Watermelon

varieties

1. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF WATERMELON Vanisree Padmanabhan

2. Introduction Watermelon is an important cucurbitaceous vegetable grown in different parts of India and it is a common summer season vegetable crop. The crop requires hot dry climate with warmer days and cooler nights. Watermelon is an excellent dessert fruit and the juice makes a good refreshing and cooling beverage. Fruit contains 92 % water, 0.2% protein, 0.3% minerals and 7 % carbohydrates

3. Origin and distribution Botanical Name : Citrullus lunatus Family : Cucurbitaceae Chromosome No. : 2n=22 Indigenous to tropical Africa. Cultivation began in ancient Egypt and India.

4. Varieties of watermelon

5. SUGAR BABY Introduced from USA in 1956. It is early and resistant to drought. Vines are medium long. Fruits smaller (3-5kg), round in shape. Rind is bluish black. Flesh is sweet (11-13% TSS) with deep pink color. Seeds brown and small. Yield potential is 150q/ha.

6. Asahi yamato: It is a mid-season Japanese introduction by IARI, New Delhi. Fruits are medium weighing 6-8 kg. The fruits are round oblong, non-striped with light green rind. Flesh is deep pink with 11-13%TSS. Fruits ripen in about 95 days . Yield is 225q/ha.

7. PUSA BEDANA: It is a seedless triploid variety of watermelon developed at IARI, from a cross of Tetra -2 (4x)X Pusa Rasal (2X). The fruits have dark green skin with faint stripes. Fruits are somewhat triangular in shape with tough rind, red flesh and white remnants of false seed. TSS is 12-13% . Average fruit weight is 5-6kg. The number of fruits per vine varies from 3 to 6. It takes 115-120 days for first fruit harvest. It could not become popular due to irregular fruit shape and high cost of seed.

8. Arka manik: This has been bred at IIHR, Bangalore from a cross of IIHR 21 x Crimson Sweet. Fruits are round to oval with light green to dark green stripes It weighs about 6 kg . The flesh is deep crimson , with excellent granular texture. It is very sweet with 12-15%TSS . It has multiple resistance to powdery mildew, downy mildew and anthracnose. Yield potential is 600q/ha. It has good keeping and transport quality.

9. Arka muthu Selection from IIHR-81-1-1. Dwarf vine ( length 1.2m), shorter internodal length. Early maturing type 75-80 days. Round to oval fruit with dark green stripes. Deep red flesh with TSS 12-14 brix. Fruit yield 85-90 t/ha.

10. BusH BABY: It is a dwarf mutant , help in restricting vine growth to 0.5-1m. Helps in controlling multiple branching from the crown of the plant. It helps in accommodating large population (15,000-20,000plants/ha) in a unit area so yield is higher.

11. CRIMSON SWEET: Fruits are oval, light green with dark green strips. Flesh is crimson colored . crop duration is 110-115 days.

12. New Hampshire midget: It is an early variety introduced from the USA. Fruit is small weighing 1.5 to 2kg. Shape is oval, skin color bright green with dark green lacerations with red flesh. It takes 28-30 days from the date of pollination to ripening. It is an early home-garden variety. Pkm -1 Released from TNAU. Fruit dark green Flesh pinkish red. Yield 36-38 t/ha in 120-125 days

13. Improved Shipper An American introduction, its fruits weigh 8-10kg. It has dark green, red flesh with moderate sweetness (8-9% TSS). Special No.1 Its fruits are small, round with red flesh and red seeds. It is early in maturity and TSS is slightly lower than Improved Shipper.

14. DURGAPUR METHA: A late cultivar maturing in 125 days , fruits round with light green. Rind is thick with good keeping quality, flesh sweet, TSS 11%. Fruit weighing about 6-8 kg. Durgapur kesar: A late cultivar, fruit weight 4-5kg. Skin green with stripes , flesh yellow in color , moderately sweet seeds are large.

