• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2005

A study was conducted on three pollination methods on oriental melon(sageageol-ggul) grafting with pumpkin(seongjutozoa) for the labor-saving and to improve fruit set. Fruit weight, flesh thickness and fruit setting rate of oriental melon were greater in growth regulators treatment than those of pollinated by bees. Sugar content and hardness of fruits pollinated by bees were higher than those of by growth regulators. From the last ten days of the February to the first ten days of the March, fruit setting rate was $95\%$ in fruit setting growth regulators, whereas it was $46\%$ and $45\%$ in pollinated by honey and bumble bee, respectively. After the middle of March, the percentage of fruit setting was >$98\%$ in all the pollination methods. The cultivation under plastic houses of oriental melon, suitable fruiting time far the pollination by bees was decided after middle days of the March. Chromaticity and especially the value of 'a' of fruit of oriental melon pollinated by bees were higher than those of growth regulators. The percentage of fermented fruits of bee pollinated and growth regulators treated was $6.7\~9.1\%\;and\;28.1\%$, respectively. The weight of 100 seeds of bees pollinated were higher than that of growth regulators. The more increased the weight of 100 seeds the less appeared the rate of fermented fruits. The percentage of marketable fruits of the honey and bumble bee pollinated and that of growth regulators treated was $82\%,\;80.3\%\;and\;62.5\%$, respectively. The decreasing rate of fruit weight during storage of bees pollinated was less than those of growth regulators. In these results, the introduction of honey bee and bumble bee for the pollination of oriental melon was able to labor-saving of fruit set and increase of fruit quality.