It is important vegetable crop of India. These are mother fruits of several better-known cultivars. Muskmelon is native to Iran, Anatolia and Armenia. Muskmelon is rich source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. It contains about 90% of water and 9% Carbohydrates. In India muskmelon growing state includes Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.

It grows well in deep fertile and well-drained soil. It gives best result when grown on well drained loam soil. Soil having poor drainage capacity is not suited for Muskmelon cultivation. Follow crop rotation as continuous growing of same crop on same field leads loss of nutrients, poor yield and more disease attack. PH of soil should be in between 6-7. Alkaline soil with high salt concentration is not suitable for cultivation.

Hara Madhu: Late maturing variety. Fruits are of large size, round shape having average weight of about one kg. Skin is of light yellow color. TSS contain is about 13% and very sweet in test. Flesh is of green color, thick and juicy. Seeds are of small size. It is resistant to powdery mildew. It gives average yield of 50qtl/acre. The variety is suitable for whole India and the variety matures in 70-80 days.

Pusa Sharbati: Released by IARI, New Delhi. The flesh of fruits is light pink and medium sweet in taste. The vine has an average length of 1.5m. The variety is suitable for growing in whole India.

Arka Rajhans: Released by Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore. It is an early maturing variety. Fruits are egg shaped, large and brown in color. Fruits have an average weight of 1-1.5kg and the fruits have good storage capacity. Fruits flesh is thick and white in color. Fruits are very delicious in taste. Fruits contain 12-14% TSS content. The variety is resistant to powdery fungus. It gives an average yield of 133qtl/acre. The variety is suitable for whole India and the variety matures in 65-70 days.

Arka Jeet: Released by Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore. It is an early variety. It has small fruits, round and is orange in color. The fruits have an average weight of 600-800gm. Fruits are sweet in taste which contains 15-17% TSS content. It is a rich source of Vitamin C which contains 41.6mg Vitamin C per 100gm fruit. The variety matures in 80-90 days.

Durgapur Madhu: Released by Rajasthan Agricultural Department, Jaipur. The fruits have an average weight of 500-700gm per fruit. Fruits are light green in color. Fruits flesh is green in color. Fruits are very sweet in taste which contains 12% TSS content. The variety matures in 90-100 days.

Pusa Madhuras: Released by IARI, New Delhi. It has round flat shape fruits. Peel is smooth and yellow in color, which has green stripes on it. Flesh is orange in color and is aromatic. Fruits are sweet and it gives an average yield of 50-66qtl/acre.
 
Pusa Rasraj: Released by IARI, New Delhi. Fruits are long, smooth and are stripeless. It has green color flesh which is sweet in taste. It is high yield giving variety. It gives an average yield of 100qtl/acre.

Plough land and bring to fine tilth. In north India, sowing is done in middle of February month. In North east and west India sowing is done during November to January.

Time of sowing
Sowing is done in January-February month and April –May month.

Spacing
Use plant to plant spacing of 150cm and row to row spacing of 50cm.

Sowing Depth
Plant seed about 1.5cm deep.

Method of sowing
For Sowing dibbling method and transplanting methods can be used.
Transplanting: Sow seeds in polythene bag of 15cmx12cm size with thickness of 100 gauge in last week of January or first week of February. Fill polythene bag with equal proportion of well rotten cow dung and soil. Seedlings are ready for transplantation by end of February or first week of March. Transplantation is done for 25-30 days old seedlings. Apply irrigation immediately after transplantation.   
 

Seed Rate
For sowing one acre land, seed rate of 1.6kg seeds are required.

Seed Treatment
Before sowing treat seed with Carbendazim@2gm/kg of seeds. After chemical treat seeds with Trichoderma viridi@4gm per kg of seeds. Dry seeds in shade and then do sowing immediately.

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

Apply Farm Yard Manure or well decomposed cowdung@10-15tonnes per acre. Apply Nitrogen@14kg, Phosphorus@3kg and Potash@12kg in form of Urea@31kg, Single Super Phosphate@20kg and Muriate of Potash@20kg per acre. Apply whole amount of Phosphorus, Potash and one third amount of Nitrogen before sowing seed. Apply remaining dose of Nitrogen near vines base, avoid touching it and mixed well in soil during initial growth period. 
 
