Use of Plastic Mulches for Reducing Salinity and Increasing Yield of Cantaloupe

In central region of Iran, increasing soil and water salinity and declining ground and surface water resources have increased the necessity of reducing the effect of salinity on crop yield. Utilization of plastic mulches is an effective method for reducing the salinity hazard on plant growth. In this respect, an experiment was conducted on cantaloupe using factorial combination of four irrigation water salinities of 2, 4, 6 and 8 dS m-1 and three mulch treatments including bare soil (control), transparent (TPM), and black plastic mulch (BPM). The experimental design was randomized complete block design in three replicate. The analysis of variance showed that the effects of saline irrigation water on yield, mean weight of fruit, yield of plant, yield of marketable and non-marketable fruit were highly significant (P