Agronomic and quality evaluation of Spanish landraces of melon grown under organic farming in Extremadura. C.G. Gil-Torralvo, J. Gutiérrez-Perera, A. EstebanPerdigón, J. Gragera-Facundo, J.M. Cano-Suárez and C. Ávila-Lozano. Centro de Investigación Agraria de la Finca "La OrdenValdesequera", E-06187 Guadajira (Badajoz) E-mail:
[email protected]
Justification Increasing interest in: - Sensory quality of food. - Nutritional value. - Safety. - Respect with the environment.
There is an increasing market of melons: - Produced under organic culture conditions. - With a good and differenciate sensory quality.
Some melon landraces could be adequate for this market.
Objectives General: -To select different types of Spanish landraces well adapted to organic culture techniques under the environmental conditions of Extremadura (Spain). Specific: -Morphologic characterization. -Agronomic characterization. -Quality characterization. -Selection of the best materials.
Material and methods (plant material)
Cultivar code or name
Seed procedence
Origin
Local name
BGV-010034
COMAV
Villanueva de la Serena; Badajoz
Amarillo manchado
BGV-010035
COMAV
Villanueva de la Serena; Badajoz
Melón verdial
BGV-010036
COMAV
Esparragalejo; Badajoz
Melón señorito
BGV-010037
COMAV
Esparragalejo; Badajoz
Melón banda de Godoy
BGV-010038
COMAV
Esparragalejo; Badajoz
Melón culo de melón
BGV-010039
COMAV
Esparragalejo; Badajoz
Amarillo rayado temprano
BGV-010040
COMAV
Valencia de Alcantara; Cáceres
Melón tortuga pinta caballo
BGV-010141
COMAV
Don Benito; Badajoz
Melona
BGV-010142
COMAV
Don Benito; Badajoz
Melón verdejo
BGV-010143
COMAV
La Haba, Badajoz
Melon amarillo
BGV-010144
COMAV
La Haba, Badajoz
Melon verde
BGV-010145
COMAV
La Haba, Badajoz
Cosio
BGV-010146
COMAV
La Haba, Badajoz
Melona de la Haba
BGV-010879
COMAV
Alburquerque; Badajoz
Melón corriente
BGV-010880
COMAV
Villafranca de los Barros; Badajoz
Melón rochet
Cm-15
IMIDA
Murcia
Melón piel de sapo
MU-C-31
IMIDA
Murcia
Melón amarillo
MU-C-47
IMIDA
Murcia
Melón tendral
MU-C-7-2
IMIDA
Murcia
Melón piel de sapo
Seda
Commercial
Semillas Fitó S.A.
Material and methods (cultivation) Seedling production: ¾ Peat (70%blond-30%black)
¼ Sheep manure
Soil preparation before transplanting: Subsoil tillage Harrowing Fertilization before transplanting: sheep manure (58-55-40 fertilizer units per hectare) Plant bed preparation with rotary tiller Installation of drip irrigation
Transplant to the prepared soil: May 14th Experimental design: Three randomized blocks Elemental plot: 1 m × 10 m bed (1 plant row in the middle of the bed. 0,9 m between plants in the row: 7407 plants per hectare)
Cultivation techniques after transplanting: Manual weeding out: three times Fertirrigation : organic liquid fertilizer from sheep Manure (118, 53 and 114 total F.U × ha -1) Phytosanitary treatments: -1 with copper oxichloryde to prevent powdery mildew -3 with sulphur powder against cucumber mildew and acarid pests -1 with potash soap against aphids All the cultivation was made according with the European an Spanish reglamentations on organic agriculture
Material and methods (sampling and analysis) During the whole cultivation period: Morphologic characterization of plants, flowers and fruits (IPGRI descriptors) Cucumber mildew tolerance was estimated by appearance of visual symptoms
In the harvest and after: -Yield, Kg x ha-1 The trial was harvested between July 29th and August 12th. Each cultivar was harvested twice. Yield was estimated weighing the whole commercial fruits of each plot. Average fruit weight was measured dividing the commercial yield by the fruit number. -ºBrix and pH Samples of 5 fruits per plot. One flesh slice of each fruit was cut from the pedicel to the pistil scar. The five slices were crushed and homogenised. The ºbrix and pH of this homogenised was measured. -Simple sensory evaluation Made only in cultivars with high ºBrix. Four people evaluated sweetness taste, flavour and texture.
Data were submitted to ANOVA considering block and cultivar as fixed factors. When pFs were significant, Student Newman Keul´s test were made.