When crop is of 10-15 days old, for good growth of crop along with good quality, take spray of 19:19:19+Micro-nutrients@ 2-3gm/Ltr of water. Prevent flower drop and increase yield up to 10% take spray of Humic acid@3ml + MAP (12:61:00)@5gm/Ltr of water at flowering stage. Spray Salicylic Acid(4-5 tabs of Aspirin Tablet 350mg)/15Ltr water at initial flowering, fruiting and maturity stage, One or two times with 30days interval. After 55days of sowing spray 13:0:45@100gm + Hexaconazole @25ml/15Ltr water for fast development of fruits and protection against powdery mildew. 65days after sowing to increase in fruit size, sweetness and colour take spray with 00:00:50 @1.5kg/acre using 100gm/15Ltr of water.
 

Keep bed weed free during early stage of growth. In absence of proper control measures, weed can cause yield loss of 30%. 15-20days after sowing, carry out interculture operations. Depending upon severity and intensity of weeds, two to three weeding are required.
 

Apply irrigation, every week in summer season. At time of maturity give irrigation only when needed. Avoid over flooding in watermelon field. At time of applying irrigation, should not wet the vines or vegetative parts, especially during flowering and fruit-set. Avoid frequent irrigation in heavy soil as it will promote excessive vegetative growth. For better sweetness and flavor, stop irrigation or reduce watering 3-6days before harvesting.

• Pest and their control:
  

Aphid and Thrips: They suck the sap from the leaves resulting in yellowing and drooping of leaves. Thrips results in curling of leaves, leaves become cup shaped or curved upward.

If infestation is observed in field, to control spray the crop with Thiamethoxam@5gm/15Ltr of water. If infestation of sucking pest and powdery/downy mildew is observed, take spray of Thiamethoxam and 15days after spraying, spray with Dimethoate@10ml+Tridemorph@10ml/10Ltr of water.

Leaf Miner: Maggots of leaf miner feed on leaf and make serpentine mines into leaf. It affects the photosynthesis and fruit formation.

If infestation of leaf miner is observed, take spray of Abamectin@6ml/15Ltr of water.
 

Fruit fly: It is a serious pest. Females lay eggs below epidermis of young fruits. Later on maggots feed on pulp afterward fruits starts rotting.

Remove and destroyed infected fruits away from field. If infestation is observed, at initial stage take spray of Neem seed kernal extracts@50gm/Ltr of water. Take spray of Malathion@20ml + Jaggery@100gm in 10litre of water 3-4times at 10days interval.
 

• Disease and their control:

Powdery Mildew: Patchy, white powdery growth appears on upper surface of leaves and also on main stem of infected plant. It parasitizes the plant using it as a food source. In severe infestation it causes defoliation and premature fruit ripening.

If infestation is observed take spray of water soluble Sulphur@20gm/10Ltr of water 2-3times with interval of 10days.

Sudden wilt: It can affect crop at any stage. Plant get weak and give yellow appearance at initial stage, in severe infestation complete wilting is observed.

Avoid waterlogging in field. Destroy infected parts away from field. Apply Trichoderma Viride@1kg/acre mixed with 50kg FYM or well decomposed cowdung. If infestation is observed, take spray of Mancozeb or Copper Oxychloride@2.5gm/liter or Carbendazim or Thiophanate-methyl@1gm/liter of water.

Anthracnose: Anthracnose affected foliage appears scorched appearance.

As a preventive measure, treat seed with Carbendazim@2gm/kg of seed. If infestation is observed in field, take spray of Mancozeb@2gm or Carbendazim@0.5gm/liter of water.

Downy Mildew: It occurs frequently in muskmelon and less in case of watermelon. Yellowing occurs on upper side of leaves. Later yellowing get increases and center of leaves turning brown. Underside of leaves white-gray light blue fungus appears. Cloudy, rainy and humid conditions are favorable for spread of this disease.

If infestation is observed in field, take spray of Metalaxyl 8%+Mancozeb 64% WP (Ridomil)@2gm/Ltr of water.

Harvesting of Haramadhu should be done when fruits turn to yellow. Harvest other variety depending upon market distance. For long distance markets harvest fruits at mature green stage where as for local markets harvest at half-slip stage. A slight depression of the stem end indicates half-slip stage.

After harvesting do precooling to reduce field heat. Grading is done on basis of size of fruit. Muskmelons harvested at partial slip can be held for up to 15 days at 2° to 5°C at 95% relative humidity whereas Muskmelons harvested at full slip can be held for 5 to 14 days at 0° to 2.2°C at 95% relative humidity.