Managing faba bean residues to enhance the fruit quality of the melon (Cucumis melo L.) crop

Mulching and/or topsoil incorporation of plant residues from green manure legumes can increase cropping system sustainability, and can supply and retain nutrients. Two field experiments were conducted in Italy over the period of 2006–2007, to investigate the effect of faba bean grown in a temperate environment to fruit morphology, quality and chemical composition of the subsequent melon (Cucumis melo L.) crop. Flowering faba bean plants were managed as mulch on the melon plant rows and cut and incorporated into the soil, in comparison with cultivated soil (control) and black plastic mulch.