King	436	1416	0*	218	2069
DuraWest	0*	762	218	0*	980
HSR 4414	0*	1089	0*	0*	1089
Maxi-East	109	1089	327	327	1851
Astound (ME 3716)	109	1960	762	218	3049
Accolade (ME 3743)	653	3267	1089	109	5118
NUN 26181	545	4138	0*	0*	4683
NUN 26191	109	4683	0*	0*	4792
Santa Monica Beach	218	1742	327	0*	2287
SVMF 5196	0*	436	0*	0*	436
Sweet East	0*	653	218	218	1089
UGR 1594 13	545	653	0*	0*	1198
UGR 2101 14	218	1851	218	0*	2287
UGR 2102 14	0*	109	0*	0*	109
USAMR 15331	0*	980	109	0*	1089
USAMR 15332	109	762	0*	109	980
Napoli	545	1742	0*	0*	2287
Tasty Sherbet	109	3158	436	109	3812
Re-Start	218	1525	0*	0*	1742
Average	298	1675	436	242	2219
LSD (0.05)	594	1572	723	406	1860

¹Late harvests (11-16) :8 – 22 August (76 – 93 days after planting).
²Cumulative total includes all fruit size categories.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.
** Each number for fruit size category and cumulative total is rounded to the nearest whole number. **

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Table 11. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields; Percent¹ of fruit weight per indicated size category – Late harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	2	36	30	32
Athena	4	60	18	18
Caribbean King	10	70	0*	21
DuraWest	0*	72	28	0*
HSR 4414	0*	100	0*	0*
Maxi-East	2	46	20	31
Astound (ME 3716)	2	57	31	11
Accolade (ME 3743)	6	61	29	4
NUN 26181	8	92	0*	0
NUN 26191	1	99	0*	0*
Santa Monica Beach	4	74	21	0*
SVMF 5196	0*	100	0*	0*
Sweet East	0*	51	19	30
UGR 1594 13	28	72	0*	0*
UGR 2101 14	4	82	14	0*
UGR 2102 14	42	58	0*	0*
USAMR 15331	0*	83	17	0*
USAMR 15332	0*	76	0*	24
Napoli	3	97	0*	0*
Tasty Sherbet	1	75	19	6
Re-Start	6	94	0*	0*
Average	8	74	22	18

¹Percentages for each fruit size category for each cultivar were rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 12. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields; Percent¹ fruit number per indicated size category – Late harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	7	46	25	21
Athena	13	67	13	8
Caribbean King	21	68	0*	11
DuraWest	0*	78	22	0*
HSR 4414	0*	100	0*	0*
Maxi-East	6	59	18	18
Astound (ME 3716)	4	64	25	7
Accolade (ME 3743)	13	64	21	2
NUN 26181	12	88	0*	0*
NUN 26191	2	98	0*	0*
Santa Monica Beach	10	76	14	0*
SVMF 5196	0*	100	0*	0*
Sweet East	0*	60	20	20
UGR 1594 13	45	55	0*	0*
UGR 2101 14	10	81	10	0*
UGR 2102 14	0*	100	0*	0*
USAMR 15331	0*	90	10	0*
USAMR 15332	11	78	0*	11
Napoli	24	76	0*	0*
Tasty Sherbet	3	83	11	3
Re-Start	13	88	0*	0*
Average	13	77	17	11

¹Percentages for each fruit size category for each cultivar were rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 13. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields¹, Cumulative fruit weight, (x 100), per acre across all 16 harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category				Cumulative Totals 2	Avg. Wt. 3
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	13	274	293	277	857	7.2
Athena	14	443	136	71	664	5.7
Caribbean King	19	395	101	33	548	5.5
DuraWest	4	394	169	32	599	5.8
HSR 4414	7	491	147	10	655	5.8
Maxi-East	14	294	243	215	766	6.8
Astound (ME 3716)	20	517	234	72	843	6.0
Accolade (ME 3743)	34	538	272	21	865	5.8
NUN 26181	82	532	0*	0*	614	3.6
NUN 26191	8	688	8	0*	704	4.5
Santa Monica Beach	23	503	52	31	609	5.1
SVMF 5196	8	347	92	0*	447	5.3
Sweet East	8	294	175	178	655	6.9
UGR 1594 13	46	641	67	0*	754	5.0
UGR 2101 14	15	682	114	11	822	5.4
UGR 2102 14	9	403	226	51	689	6.2
USAMR 15331	11	519	92	0*	622	5.4
USAMR 15332	11	209	330	282	832	7.6
Napoli	26	580	16	0*	622	4.6
Tasty Sherbet	14	601	162	32	809	5.6
Re-Start	4	580	66	0*	650	5.0
Average	19	473	150	94	696	5.6
LSD (0.05)	24	142	112	100	136	0.6

