Effects of plant density on yield and quality of cantaloupes

Approximately 68,000 acres of cantaloupes are grown annually in California. The desert areas of Blythe and Imperial Valley grow about 12,000 of the total acreage in the early spring and fall. The largest acreage, 30,000 acres, is grown in Fresno County in the San Joaquin Valley. Generally the number of vines per acre will range from 5,000 to 8,000 with a trend by growers to increase the plant population per acre. This experiment was conducted at Davis to determine the effect of plant density on yield of marketable cantaloupes.