A preliminary study to determine water stress tolerance in wild melon (Citrullus Lanatus L.)

Abstract

Common wild melon (Citrullus Lanatus L.) is an indigenous crop that can contribute to the alleviation of food insecurity as it is an easy-to-grow food source with the potential for processing. The objective of this study was to test the potential of three landraces of common wild melon (‘Brown’, ‘Dark-Brown’ and ‘Very Dark-Brown’, respectively named for seed colour) for drought tolerance under controlled conditions in a glasshouse. Three media (sand, pine bark and a 1:1 mixture of sand and pine bark) were used to grow plants under three water regimes [75%, 50% and 25% Field Capacity (FC)]. Plant growth (height) was determined until plants reached approximately 50% flowering, at which stage biomass was determined. There were significant differences (P < 0.01) between landraces with respect to drought tolerance, as determined by plant growth and biomass. The mixture of sand and pine bark provided the best opportunity (P < 0.05) to grow wild melon under controlled environment conditions compared to sand or pine bark alone. The results of this study will be used as indicator for treatments to be used in a follow-up field experiment where wild melon will be grown during different seasons of the year in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.