TO KNOW MELON

This article talk about many varieties of melon grown for performance observation by a seed company that I visit last week in Rawang, Selangor. This trips was fruitful to me after a serious discussion with our group members talk about melon industry in Malaysia. From my study shown that melon industry in Malaysia are growing for only 120 hectare in 2005 to about 1,220 hectare in 2010. The musk melon is the most popular melon grown by local farmers. The white musk melon planted on open pollinated farm as major crop or as substitute crop.

This new yellow melon are medium small size with reference number 8 in the row. The fruit are yellow in color and leaves are resistance to disease.

This is a cantaloupe varieties with green and netted structure. The fruit weigh about 1.0 - 1.5 kg each and able to reach up to 15 Brix meeter reading. There are about 12 cantaloupe melon varieties observed for agronomic recording activities.

This green unknown fruit shape are new variety imported from outside. The fruit are roundish with white yellowish flesh. The performance are unknown as this crop variety is recently introduced in Malaysia.

This is another varieties of Cantaloupe variety that is smaller average size fro the above cantaloupe. The netted system are fine and the average weight about 850 - 1.2 kg each.

This melon lookalike Ordinary Musk Melon but actually is not. The fruit skin is creamy white with this skin and claimed very sweet up to 15 brix reading. From my observation this variety are very susceptible to the attack of leaf antracnose. Compare to other varieties in the similar plat it was very significant severity damage by antracnose.

Yes...It is a type of another Cantaloupe Melon Variety with carry no 11 in the registration number. The fruit are big and with orange flesh colour. This variety has medium resistance to antracnose attack.

This whitish netted cantaloupe has better performance in the group. This variety among the toughest variety from the leaf antracnose attack.

This melon has a soft yellow skin colour but the leaves are not resistance to hot temperature and the attack ole antracnose. The fruit size are medium small weigh about 450 - 700 gram.

This is the high performance cantaloupe melon among all. The tree and the leaves are vigorous and the fruit are among the biggest in size weigh about 1.2 - 1.6 kg each. According to the researcher this variety able to reach 12-14 brixs meter reading constantly.

The melon industry in the world about 90% are grown horizontally and only 5-10 % grown vertically using fertigation technology under rain shelter structure. Malaysia among nation nowadays crazy to grow melon using expensive rainshelter system. There are more study to conduct about growing melon in Malaysia especially on the economic return due to various problems such as the attack of Powdery Mildew, Virus by Aphids and Antracnose issue. Many local farmers scared to grow melon on open area based on their experience of losing thousands of ringgits in previous years. When I met Dr Ineke and Dr Monica recently from Holland , they introduced a knowledge how to control aphid that was a virus carrier in the netted structure. More to learn about how the aphids able to destruct our melon tree.

Thanks.

By,

M Anem

Putrajaya

Malaysia