Economic feasibility of production of melons irrigated with saline water under managements strategies

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study the economical viability of the melon crop irrigated with water of the low and high salt concentration, applied alternately, by stage of development of crop or mixed. The study consisted of two experiments, conducted between November 2008 and November 2009 at the Pedra Preta Farm in Mossoró, RN, Brazil. In experiment I, the melon (Cucumis melo L., cv Sancho) was irrigated with water of low (ECw = 0.5 dS m^-1) and high salinity (ECw = 4.3 dS m^-1) applied daily alternately, varying by crop growth stage or without amendment, totaling 10 treatments. In the second experiment, we repeated same treatments of the first trial, plus other treatment that corresponded to a mixture of both types of water, using the cultivars Sancho and Medellin. Different forms of management of saline water irrigation of muskmelon was economically feasible, especially the treatment in which the crop was irrigated two days with water of low salinity and one day with saline water, providing a saving of about 33% water of low salinity, providing a profit margin of 72%.