Even local varieties, when grown with innovative and sustainable systems, deliver excellent results. In this case, an Apulian variety of unripe melon (a carosello, Cucumis melo L.), known as ‘Scopatizzo’, is showing surprising productivity.
Thanks to the NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) soilless cultivation system in greenhouses, it has achieved a production of 5.31 kg per plant in just two months, using only 27.6 liters of water per kilogram of fruit.
These are the key findings of a recent experimental article published in Scientia Horticulturae by the horticulture research group from the Department of Soil, Plant, and Food Sciences at the University of Bari, as part of the Agritech National Center.
The research shows that adding NaCl (salt) up to 5 mM in the nutrient solution did not negatively affect the growth or yield of the ‘Scopatizzo.’
In fact, plants treated with NaCl produced an average of 5.31 kg per plant, with a water use efficiency of 27.6 liters per kg of product, a value comparable to cucumbers grown with soilless systems. Moreover, the fruit quality, in terms of dry matter content, sugars, and phenolic compounds, remained high, with significant improvements in titratable acidity for fruits harvested from plants fed with the most saline nutrient solution.
The results highlight the potential of soilless cultivation systems to address the challenge of using saline water, improve agricultural sustainability, and enhance the value of local varieties. 🌍💧
Source: PALMITESSA O.D., RENNA M., DE ANGELIS D., SIGNORE A., SERIO F., SUMMO C., SANTAMARIA P., 2024. Moderate saline waters are effective to enhance a landrace of unripe melon cultivated in a “water culture system” with high input efficiency. Scientia Horticulturae, 337, 113599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2024.113599
For info and contacts:
onofrio.palmitessa@uniba.it
pietro.santamaria@uniba.it
(Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro)
Download and read the full article:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304423824007520?via%3Dihub
