Cultivation of Watermelon in India
Cultivation of Watermelon in India
Watermelon ( Citrullus vulgaris Schard ) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. The watermelon is a long-season summer crop; it is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions across the world. It is generally grown for its ripe and well-mature fruit. The fruits are delicious and sweet. The fruit size of watermelons varies from 2 kg to 15 kg depending upon the variety grown. Watermelon is indigenous to tropical Africa, but the first recorded crop was found in Egypt.
Nutritive Value of Watermelon;
The nutritive value of watermelon in 100 gm of the edible portion is given below ;
| Serving Size 100 g | DV | |
| Calories | 30 kcal | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 8 g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.4 g | 1.00% |
| Sugar | 6 g | |
| Protein | 0.6 g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 0 | 0 |
| Saturated fat | 0 | 0 |
| Protein | 3.4 g | 6% |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 112 mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1% | |
| Vitamin C | 13% | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0% | |
| Magnesium | 2% | |
| Vitamin D | 0% | |
| Cobalamin | 0% | |
| *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. | ||
Climatic Requirement for Watermelon Cultivation;
Watermelon needs a long growing season with a relatively high temperature. It cannot withstand frost. The best temperature for watermelon production is between 18°C – 35°C, cool nights with warm days are the most favorable conditions for watermelon production. The seed does not germinate satisfactorily below 21°C. Dry weather during ripening with high temperatures, enough sunshine, and dry winds favor the development of flavor and high sugar content
Soil & its preparation for watermelon cultivation;
Watermelon can be grown in well-drained sandy soils but deep sandy loam soil rich in organic matter is best suited for the watermelon crop. It is generally cultivated on river beds. The optimum soil pH is 5.5 to 7.0.
The land is thoroughly prepared by giving 5 to 6 ploughings. The field should be well leveled and free from weeds, and the previous crop remains.
Varieties of Watermelon;
Sugar Baby; Developed by IARI. It has Small, round fruits and the fruit weighs is around 3-5 Kg The outer skin color of this variety is bluish-black. It has deep pink flesh and consists of small seeds its yield potential is 72 Quintals per Acre.
Improved Shipper; Released by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, it has large fruits with a dark green outer skin and is moderately sweet. The yield potential of this variety is 70-80 quintals per acre
Asahi Yamatoby; Developed by IARI, its fruits are Medium-sized with a weight of 6-8 Kg per fruit. This variety is ready to
harvest in 95 days, it has deep pink colored flesh.
Asahi Yamatoby; Developed by IARI, its fruits are Medium-sized with a weight of 6-8 Kg per fruit. This variety is ready to
harvest in 95 days, it has deep pink colored flesh.
Special No.1; Developed by Punjab Agricultural University,
It has small, round fruits with red color flesh. This is an early maturing variety
Arka Jyoti; Developed by IIHR it has round, medium-sized fruits. It has a light green rind with dark green stripes and has crimson-colored flesh. The fruits weigh around 6-8 Kg, it is a mid-season variety
Arka Manik; developed by IIHR. This variety possesses round or oval-shaped fruits and has a green rind with light green stripes It has a deep red flesh which is very sweet in taste. The Fruits weigh 6 Kg on average and Can withstand transport and storage stress it has resistant to powdery mildew and tolerant to anthracnose disease
Durgapura Meetha; Developed by ARS, Rajasthan It has round fruits with a thick rind and light green colored skin It has dark red flesh this variety is late maturing
The seeds have a black-colored margin and tip. it is very sweet to taste and ready for harvest in 125 days
Durgapura Kesar Developed by ARS, Rajasthan has round fruits The rind of this variety is of green- color with stripes It has a yellow-colored flesh with fruits weighing 4-5 Kg This variety has moderate sweetness and large seeds,.It is a late-maturing variety
Exotic varieties of Watermelon; The Hybrid Yellow Doll and the Watermelon Hybrid Red Doll are from China
It has small, round fruits with red color flesh. This is an early maturing variety
Arka Jyoti; Developed by IIHR it has round, medium-sized fruits. It has a light green rind with dark green stripes and has crimson-colored flesh. The fruits weigh around 6-8 Kg, it is a mid-season variety
Arka Manik; developed by IIHR. This variety possesses round or oval-shaped fruits and has a green rind with light green stripes It has a deep red flesh which is very sweet in taste. The Fruits weigh 6 Kg on average and Can withstand transport and storage stress it has resistant to powdery mildew and tolerant to anthracnose disease
Durgapura Meetha; Developed by ARS, Rajasthan It has round fruits with a thick rind and light green colored skin It has dark red flesh this variety is late maturing
The seeds have a black-colored margin and tip. it is very sweet to taste and ready for harvest in 125 days
Durgapura Kesar Developed by ARS, Rajasthan has round fruits The rind of this variety is of green- color with stripes It has a yellow-colored flesh with fruits weighing 4-5 Kg This variety has moderate sweetness and large seeds,.It is a late-maturing variety
Exotic varieties of Watermelon; The Hybrid Yellow Doll and the Watermelon Hybrid Red Doll are from China
Mardi gras, Royal Flush, Dumara, Celebration, Paradise, Sangria, Oasis, Star Bright, Baron, Samos, Celebration, Arriba, etc. are from America.
