The BRS Anton melon cultivar is a hybrid of the yellow group recommended not only for the environmental conditions of the San Francisco River Valley region, which concentrates small and medium farms that sell their production to the domestic market, more specifically to the Center-South of the country, but also for other producing regions in northeastern Brazil, such as Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará, which export a significant part of their production to the European market. The BRS Anton melon can also be grown in the Brazilian Midwest, in areas with warmer climates such as northwestern Goiás and the state of Mato Grosso.

The main differential of the BRS Anton melon is the quality of its fruits, which have higher post-harvest resistance, due to the greater skin roughness and thickness, which contributes to reducing the occurrence of external damages that alter the sensory quality of the pulp. Due to this characteristic, the fruits of BRS Anton withstand the distribution logistics from the producing region to distant regions of consumption, even for exports.

The plants show vigorous growth and good leaf coverage. The production cycle, from sowing to harvest, is about 75 days. The skin has uniform color, medium yellow tint, and roughness. The pulp, of pale brown color, is thick, uniform, sweet and firm. The content of total soluble solids at the point of collection is around 12° Brix and the acidity around 0.1%.

The recommended planting spacing is 2.0 mx 0.4 m, with a population of 12,500 plants per hectare. The point of harvesting the fruits is when they are of a medium yellow color throughout the surface, a condition in which they have an ideal combination of flavor, pulp consistency and long post-harvest life. In tests carried out in the São Francisco River Valley, cultivar BRS Anton produced 36 tons per hectare in the first cut, well above the national average of 25 tons per hectare. The BRS Anton melon is resistant to races 1 and 2 of powdery mildew, in addition to being tolerant to the cold chain, and can be stored at temperatures from 10 ° to 12° C.

The cultivar validation was carried out in partnership with the private sector, through a research and development partnership contract based on the Technological Innovation Law. The BRS Anton cultivar and his parents were registered and protected by the competent bodies of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply.

This technological solution was developed by Embrapa in partnership with other institution(s).