Tropical and subtropical vegetables (2+1)

Climate and Soil

Climate
Muskmelon is essentially a warm season crop grown mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Generally a long period of warm, preferably dry weather with abundant sunshine is required. Melons require fairly high temperature of 35-400C during the fruit development. Cool nights and warm days are ideal for accumulation of sugars in the fruits. Maturity is hastened if nights are warm.
The average temperature for good growth would be around 30-350C with maximum ranging around 400C and minimum between 20-250C for musk melon. They are very susceptible to frost. Excess humidity will promote diseases like Powdery Mildew, Downey Mildew, anthracnose and viral diseases and pests such as fruit fly. For good quality and sweetness in muskmelon, dry weather during fruit development is necessary.

Soil
The soils should not crack in summer and should not be water logged in rainy season. Muskmelon prefers a soil PH of 6-7 and it is slightly more tolerant to soil acidity than cucumber. A well drained loamy soil is preferred for all the cucurbits including muskmelon, cucumber and watermelon. Soil temperature should be less than 100C or otherwise there would not be any seed germination. Lighter soils that warm quickly in spring are usually used for early yields. In heavier soils vine growth will be greater and fruits mature late.