Results (agronomic traits) Cucumber mildew Cultivar
1
resistance
-1 Yield (t × ha )
Fruit weight (kg)
BGV-010034
Sensible
31,2±11,5 abc
1,38±0,23 ef
BGV-010035
Sensible
24,8±7,4 c
1,51±0,49 def
BGV-010036
Tolerant
41,0±21,6 abc
1,99±0,95 abcde
BGV-010037
Tolerant
35,9±8,5 abc
1,88±0,33 bcdef
BGV-010038 BGV-010039 BGV-010040
Tolerant Resistant Segregant
69,1±28,3 ab 58,9±17,1 abc 73,0±41,2 a
2,45±0,47 abc 2,00±0,25 abcde 2,03±0,26 abcde
BGV-010141
Segregant
52,5±15,9 abc
1,64±0,56 cdef
BGV-010142
Tolerant
24,1±15,4 c
1,30±0,30 ef
BGV-010143
Sensible
26,3±5,5 bc
1,16±0,35 ef
BGV-010144
Sensible
43,9±7,0 abc
1,52±0,35 def
BGV-010145
Sensible
29,6±2,0 abc
1,04±0,10 f
BGV-010146
Resistant
35,0±10,9 abc
1,31±0,31 ef
BGV-010879
Segregant
45,7±11,9 abc
2,79±0,32 a
BGV-010880
Sensible
31,6±19,2 abc
1,55±0,18 def
Cm-15
Resistant
39,9±27,4 abc
2,34±0,45 abcd
MU-C-31
Resistant
41,3±12,7 abc
1,42±0,17 ef
MU-C-47
Resistant
33,3±15,0 abc
1,84±0,32 bcdef
MU-C-7-2
Resistant
49,3±30,8 abc
2,70±0,71 ab
V. COMERC.
Resistant
30,7±10,7 abc
2,45±0,55 abc
Results (quality) Sensory Cultivar
ºBrix
pH
calification
BGV-010034 BGV-010035
8,3±1,2 fg 6,4±0,3 gh
5,8±0,1 bc 5,8±0,1 abc
poor
BGV-010036 BGV-010037 BGV-010038 BGV-010039
9,9±2,0 cdef 9,2±1,3 def 9,4±0,7 def 11,3±0,8 abcd
5,9±0,0 ab 5,9±0,1 ab 5,9±0,2 ab 6,1±0,1 a
medium good medium very good
BGV-010040 BGV-010141 BGV-010142 BGV-010143
10,8±1,0 bcde 11,0±0,7abcd 9,1±1,2 def 5,6±0,3 h
5,8±0,2 bc 5,9±0,1 ab 5,9±0,0 ab 5,7±0,1 bc
good good -
BGV-010144 BGV-010145
8,7±0,6 ef 7,7±0,8 fg
5,7±0,1 bc 5,5±0,0 c
medium -
BGV-010146
13,0±0,4 ab
6,0±0,1 ab
very good
BGV-010879
12,68±0,92 ab
6,1±0,1 a
good
BGV-010880 Cm-15
6,6±0,9 gh 11,1±0,6 abcd
5,6±0,1 bc 5,7±0,0 bc
very good
MU-C-31 MU-C-47
12,1±0,7 abc 13,3±0,1 a
5,7±0,1 bc 5,9±0,0 ab
good very good
MU-C-7-2 V. COMERC.
11,4±0,3 abcd 13,4±0,7 a
5,9±0,0 ab 5,9±0,1 ab
good very good
Results (characterization of the best sensory evaluated cultivars) Fruit characteristics
´BGV-010039´
´BGV-010046´
Fruit shape Predominant fruit skin colour Secondary fruit skin colour Secondary skin colour pattern Fruit surface Fruit ribbing Internal colour skin Flesh thickness Fruit length Fruit width Fruit type (in Spain)
Elliptical 4/5 light-yellow, 1/5 pale green Without secondary colour Heavily corked/netted Without ribs White to pale green 33,34 ± 4,83 25,72 ± 5,13 13,94 ± 3,32 Amarillo
Elliptical 4/5 pale green, 1/5 light-yellow Without secondary colour Speckled Shallowly wavy Without ribs White 33,14 ± 4,28 14,91 ± 1,50 23,61 ± 0,73 Amarillo
Fruit characteristics
`Cm-15´
´MU-C-47´
Fruit shape Predominant fruit skin colour Secondary fruit skin colour Secondary skin colour pattern Fruit surface Fruit ribbing Internal colour skin Flesh thickness Fruit length Fruit width Fruit type (in Spain)
Elliptical Green Blackish-green Blotchy Shallowly wavy Without ribs White 39,12 ± 3,16 22,85 ± 1,62 14,98 ± 1,38 Rochet
Elliptical Blackish-green Pale green Speckled Deeply wrinkled Without ribs White 36,29 ± 4,59 19,44 ± 1,25 15,60 ± 0,91 Tendral
Summary and conclusions
Under organic cultivation, many of the tested landraces highly overcame the yield of the commercial control. Most of them had worse quality and sensory characteristics than the commercial control. Under organic cultivation the cucumber mildew control with sulphur powder is difficult in sensible genotypes. Some of the tested cultivars could be useful for commercial production. The most interesting for this purpose would be: `BGV-010039´, `BGV-010046´, `Cm-15´and ‘MU-C-7-2’. The main problem to organic cultivation of melons in Extremadura is weed control.
Acknowledgements INIA (grant RTA2006-00144-C02-02) Junta de Extremadura (grants GRU07030 and GRU09036) Seed donors: Instituto para la Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV) Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario (IMIDA)