¹Melons were harvested 3 times per week.
²Cumulative total includes all fruit size categories.
³Average fruit weights were determined using total cumulative weights and numbers from respective harvests.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 14. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields¹, Cumulative fruit number per acre across all 16 harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category				Cumulative Totals 2
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	653	4901	3703	2723	11979
Athena	762	8712	1742	653	11870
Caribbean King	871	7405	1307	327	9910
DuraWest	218	7623	2178	327	10346
HSR 4414	327	9257	1851	109	11543
Maxi-East	762	5445	3049	1960	11217
Astound (ME 3716)	871	9257	3049	762	13939
Accolade (ME 3743)	1416	9910	3485	218	15028
NUN 26181	3267	13939	0*	0*	17206
NUN 26191	327	15137	109	0*	15573
Santa Monica Beach	1089	9801	653	327	11870
SVMF 5196	327	6861	1198	0	8385
Sweet East	327	5227	2178	1742	9474
UGR 1594 13	2069	12959	871	0*	15899
UGR 2101 14	653	12959	1525	109	15246
UGR 2102 14	436	7405	2831	545	11217
USAMR 15331	436	9910	1198	0*	11543
USAMR 15332	545	3812	4138	2614	11108
Napoli	1198	12197	218	0*	13613
Tasty Sherbet	871	11435	2069	327	14702
Re-Start	218	11979	871	0*	13068
Average	840	9339	1911	849	12606
LSD (0.05)	1021	2834	1414	939	2654

¹Melons were harvested 3 times per week.
²Cumulative total includes all fruit size categories.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.
** Each number for fruit size category and cumulative total is rounded to the nearest whole number. **

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Table 15. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields; Percent¹ of fruit weight per indicated size category – Cumulative harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	2	32	34	32
Athena	2	67	20	11
Caribbean King	3	72	18	6
DuraWest	1	66	28	5
HSR 4414	1	75	22	2
Maxi-East	2	38	32	28
Astound (ME 3716)	2	61	28	9
Accolade (ME 3743	4	62	31	2
NUN 26181	13	87	0*	0*
NUN 26191	1	98	1	0*
Santa Monica Beac	4	83	9	5
SVMF 5196	2	78	21	0*
Sweet East	1	45	27	27
UGR 1594 13	6	85	9	0*
UGR 2101 14	2	83	14	1
UGR 2102 14	1	58	33	7
USAMR 15331	2	83	15	0*
USAMR 15332	1	25	40	34
Napoli	4	93	3	0*
Tasty Sherbet	2	74	20	4
Re-Start	1	89	10	0*
Average	3	69	21	12

¹Percentages for each fruit size category for each cultivar were rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 16. Muskmelon cultigen trial yields; Percent¹ fruit number per indicated size category – Cumulative harvests. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Fruit size category
	< 3 lb	3-7 lb	7.1 – 9 lb	> 9 lb
Aphrodite	5	41	31	23
Athena	6	73	15	6
Caribbean King	9	75	13	3
DuraWest	2	74	21	3
HSR 4414	3	80	16	1
Maxi-East	7	49	27	17
Astound (ME 3716)	6	66	22	5
Accolade (ME 3743)	9	66	23	1
NUN 26181	19	81	0*	0*
NUN 26191	2	97	1	0*
Santa Monica Beach	9	83	6	3
SVMF 5196	4	82	14	0*
Sweet East	3	55	23	18
UGR 1594 13	13	82	5	0*
UGR 2101 14	4	85	10	1
UGR 2102 14	4	66	25	5
USAMR 15331	4	86	10	0*
USAMR 15332	5	34	37	24
Napoli	9	90	2	0
Tasty Sherbet	6	78	14	2
Re-Start	2	92	7	0*
Average	6	73	16	7

¹Percentages for each fruit size category for each cultivar were rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Data entered as zeros were not included in statistical analysis.

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Table 17. Muskmelon cultigen trial percentage of fruit number harvested among varying harvest intervals. Kinston, NC, 2016.

Cultivar	Early Harvests1	Mid Harvests2	Late Harvests3
Aphrodite	64	11	25
Athena	69	9	22
Caribbean King	43	36	21
DuraWest	56	35	9
HSR 4414	81	9	9
Maxi-East	60	23	17
Astound (ME 3716)	59	19	22
Accolade (ME 3743)	56	10	34
NUN 26181	28	44	27
NUN 26191	32	37	31
Santa Monica Beach	69	12	19
SVMF 5196	86	9	5
Sweet East	71	17	11
UGR 1594 13	58	34	8
UGR 2101 14	76	9	15
UGR 2102 14	69	30	1
USAMR 15331	17	74	9
USAMR 15332	44	47	9
Napoli	72	11	17
Tasty Sherbet	71	3	26
Re-Start	18	69	13
Average	57	26	17

¹Early harvests (1-5) : 15 – 25 July (52 – 62 days after planting).
²Mid harvests (6-10) : 27 July – 5 August (64 – 73 days after planting).
³Late harvests (11-16) : 8 – 22 August (76 – 93 days after planting).

