Abstract: ‘Tianmei 518’is a new early-ripenning thin-skinned melon cultivar crossed by inbred line R-1064 as female parent and inbred line R-1096 as male parent. The plant exhibits vigorous growth,with both lateral branches and secondary lateral branches capable of bearing fruit. Each plant sets 3 to 5 fruits with single-stem pruning and sets 6 to 8 fruits with double-stem pruning. The entire growth period is about 90 days,and the fruit development period is about 30 days. The fruit is rod in shape,with a green peel. The weight of single fruit is 0.6-0.7 kg. The pulp colar is green,with a crispy texture and excellent flavor. The central soluble solid content of over 15%. The production capacity ranges from 45 000-50 000 kg · hm^-2. The cultivar is suitable for spring facility cultivation in most regions of China.

Key words: melon, thin-skinned, early-ripening, cultivar