Physiological Studies on Storage and Ripening of Some Cantaloupe Cultivars

Muskmelon ( Cucumis melo L.) is considered one of the principal vine crops which belongs to the family cucurbitaceae. The area under cultivation of muskmelon during 1987 was estimated to be (13314) feddan With a total production of (264266) tons. The average yield per feddan ranged from (7.72) to (10.39) tons. Egypt as Well as other developing countries suffer from lack of food substance including vegetables, therefore a great effort is needed to increase the production of vegetables including cantaloupes to face the increase in population. It is also needed to face the foreign markets demand, and local processed cantaloupes. Now, muskmelons are one of the popular sooner crops in Egypt, requested by foreign markets due to its high nutritional value and low calorie, beside their high content of vitamin A and C. Therefore muskmelon is considerer of economic importance as a source of hard currency which is needed for our country. On the other hand, estimates of losses after harvest in vegetables including cantaloupes arises to be from 28% to 40% which differ according to variety, stage of maturity and method of handling . The aim of this work to Study the postharvest behaviour of muskmelon with particular reference to the physiological and biochemical changes that occur in ripening of netted and unnetted fruits.