EFFECT OF BIOFERTILIZERS ON CANTALOUPE CROP WITH PLASTIC MULCHING

Abstract

The effect of biofertilizers on cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus cv. Ovación) mulched with 100 μm thick black polyethylene was evaluated. The experiment was carried out in a commercial agricultural field at La Costa de Hermosillo, Sonora during 2000. Four treatments were evaluated, including three commercial biofertilizers Z-Plex, Soil-Plex, Maya-Magic, and a negative control. They were assigned to a randomized blocks design with three replicates. Biofertilizer effect was evaluated by analyzing fungi and mycorrhiza associated with crop roots, soil chemical composition, yield and fruit quality. The quantity and diversity of fungi, soil chemical variables, yield and produce quality factors were not statistically different due to biofertilizers application. The quantity of mycorrhiza spores increased 200 % with the three biofertilizers. The percentage of roots associated with mycorrhiza augmented from 12 % in control to 26, 30 and 48 % for the Maya-Magic, Z-Plex and Soil-Plex, respectively, but arbuscules were not observed.