Analysis For Flowers Pollinated Test in Several Inbred Melon (Cucumis melo L.)

Abstrak

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an annual fruit plant from the Cucurbitaceae family. The economic value and diverse benefits make melon one of the commodities widely cultivated by various countries, including Indonesia. From 2010 to 2021, national melon consumption per capita increased. In addition, starting in 2022, melon became one of the nation's main export commodities. Therefore, melon has the potential to continue to be developed, one of which is through the development of superior seeds. The development of a superior seed aims to obtain a unique type of melon that meets market needs and can adapt to various environmental conditions. There are several methods to produce superior melon seeds, one of which is artificial hybridization. Initial considerations in selecting a hybrid parent include cross-pollination between inbreds. This research aimed to determine the percentage of flowers pollinated by the combination of cross-pollination and selfpollination in some melon inbreds and the yielding character of a combination of cross-pollination and self-pollination in some melon inbreds. The research was conducted at Brawijaya University, located in Donowarih Village, Karangploso Subdistrict, Malang Regency, in March–June 2021. The planting materials used are eight inbred melons, including three as female parents (ACL211390, ACL221402, and ACL231312) and five as male parents (ACD211303, ACD211254, ACD221362, ACD231380, and ACL211402). Some other materials include planting media (soil and manure), fertilizers, pesticides, EM4, and water. Pollination consists of five combinations of cross-pollination and self-pollination in each inbred female parent. The observational variables of this research are the percentage of flowers pollinated, fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit length, thickness of fruit meat,
number of seeds per fruit, and sweetness of fruit. Observational data is analyzed using unpaired student t-tests at the 5% level. The average percentage of flowers pollinated shows varied values and does not get a 100% value in the entire sample plant, but all pollination combinations have a value of > 0%. This is because pollination of three hermaphrodite flowers (the female parent) on
each sample plant is done at different times. There is a combination of cross-pollination that has an average yield character (fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit length, thickness of fruit meat, number of seeds per fruit, and sweetness of fruit) higher or lower than self-pollination. Differences in pollen sources are responsible for differences in the character of outcomes between pollination combinations with the same female parents. The t-test results between inbred ACL211390, ACL221402, and ACL231312 (female parent) showed significance in some yield characters. This indicates that inbred ACL211390, ACL221402, and ACL231312 can become inbred parents when producing hybrids of specific characters.

Keywords: Pollination, flowers, inbred lines, melon