PERFORMANCE OF MELON (CUCUMIS MELO L.) HYBRIDS ACROSS DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

In interaction with the environment, the melon (Cucumis melo L.) hybrids had a wide phenotypic performance regarding growth, morphology, and yield-related parameters. The appraisal of melon genotypes in the targeted environments through multi-environment trials (MET) depended on phenotypic performance. The objectives of the presented study were to evaluate the performance of melon hybrids obtained from full-diallel crosses under three different environmental conditions. The study ran from November 2022 to February 2023 at three locations (Pandaan, Karangploso, and Pujon), with varying altitudes in East Java (Indonesia). The breeding material comprised 38 selected hybrids (out of 90 diallel hybrids), with 10 parents and two commercial check cultivars (Madesta and Glamour), sustained evaluation in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at each location. Observations made on several yield characteristics of the fruit included weight, diameter, length, flesh thickness, and sweetness. At the Pandaan location, the melon hybrid H 18 performed better for fruit weight, length, and flesh thickness, and the hybrid H 19 for fruit diameter and sweetness than the melon’s check cultivars. In Karangploso location, the hybrid H 10 for fruit weight and diameter, H 34 for fruit length, and H 12 for fruit sweetness outperformed the melon commercial cultivars. At the Pujon location, the hybrid H 34 for fruit weight, diameter, and length, H 6 for fruit flesh thickness, and the hybrid H 32 for fruit sweetness outperformed the check cultivars. Overall, the leading performance across all the test environments appeared with melon hybrid H 15 for fruit weight and length, and H 19 for fruit diameter, flesh thickness, and sweetness.