Sowing of Watermelon seeds
(a) Sowing time of watermelon. The seed is generally sown from November to March in the plains and from the middle of February to the end of March in the hills. The seed is soaked 12-15 hrs and should be kept overnight in wet gunny bags before sowing.
(b) Seed rate. The seed rate is one kg per acre.
(c) Method of planting. Suggest four methods of watermelon planting are as follows –
1. Shallow pit method
In this method, pits of size 60 x 60 x 45 cm are dug at a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 meters. Each pit is filled with a mixture of soil and 4 to 5 kg of F.Y.M. or compost, 30 to 40 gm Urea, 40 to 50 gm. Single Superphosphate and 80 to 100 gm of murate of Potash. After filling the pit, circular basins are made and five to six seeds are sown per basin at 2 to 3 cm deep and covered with fine soil, FY.M., or compost.
In this method, pits of size 60 x 60 x 45 cm are dug at a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 meters. Each pit is filled with a mixture of soil and 4 to 5 kg of F.Y.M. or compost, 30 to 40 gm Urea, 40 to 50 gm. Single Superphosphate and 80 to 100 gm of murate of Potash. After filling the pit, circular basins are made and five to six seeds are sown per basin at 2 to 3 cm deep and covered with fine soil, FY.M., or compost.
2. Deep pit method
This method is followed in the case of river bed cultivation. Circular pits of 60 to 75 cm diameter and 10 to 1.5 m depth are dug at a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 m both ways.
This method is followed in the case of river bed cultivation. Circular pits of 60 to 75 cm diameter and 10 to 1.5 m depth are dug at a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 m both ways.
3. Ridge method The seeds are sown on the side of raised beds.
4. Mound beds; Seeds are sown on the mounds. The seed rate is 1.6 kg per acre.
4. Mound beds; Seeds are sown on the mounds. The seed rate is 1.6 kg per acre.
The normal spacing is row-to-row 300 cm and plant-to-plant 90 cm. The germination percent and the storage life of seeds can be improved by treating freshly extracted seeds with Trichoderma viride 4 grams / Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 grams / Carbendazim 2 grams/kg of watermelon seeds.
Manuring and Fertilizer in Watermelon Farming;
40 kg Nitrogen, 20 kg Phosphoric acid, and 20 kg Potassium per acre are recommended for watermelon farming. The suggested application of 1200 to 1400 kg of compost per acre followed by 30 to 32 kg Nitrogen, 20 kg Phosphoric acid and 20 kg Potassium per acre for a good crop
Intercultural Operations in Watermelon Farming;
Two or three hoeings may be done during the early stages of growth to keep down the weeds and to conserve soil moisture. Two or three plants are kept in one place in the hills or beds by thinning the extra plant.
Weeding is not required when vines cover the ground. Pinching should be done in watermelon when the apical shoot attains one meter of growth, it will allow the side shoots to grow.