15. Arka madhura Triploid seedless variety. Cross b/w Tetra-1 X Arka Manik . High yield of 50-60 t/ha. Flesh sweet, juicy and TSS 14-15% Longer shelf life and good transport quality.

16. ARKA AISWARYA Flesh red coloured and juicy. Sweet with TSS 11.3% Yield 80.6t/ha. Arka akash Fruit oblong with red flesh (TSS 12-13%) Fruit weight 6.5 kg Duration 90-95 days. Fruit yield 65-70 t/ha.

17. Arka Jyothi: It is a mid-season F1 hybrid cultivar evolved at IIHR. Developed by crossing a local watermelon of Rajasthan (IIHR 20) X crimson sweet. Fruit oval with deep blue angular stripes. Fruit weight 5-6 kg and each vine bearing 2-3 fruits. TSS 12-14%. Yield potential is 800 q/ha.

18. Private sectors Name of hybrids Indo American hybrid seeds Madhu,Milan,Mohini, I.A.-9305,I.A.9307 Mahyco Amrit, Santripti, MHW-16, MHW-17, MHW -24, MHW-23,Suchitra Century seeds Hybrids No. 1, Millionare, CHW-1,CHW-5,CHW -7,CHW-8 Nunhems Seeds Madhuri, Madhubala, Khushboo, Red honey, Maya, Mumtaz Namdhari Seeds NS 295,NS 246, NS 1004 , NS 2332 , NS294,NS296 Bejo Sheetal Seeds BSS 358 , BSS 360, BSS 359, Swapnil, Sweet Baby Sungro Seeds Rasila , Raj Ras, Rangeela , Rasmadhu Private sector hybrids

19. Variety /hybrid name Fruit shape Rind character Flesh color Fruit weight Harvesting period(DAS) SPECIAL FEATURES Santrupti Oblong, long Thick and hard skin Reddish flesh (TSS-9.5-10 brix) 4-6 kg 95-100 days Resistant to wilt Amrit Oblong, long Deep greenish skin, hard and thin. Deep red TSS 10-10.5 Brix 6-8 kg 95-100 days High yielder, Resistant to wilt M.H.W.11 Medium shape, round Blackish green and hard skin Red and tasty 11.0 Brix 4-5 kg Medium duration High yielder Suchitra (MHWM-285) Oblong Light green with dark green striped Scarlet red and frim TSS 10 Brix 7-8 kg 95-103 Export potential and early sowing MAHYCO HYBRIDS

20. Variety /hybrid name Fruit shape Rind character Flesh color Fruit weight Harvesting period(DAS) SPECIAL FEATURES CWH- 1 Round Color similar to sugar baby but thick Flesh deep red (TSS-9.0-9.7 brix) 7-8 kg 115 days Suits for long distance transport CWH-5 Oval Thin rind with dark green stripes Red flesh with high sugar content - - Good shipper CWH-8 round Blackish green Deep Red and very sweet and crisp 5-6 kg 70-75 days Resistant to fruit cracking and suits long distance transport Century seeds HYBRIDS

21. Variety /hybrid name Fruit shape Rind character Flesh color Fruit weight Harvesting period(DAS) SPECIAL FEATURES Madhuri Oval to Oblong - Red color with granular texture with small seeds(TSS 11-12 BRIX) 12 kg - Khushboo Round to Oblong Shiny ad dark tiger stipe skin Juicy, Deep red TSS 13 Brix 13 kg - Has vigorous vine growth Madhubala Large oblong Light green with dark green stripes Red and frim 12 Brix Medium duration Excellent keeping quality and avoids stress conditions Numhems seeds HYBRIDS

22. Variety /hybrid name Fruit shape Rind character Flesh color Fruit weight Harvesting period(DAS) SPECIAL FEATURES NS 295 Jubilee type, blocky oblong Thick and hard skin Flesh deep crimson with granular texture (TSS-12-13brix) 7-8kg upto14 kg 90 days Good for transport NS 294 blocky oblong Deep greenish skin, hard and thin. Flesh deep with granular texture (TSS-11-12brix) 5-7 kg 85 days - Namdhari seeds HYBRIDS