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Table 18.1. Eastern muskmelon hybrid cultivar trial. Descriptive characteristics and interior fruit quality. Kinston, N.C., 2016.¹

Cultivar	SS2	Sutures3	Netting Density 4	Netting Type5	Stem Scar6	Stem Splitting7
Aphrodite	13.4	1.7	2.0	2.9	2.4	1.5
Athena	12.5	1.5	2.4	2.3	2.0	1.5
Caribbean King	13.6	1.1	2.5	2.1	.	.
DuraWest	13.4	1.1	2.1	2.3	.	.
HSR 4414	12.5	1.2	2.4	3.4	.	.
Maxi-East	13.7	1.5	2.4	2.9	2.2	1.2
Astound (ME 3716)	13.0	1.5	2.0	2.0	1.9	1.5
Accolade (ME 3743)	13.4	1.5	2.1	1.9	2.0	2.0
NUN 26181	14.3	1.1	2.1	1.1	.	.
NUN 26191	14.3	1.0	1.9	1.3	.	.
Santa Monica Beach	13.4	1.2	1.8	2.8	2.2	2.0
SVMF 5196	13.8	1.3	1.9	1.8	1.8	1.3
Sweet East	13.0	1.4	2.3	2.8	1.9	1.0
UGR 1594 13	13.6	1.1	3.4	3.3	.	.
UGR 2101 14	13.0	1.1	1.8	3.5	2.0	1.8
UGR 2102 14	13.9	1.3	2.4	3.0	.	.
USAMR 15331	14.7	1.0	2.9	2.5	.	.
USAMR 15332	11.0	1.3	3.0	2.0	.	.
Napoli	14.1	3.0	2.4	2.6	2.0	2.5
Tasty Sherbet	12.9	3.0	2.3	3.3	2.3	2.0
Re-Start	13.5	1.1	2.6	2.0	.	.
Average	13.4	1.4	2.3	2.5	2.1	1.7
LSD (0.05)	1.1	0.1	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.7

¹Most measurements were obtained from fruits in harvests 2-6.
²SS = Indicates sweetness, average of 5 melons per replication (20 total).
³Sutures: 1 = none, 3=moderate, 5 = deep.
⁴Netting Density: 1=none, 5=dense.
⁵Netting Type: 1 = fine, 5 =thick ropy.
⁶Stem Scar: 1 = small, 3=medium, 5 = large (unattractive).
⁷Stem Splitting: 1= none, 5 = extensive (unmarketable).

Table 18.2. Eastern muskmelon hybrid cultivar trial. Descriptive characteristics and interior fruit quality. Kinston, N.C., 2016

Cultivar	LD8	Flesh Color9	Flesh Firmness10	Cavity11	Shape12	Size13	Foliage Cover14
Aphrodite	1.6	3.0	2.9	2.5	4.1	3.8	3.5
Athena	1.7	2.9	2.9	2.0	3.5	3.9	3.1
Caribbean King	1.2	2.9	4.6	2.1	5.0	3.8	3.4
DuraWest	1.1	3.4	5.6	1.6	4.6	3.6	4.0
HSR 4414	1.4	3.0	3.4	1.7	3.5	3.4	2.8
Maxi-East	1.4	2.9	3.6	2.4	4.1	4.0	3.9
Astound (ME 3716)	1.4	2.9	3.8	1.9	4.3	3.8	3.5
Accolade (ME 3743)	1.3	2.5	3.6	2.1	4.6	4.4	3.3
NUN 26181	1	4.6	5.5	1.0	5.0	4.3	4.6
NUN 26191	1	4.5	5.4	1.0	5.0	4.4	4.6
Santa Monica Beach	1.4	2.9	3.4	1.8	4.3	3.5	3.9
SVMF 5196	1.3	2.7	3.7	2.0	4.6	4.3	3.6
Sweet East	1.4	3.4	4.6	1.7	4.5	4.3	3.6
UGR 1594 13	1.2	2.8	4.1	1.3	5.0	4.0	3.1
UGR 2101 14	1.3	2.8	3.3	1.4	4.3	3.9	3.3
UGR 2102 14	1.3	3.0	4.9	1.9	3.9	3.3	2.6
USAMR 15331	1.3	2.7	5.4	1.7	4.5	4.3	3.5
USAMR 15332	1.2	2.9	3.8	2.0	5.0	4.5	3.3
Napoli	1.4	2.4	3.1	1.6	4.6	4.0	3.3
Tasty Sherbet	1.4	2.6	4.1	1.9	4.8	4.0	3.1
Re-Start	1.2	3.4	4.3	1.4	4.9	4.3	4.1
Average	1.3	3.1	4.1	1.8	4.5	4.0
LSD (0.05)	0.2	0.6	1.0	0.6	0.4	0.6	0.7

⁸ LD = Length and diameter ratio, average of 5 melons per replication.
⁹ Flesh color: 1 = pale orange, 5 = deep orange.
¹⁰ Flesh Firmness is represented in pounds.
¹¹ Cavity: 1=small, 2=medium, 3=large
¹² Shape: 1=all fruit are various, 3 = majority are the same, 5 = all fruit same shape.
¹³ Size: 1=all fruit are various, 3 = majority are the same, 5 = all fruit same size.
¹⁴Foliage cover: 1 = no fruit covered, 5 = all fruit covered (lush).