Salt Tolerance of Muskmelons Grown in Different Salinity Soils

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of diluted sea water on the growth and fruit quality of muskmelons grown in different salinity soils. Two kinds of soil were used as a soil medium, one, a new soil, which was a virgin paddy soil, and the other, a used soil, salinized at different levels in which tomatoes had been cultured. The plant height, leaf dry weight, fruit fresh weight, and soluble solids were markedly decreased at 1, 000ppm Cl in new soil, whereas they gradually decreased in used soil as sea water concentrations were increased from 0 to 1, 000ppm Cl. The visual salt injury, such as necrosis on the leaves and wilting of leaf margins, appeared at 1, 000ppm Cl in new soil, and from 250 to 1, 000ppm Cl in used soil. The Na, Ca, Mg and Cl content in leaves tended to increase in both new and used soils with increasing sea water concentrations. The Cl in fruit increased from 250 to 1, 000ppm Cl in new soil, and from 0 to 1, 000ppm Cl in used soil with increasing sea water concentrations. The Cl, exchangeable Na, K and Mg, and EC value in the soil increased as sea water concentrations increased, although Cl and exchangeable K content in the new soil from 0 to 250ppm Cl was not significantly different.