Muskmelon Variety ARKA Siri-TFL
23 July 2022, New Delhi: Crop : MUSKMELON
Variety : ARKA Siri-TFL
Arka siri: Fruits weigh about 1kg each with an appealing pattern of netting plus green sutures on creamish orange rind background, sweet (TSS 12%), dark-orange flesh and a strong musky aroma.
Soil and climate: Sandy and sandy loam soils with good drainage are the best. Poorly drained soils should be avoided.
Season: October sowing (Rabi season) and February sowing (Summer season); recent trend is to sow during May-June to catch Ramzan festival market.
Seed rate: 1.5-2.0 kg/ha.
Spacing Row to row: 1.5-1.8 m
Plant to plant: 50cm
Manure and Fertilizers: Broadcast 20-25 tonnes of farm yard manure and Apply 20:30:40 kg N:P:K , 50% N and 100% P2O5 & K2O (43kg Urea or 74kg CAN or 95 kg Ammonium sulphate+187kg Single super phosphate+ 66kg Murate of potash) to the bed. Mix well and level the bed properly.
Pest and disease management:
Pumpkin beetles: Mechanically collect and destroy pumpkin beetles if the pest incidence is low.
Thrips: Spray Regent (2 ml/l) or Spinosad (0.5 ml/l)
Fruit fly: Regular removal and destruction of affected fruits (by burying in the soil) is essential; erecting culure trap/ barix vegetable trap 6-8 per acre will bring down the male fly population. In 10 litre of water, Neem soap (3-5ml) + Jaggery (1kg) + Nuvan (20ml) mix well and sprinkle on the plant using broom/ brush. Avoid delay in harvest and do not leave ripened fruits on the plants.
Downy mildew: Ridomyl Gold (2 g/l) or Cabriotop (1-1.5 gm/l) or Curzate (2 gm/l) or Lurit (1gm/l) or Aliete (1gm/l).
Powdery mildew: Score (1.5 ml/l) or Luna exp (1 ml/l) or Cabriotop (1-1.5 gm/l), Nativo (0.5-1 gm/l).
Alternaria blight: Foliar application of Mancozeb (0.25%) or Chlorothalonil (0.25%)
GSB & sudden wilt: Cabrio top (1-1.5 gm/l), Folicure (1 ml/l), Luna exp (1 ml/l), Roko(2gm)+Biojodi(5gm), Sprint(2gm)+Biojodi(5gm/l), loose soil around plant.
Harvesting and yield: Harvest is done when they are matured at half slip stage or full slip stage, depending upon the distance to market. Yield varies from 25-30t/ ha in 70-80 days.
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