Using melon cultivar ‘Elizabeth 239’ as material,effects of root volume [14 L (CK),8 L,5 L] on physiological characteristics,fruit yield and quality of melon were investigated.Results showed that the chlorophyll content,photosynthetic rate,leaf water content,single fruit weight,contents of titratable acidity and sucrose decreased significantly with the decrease of container volume when comparing with control (14 L) but the soluble sugar/acidity ratio and taste value increased significantly.Compared with control,the single fruit weight decreased by 14% and 20% under 8 L and 5 L container treatment,respectively.In addition,the 8 L container treatment significantly increased the contents of vitamin C,fructose and glucose whereas no significant changes of the contents of soluble solids and total soluble sugar were observed.Meanwhile,the 5 L container treatment obviously delayed the fertile flower flowering and fruit development date,and significantly decreased the contents of total soluble solids and soluble sugars.Results indicated that appropriate root volume restriction (8 L) could improve the fruit quality of melon.However,the treatment of 8 L and 5 L root volume container significantly decreased the fruit yield of melon.The most suitable container volume for melon cultivation needs further investigation.