23. NS 777 Santrupti NS 750

24. Varieties suits for long distance transport: crimson sweet Arka manik Durgapur Meetha Varieties with thin rind: yellow baby carnival red glory Varieties with yellow flesh: crimson sweet Arka manik Varieties resistant to anthracnose: crimson sweet Arka manik Varieties with high quality: Arka manik sweet marvel

25. Production technology

26. Soil and land preparation Watermelon can be grown on a wide variety of soils. Sandy loams are the best for early crop, while high yields are recorded in loamy soils. Soil pH range from 5.5-7.0 Well drained soil with high organic matter is preferable for the cultivation. Land prepared by ploughing at right moisture content using a tractor or power tiller drawn plough.

27. Sowing season November to December Seed rate Seed rate depends on the variety or the hybrid. Normally 3 kg/ha for small seeded types and 5 kg/ha for large seeded types is recommended. For high yielding hybrids seed rate of 0.75 -1kg is sufficient.

28. Seed treatment Treat seeds with biocontrol agents viz. Trichoderma viride @ 30 g/kg seed or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 50 g/kg seed Treat seeds with fungicides viz. Carbendazim @ 2g/kg of seed or Thiram @ 2g/kg of seed.

29. Climatic requirements Warm season crop grown in subtropical and hot arid regions. Soil temperature ranges from 16 to 33⁰C For seed germination optimum temperature is 21.5 ⁰C For pollination, fertilization and fruit set the temperature is 25- 30 ⁰C It is sensitive to low temperature and frost.

30. Sowing and planting Sown either on raised bed or in pits Seedlings become ready in 25-30 days Sowing methods Furrow method Open furrows at a distance of 2-3 meters apart. Sow the seeds on either side of the furrows. Allow the vines to trail on the ground. Two plants/ hill should be maintained. Plant to plant spacing should be 0.75 to 1m.

31. Pit method Prepare pit of 60 cm diameter and fill with sufficient quantity of organic manure before sowing. 4 plants/ pit should be maintained Pit to pit distance should be 2-3 m. Furrow method Pit method

32. Manuring Apply 20 tones/ha farmyard manure well before sowing and mix thoroughly with the soils.

33. Use of plant growth regulators Exogenous application of triiodo benzoic acid (25-250 ppm), molybdenum (3-4ppm) and calcium (20-25 ppm) is recommended to increase the fruiting and yield. These PGR applied at 2-4 true leaf stag as foliar spray.

34. Pruning Prune the excessive vine growth manually to restrict vegetative growth and promote higher female: male flower ratio. If apical shoot is pinched and 2-4 side shoots are allowed to grow, it gives significantly higher yield. Thin the fruits to retain only maximum of 4-5 fruits per vine to improve fruit size and yield.

35. Weed management Spray Butachlor @ 2kg/ha after 3 days of sowing Remove the weeds by hand weeding after 15, 30 and 45 days of sowing. Water management Irrigate at regular intervals of time as watermelon responds well to irrigation . Over watering frequently is not recommended as it promotes excessive vegetative growth. Stop the irrigation during ripening as it will adversely affect fruit quality and leads to fruit cracking. Don’t allow water stagnation. Avoid water stress during pre-flowering, flowering

36. Harvesting Normally harvesting of watermelon starts 30-40 days after flowering. Harvest the fruits when it produces heavy dull sound upon tapping. Maturity of the fruit is indicated when fruits surface on the ground level produces light yellow color. When the tendrils at the base of the fruit are dried is also an indication.

37. Storage of seeds Dry the seeds to reduce the moisture level below 10–12%. Add finely grounded Tirphal / Boric acid powder @2 g/kg of seeds to reduce pest attack. Yield Average fruit yield ranges from 200-250q/ha(varieties) For hybrids 300-400q/ha.