Melon is native to Africa. In Europe melons were introduced since the beginning of the Common Year. The first type of melon planted was Cucumis melo var. reticulatus thought to be from Asia and Africa. This type of melon is popularly known under the name “muskmelon” (Rukmana, 1994). Melon began to be developed in Indonesia in the 1980s in the Cisarua (Bogor) and Kalianda (Lampung) areas by PT. Jaka Utama Lampung. Melon plants also spread to several regions in Indonesia such as Sukabumi, Ngawi (East Java), Madiun, Ponorogo, and other areas (Prajnanta, 2003).
Melon plants need a lot of nutrients for their growth and production, so the cultivation of melon plants must be fertilized periodically. Nutrients that many melon plants need are Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Sobir and Siregar (2010) stated that the main nutrients that must be available for the growth and development of melon plants are nutrients N, P, and K. Provision of nutrients can be through fertilization periodically to produce quality fruit, in addition to fertilization also needed pruning, especially fruit.
Melon plants produce many flowers, so the percentage of fruits formed on each plant will be large. This causes the size of the fruit produced to be small accompanied by a reduced sweetness. To improve the quality and production of melon plants, fruit pruning is needed. Pruning on melon plants aims to make the results of photosynthesis produced by plants concentrated for fruit formation and growth so that they can grow large and fast. because the surface area is larger, it enriches organic carbon in the soil, increases soil pH so that it indirectly increases crop production (Agus, 2009).
Source: Jurnal Agroekoteknologi FP USU Vol.5.No.4, Oktober 2017 (103): 786- 798