Melon Tendral Negro
A melon with a unique quality: harvested in summer, it keeps until Christmas — and beyond.
About the variety. Tendral Negro has dark green skin, white flesh and elliptical fruits weighing 2 to 3 kg. Known in Portugal and Spain as the "Christmas melon", it is prized precisely for its exceptional keeping ability. Highly melliferous, its flowers attract pollinators. Indeterminate habit, plants 20 to 40 cm tall.
Itinerário técnico
Um guia de cultivo passo a passo, da sementeira à colheita.
Normally done in trays, with subsequent transplanting when the plant is 6 to 7 weeks old and has at least the first true leaf developed. Watering should be reduced in the week before transplanting. Care must be taken during transplanting to minimize root disturbance and reduce transplant shock.
The crop prefers light, fertile, well-drained and well-worked soils to allow proper root development. The pH should be between 6.5 and 7.5.
It thrives in warm climates, without cold nights that can cause poor pollen tube formation, resulting in fewer fertile flowers. A south-facing exposure is ideal.
Compost should be incorporated into the base fertilization.
Due to varying water requirements throughout the growing cycle, drip irrigation is recommended. During the early stages and at pollination, when the fruits are forming, water needs are high; after this point, irrigate only when the soil is dry, as excess water will result in poor-quality fruit. Drip irrigation also has the added benefit of keeping foliage dry, which helps prevent the onset of disease.
Mulching with organic materials or plastic is a good option, as it prevents competition between weeds and the crop, while also keeping the fruit off the ground and reducing the risk of rot.
Mites, aphids, leafminer larvae, whitefly, root-knot nematodes and thrips are the main pests of this crop. Mites can be managed with biological control using predatory mites and, if necessary, by applying azadirachtin or sulphur dust (if T < 28°C). Aphids are controlled through moderate fertilisation avoiding excess nitrogen, natural limitation with hedgerows along field borders to support beneficial insects, and biological control with parasitoid or predatory Hymenoptera; potassium soap or azadirachtin may also be applied if needed. Leafminer larvae can be managed with biological control using parasitoid Hymenoptera, natural limitation through hedgerows and other melliferous plants that feed the adult parasitoids, with azadirachtin as an alternative treatment. Whitefly should be controlled through moderate fertilisation without excess nitrogen, avoiding transplanting already-infested plants, placing yellow sticky traps for monitoring, and biological control with parasitoid Hymenoptera and predatory mites; azadirachtin may also be applied if necessary. Root-knot nematodes are managed through crop rotation, biofumigation and soil solarisation. Finally, thrips can be controlled by planting beneficial species for anthocorid predators along field borders (such as marigolds and other composites), as well as through biological control with predatory mites and anthocorids.
Fusarium wilt, downy mildew, powdery mildew and grey mould are diseases affecting this crop. For fusarium wilt, appropriate crop rotations, biofumigation and soil solarization should be carried out. To control downy mildew, appropriate crop rotations should be followed, avoiding excess soil moisture, using wide plant spacing and, if necessary, applying copper-based fungicides. Powdery mildew is controlled through wide plant spacing, moderate fertilization without excess nitrogen and, if necessary, by applying dustable sulphur powder or in combination with lithothamne (1:1), which is less phytotoxic than pure sulphur. Regarding grey mould, infected plant debris should be removed, excess vigour and water on plants avoided, lateral shoots pruned early to keep pruning wounds as small as possible, and bentonite clay applied regularly.
They can be stored at a temperature between 7 and 10°C and a relative humidity between 85 and 95%.
