Bioactive compounds in different melon (Cucumis melo L.) genotypes and one cultivar grown under deficit irrigation and salt stress

Drought and salinity are the most important abiotic factors limiting agricultural production. One of the effective ways to avoid their negative effects on plants is to determine the genotypes that will show resistance to these stress conditions. In addition, the gradual decrease in water resources in the world makes minimum water consumption important in agriculture. For this purpose, three different irrigation levels (I100: control – 100% full irrigation, i.e. 0% deficit irrigation, I50: 50% deficit irrigation, I25: 25% deficit irrigation) were applied within the framework of water constraint, and NaCl was applied at the doses of S0: 0 mM (control), S50: 50 mM and S75: 75 mM to create salt stress, and the experimental plots were designed according to the random plot experimental design with three replications and four plants in each replication. In the genotype × salinity interaction, compounds other than fumaric acid from organic acids formed significant interactions with genotypes YYU-4 and YYU-10. Among phenolic compounds, parameters other than total phenolic and antioxidant content formed significant interactions mainly with cv. Ananas. In the genotype × irrigation interaction, among organic acids, oxalic, succinic and fumaric acids and among phenolic compounds, only vanillic acid showed significant interactions particularly with genotypes YYU-1, YYU-10 and YYU-13. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the determined genotypes are prominent in terms of quality fruit production in saline and arid areas, and it is necessary to examine these genotypes using different parameters in different breeding studies.