Field experiments were undertaken to predict the yield of 'Earligold' muskmelon grown with plastic mulches, rowcovers and thermal water tubes. Mulches were either black, photoselective or clear. Rowcover systems included a clear perforated polyethylene, a polypropylene agrotextile, or unperforated polyethylenes (standard or infra-red treated) with a water-filled tube. In all tunnel types, the photoselective mulch had an intermediate effect between clear and black mulch on air and soil temperatures, chilling injury and days to flowering. Plants with a clear mulch and an infrared or standard unperforated tunnel with a thermal tube survived chilling temperatures between 1.6-5.8C for seven days, flowered first, had the heaviest biomass at anthesis and had the highest early yields. Plant dry weight from transplanting to anthesis was predicted from a multiple linear regression based on heat unit formulas using air (base temperature of 14C, maximum threshold of 40C) and soil temperatures (base temperature of 12C). The base temperature for predicting developmental time to anthesis of perfect flowers was 6.8C. In order to study fruit growth, a rapid and non-destructive method for estimating volume of ovaries was established. Fruit phenology was described as six classes for flower development and seven for fruit development. Flower abortion was studied in relation to each class. Plants displayed either one or two fruit growth cycles. The second cycle was triggered as the absolute growth rate of the first cycle fruits decreased. Developmental time of individual fruits was predicted from a heat unit formula with a base temperature of 15C when temperatures were recorded from a meteorological station. Another heat unit formula was proposed for air temperature at 7.5 cm. Fruit growth from the second cycle had a 60-degree day lag. Fruit volume proportion from blooming to maturity of first cycle fruits was described by a common Richards function. Although 65% of the plants produc
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.42061 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Jenni, Sylvie. |
| Contributors | Stewart, K. A. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Plant Science.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001561764, proquestno: NQ30303, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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