Journal of Crop Production and Processing

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  In order to study different methods of separating the seeds of cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L. var. reticualus) from the sorrounding fleshy tissues (placenta) and the effects of various treatments on seed germination characteristics, an experiment was conducted in Agricultural and Natural Research Center of Varamin, Iran, in 2009. In this research, which was based on a randomized complete blocks design with three replicates, three methods of seed separation including fermentation (for 24 and 48 hours ), sulfuric acid (0.5 , 1 , 2, 12 , 24, 49 and 98 percent) and hydrochloric acid (0.5 , 1, 2 , 4.8 , 9.5 , 18 and 38 percent) were used. The results showed that 98% sulfuric acid treatment was able to finish the seed separation process within 5 minutes, and with germination rate of 0.058 seeds per day was among the best treatments . In hydrochloric acid treatment , especially at high concentrations (18 and 38 percent), though seed separation was performed at acceptable rate and had positive effects on seed germination rate and percentage, but the electrical conductivity of seed solution showed that these treatments increased leakage of cellular materials, in addition to significant reduction of radicle and plumule length . Fermentation treatments had positive effects on separation and germination characteristics, except that they prolonged the time required for seed separation (24 and 48 hours) . Among the treatments , the 98% sulfuric acid was superior to other treatments due to faster separation of seeds from the fleshy parts and its positive effects on seed germination characteristics .

 

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To investigate the effect of ethephon on control of male flowers in melon, a split plot experiment, with randomized complete blocks design and three replications, was conducted in Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Varamin, Iran, during 2005-2006. The main factor included three levels of plant growth stage (3-leaf, 6-leaf and early reproductive stage) and sub-plots included four ethephon levels (0, 100, 200 and 300 mg/L). The appearance time of female flowers, number of male and female flowers (7 and 14 days after application of ethephon), total yield and female/male flowers ratio were evaluated. Results showed that plant response to increasing concentration of ethephon depends on plant growth stage. By using the ethephon concentrations of 100, 200 and 300 mg/L, the emergence of female flowers was delayed 6, 13 and 15 days, respectively, in comparison to control. The highest yield (26430 kg/ha) was obtained with spraying of 200 mg/L ethephon in trifoliate plants. In this case, the ratio of female to male flowers was highest (81.5%). A high dose of ethephon (over 200 mg/L) was associated with reduced yield and ratio of female to male flowers, at all stages of plant growth, especially in reproductive growth stage. The results this research showed that the beneficial effects of ethephon application is possible only if the right time is chosen with respect to plant growth.