A field experiment on muskmelon crop was carried out at the instructional farm of department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Dr. ., Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra, during the period February- June, 2017, to study the response of shading nets and different irrigation regimes on yield of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.). The experiment was laid in split factorial design with five main treatment (green white shade net with 35, 50&75 % shading, red shade net with 50 % shading and open field) and eight irrigation sub treatment. The sub treatments comprised of four levels of irrigation (120, 100, 80, 60 % of ETc) with and without silver black plastic mulch, respectively. Each sub treatment was replicated thrice in individual shade net house and the open field. Irrigation was scheduled on the basis of reference crop evapotranspiration estimated by Penman- Monteith’s method. The water soluble fertilizer viz., 19:19:19 and urea was applied in 25 split, 15 days after sowing. The seasonal water requirement of muskmelon crop, water use efficiency, fertilizer use efficiency, yield, benefit cost ratio, and biometric observation was recorded and statistically analyzed. The performance of crop grown inside shading nets (red and green white shading net) was comparatively better than the open field. Maximum yield ( ) was observed under red shade net with 50 % shading with application of drip irrigation @ 120 % of ETc under silver black plastic mulch during summer season. The results shall be helpful to the farmers interested in muskmelon cultivation under semi-arid conditions of Maharashtra state. | Response of muskmelon to spectral modification of shading nets under different drip irrigation regimes