Irrigation in the Watermelon crop;
Irrigate the field before the dibbling of the watermelon seed and subsequent irrigation must be given once a week Water stress condition results in the cracking of the watermelon fruit. In the problematic areas, drip irrigation is the best option
Disease and Pest Management in Watermelon;
Diseases of watermelon;
1) Watermelon Mosiac; Transmitted by Aphids, Infected vines are conspicuous because of the tips of the runners and the spreading of shoots. The leaves of the infected watermelon plants also show several deformations and blistering, and remain small in size. Watermelon mosaic disease may cause a loss of up to 30-40%
Control; This disease can be controlled by;
1) Roughing of all the diseased plants from the field
2) The host weed should not be present in the watermelon field
3) Control the aphid vector.
2)Bud necrosis; Transmitted by thrips, and the primary symptom is necrosis, of the bud. The buds turn in brownish-black color and die. The leaf symptoms include brown or black spots that cover the entire leaf lamina and leaf petiole. Complete concentric rings can be seen on fruits. Incidence of this disease may go up to 70–80% and may cause 80–90% losses in the yield of watermelon.
Control; Treat the seeds with imidacloprid 70WS at 10 g/kg of seeds, followed by three sprays of imidacloprid 17.8 SL at 25 ml/liter of water, which gives the best results
Pest of Watermelon;
Beetles: The beetle can be controlled by the spraying of malathion 50EC 1 ml/liter of water at the intervals of one week.
Fruit Fly: Fruit fly can be controlled by;
1) Collect and destroy the affected fruits
2) As the fly population are at its peak during the rainy season and low during the hot conditions so by adjusting the sowing dates of watermelon the incidence of fruitflies can be controlled.
3) Pupa of the flies must be exposed by proper ploughing
4) Flies can be trapped by using a fish meal trap with 5 g of wet fish meal and 1 g of Dichlorvos in cotton ( use polythene bags for keeping the trap ). 12-15 traps are sufficient for the one acre of field.
5) As per need, the neem oil ckae@ 3% can also be used for controlling the flies.
Harvesting of Watermelon;
The plant bears fruits in 4 to 5 months after sowing. The watermelon should be harvested at the proper stage of maturity. The following points give are an indication of ripeness,
1. Withering of tendrils. The tendril that subtends the peduncle of the fruit usually withers when the fruits ripes and watermelon is seldom ripe if the tendril is still green. But it may be unripe even if the tendril is dried in some varieties.
2. Thumping. Ripe fruit, when thumped with the finger, gives out a muffled dull or dead sound, whereas the immature fruits give out a metallic and ringing sound.
3. Colour of the ground spot. It is white when fruits are green and they rest over it. When the fruits are ripe they change to yellow.
4. Pressure on the fruit. A ripe melon emits a crisp cracking noise on being pressed with the flat of the hand. Moreover, the rind of a ripe melon yields little under the pressure of the thumb. In some varieties, even slight pressure will crack the fruit.
If the fruits are allowed to over ripen, the pulp loses the sweetness and soon develops an off-flavor and rot. It is, therefore, very necessary that they should be harvested at the fully ripe stage because they ripen very little on their way to the market.
1. Withering of tendrils. The tendril that subtends the peduncle of the fruit usually withers when the fruits ripes and watermelon is seldom ripe if the tendril is still green. But it may be unripe even if the tendril is dried in some varieties.
2. Thumping. Ripe fruit, when thumped with the finger, gives out a muffled dull or dead sound, whereas the immature fruits give out a metallic and ringing sound.
3. Colour of the ground spot. It is white when fruits are green and they rest over it. When the fruits are ripe they change to yellow.
4. Pressure on the fruit. A ripe melon emits a crisp cracking noise on being pressed with the flat of the hand. Moreover, the rind of a ripe melon yields little under the pressure of the thumb. In some varieties, even slight pressure will crack the fruit.
If the fruits are allowed to over ripen, the pulp loses the sweetness and soon develops an off-flavor and rot. It is, therefore, very necessary that they should be harvested at the fully ripe stage because they ripen very little on their way to the market.
The yield of watermelon;
The average yield is 8,000 to 12,000 kg per acre.
The average yield is 8,000 to 12,000 kg per acre.