Watermelon is an annual vine plant of the genus Cucurbitae [26]. Its shape is generally similar to spherical or elliptical, with dark green, light green or black-green stripes or stripes; melon seeds are mostly black, oval, with pointed heads; stems and branches are thick, with light yellow-brown pubic hairs; leaves are like paper, triangular ovate, and wavy edges. Flower and fruit period is from May to June. [27] Because it was introduced to China from the Western Regions in the 9th century, it is called Watermelon. [28] The origin of watermelon is in the arid desert areas of the tropical Africa, mainly planted in tropical areas, [29] It has a cultivation history in southern Xinjiang and Central Asia for more than 1,000 years. [28] Watermelons like warm and dry climates, are not cold-resistant, drought-resistant, moisture-resistant, and like light. They require large amounts of fertilizer. They are best for sandy soil with loose soil, deep soil layer and good drainage. [30] The breeding methods include grafting and seed reproduction, which are mainly through seed reproduction. With the help of external forces or artificial cultivation, new watermelon seedlings will grow. [31] “Daily Materia Medica” records that watermelon is rich in a variety of vitamins and has the effect of balancing blood pressure and regulating heart function. [32] Watermelon is known as the king of summer fruits and melons. “If you eat watermelon in summer, you don’t need to catch medicine.” This folk saying reflects the medicinal value of watermelon. [28] Historical records: Watermelon was listed as the first fruit of Taimiao during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and people called watermelon “tribute melon”. There was a melon garden in the southern garden of the Qing Dynasty. Emperors Cixi and Jiajing loved to eat watermelons, so the emperor asked someone to open a small melon garden for him. [33] Wang Zhen said in “Book of Agriculture” that watermelon “eats it like a sacrificial revelation, and nectar refreshes the heart”, expressing the value of watermelon’s refreshing thirst and sweetness and moistening the lungs. [34]
China is the largest watermelon production in the world, but there are different opinions on the origin of watermelon. One theory believes that watermelon does not originate from China, but is produced in Africa and came from the Western Regions, so it is called watermelon. Another theory originated from the legend that Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs. According to legend, watermelon was discovered when Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs. It was originally called “Sparse Melon”, which means a melon with a lot of water and sparse meat, but later it became watermelon.
A more popular view is that the native place of watermelon is in Africa. It was originally a wild plant of the Cucurbitaceae family, and it was later artificially cultivated to become edible watermelon. As early as four thousand years ago, the Egyptians planted watermelons, and later gradually moved northward. They first spread from the Mediterranean coast to Northern Europe, and then went south to the Middle East, India and other places. In the fourth and fifth century, they were introduced to China from the Western Regions, so they were called “watermelon”. [2] According to the “Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs” by Xu Guangqi, a scientist in the Ming Dynasty, “Watermelon is planted in the Western Regions, so its name is.” Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty recorded in “Compendium of Materia Medica”: “According to Hu Qiao’s melon seeds from the Uighurs, it is called watermelon. Watermelon began to enter China since the Five Dynasties; it is available in both north and south today.” This shows that the cultivation of watermelon in China has a long history. In the past, some people quoted Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty’s “New History of the Five Dynasties: Appendix to the Four Barbarians”: Hu Qiao, the magistrate of Heyang County, Tongzhou, entered the Khitan to “first eat watermelons”, “The Khitan defeated the Uighurs to obtain this kind of seeds, and planted them with cow dung covering the shed, which was as big as Chinese winter melons and sweet as a taste”, “In the third year of Guangshun of Zhou (953),… Qiao returned.” Therefore, the statement that watermelon was introduced from the Western Regions to China from the Five Dynasties seems to have become a conclusion. [3]In 1981, the extracurricular reading for middle school students “History of Food, Clothing, Housing and Transport” published by Hunan People’s Publishing House, there is a section called “Watermelons Begin in the Five Dynasties”. In fact, this statement is not accurate. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty pointed out in “Compendium of Materia Medica” that watermelon is also known as cold melon. “Tao Hongjing (born from the Southern and Northern Dynasties) said that Guadi said that there was a very large cold melon in Yongjia (the reign of Emperor Huai of Jin) and it could be hidden until the spring sound. This is this. The first melon seeds in the Five Dynasties had entered eastern Zhejiang, but there was no name for watermelon, and it had not spread throughout China.” “The Biography of Southern History Teng Tangong” says that Tangong “was five years old, his mother Yang was suffering from heat and thought of eating cold melons, which was not produced by the customs of the earth. Tangong could not get it after visiting it, and he was sad. I met a mulberry party and asked about the reason, and Tangong told him. Sangmen said, “I have two melons, one for each of them.” Then I was surprised to see the mulberry party and visited the mulberry party, but I didn’t know where it was.” Volume 19 of Duan Chengshi of the Tang Dynasty recorded the poem “Xingyuan” by Yinhou (Shen Yue) in “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”: “The cold melons lie on the ridges, and the autumn puppets are all over the pond. The purple eggplants are rotten and the green taros are uneven.” Judging from the time when the cold melons lie on the ridges, it is exactly the same as the watermelon. In addition, the old Beijing once called the watermelon that was first listed as “water melon”, and the one that was later listed as “cold melon”. Today, I visited the old farmer and said that late watermelon is indeed called “cold melon”. It seems that the above literature can be verified with Li Shizhen’s statement. However, Li Shizhen’s statement did not seem to have attracted people’s attention for hundreds of years. In 1976, watermelon seeds were found in the mud in the coffin chamber of the Western Han Dynasty tomb in Gui County, Guangxi; in 1980, watermelon seeds appeared in the lacquer burial of Han tomb in Hanjiang County, western suburbs of Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. The owner of the tomb died in the third year of the birth of Emperor Xuan of Han (71 BC).
Annual vine; thick stems and branches, with obvious ridges, long, dense white or light yellowish-brown long pubic hairs.
Watermelon
The tendril is thick, with short pubic hair, 2-fold, thick petiole, 3-12 cm long, 0.2-0.4 cm thick, with inconspicuous grooves and dense pubic hair; the leaves are paper-like, triangular ovate, white-green, 8-20 cm long, 5-15 cm wide, with short and hard hair on both sides, more veins and back, 3 deep fissures, longer mid-lobes, obovate, oblong lanceolate or lanceolate, sharp or gradually pointed at the top, lobes are plumed or double-pupil shallow or deep fissures, edges are wavy or sparse teeth, the last lobe usually has a few shallow sawtooths, blunt at the apex, heart-shaped at the base of the leaves, sometimes forming semicircular bends, curved deficits, 1-2 cm wide, and 0.5-0.8 cm deep. Hermaphrodite. Both female and male flowers grow alone in the leaf axilla. Male flowers: Pedicel 3-4 cm long, densely covered with yellowish-brown long pubic hair; calyx tube is wide bell-shaped, densely covered with long pubic hair, calyx lobes narrowly lanceolate, nearly equal length to calyx tube, 2-3 mm long; the corolla is light yellow, diameter 2.5-3 cm, green on the outside, long pubic hair, lobes ovate oblong, 1-1.5 cm long, 0.5-0.8 cm wide, blunt or slightly pointed at the tip, yellowish-brown veins, hairy; stamens 3, near-lived, 1 1 chamber, 2 2 chambers, short filaments, and flexed medicine chamber. Female flowers: calyx and corolla are the same as male flowers; ovary ovate, 0.5-0.8 cm long, 0.4 cm wide, densely cucumbered pubic hair, style 4-5 mm long, stigma 3, kidneyshape. The fruit is large, nearly spherical or oval, fleshy, juicy, smooth skin, color and pattern. Most seeds are oval, black and red, sometimes white, yellow, light green or with spots. The two sides are smooth, the base is blunt and round, usually slightly arched at the edges, 1-1.5 cm long, 0.5-0.8 cm wide, 1-2 mm thick, and in summer. [4] The growth environment watermelon likes a warm and dry climate and is not cold-resistant. The optimal temperature for growth and development is 24-30 degrees, the optimal temperature for root growth and development is 30-32 degrees, and the minimum temperature for root hair occurrence is 14 degrees. Watermelons require a large day-night temperature difference during their growth and development. Watermelons are drought-resistant and not damp-resistant. When there are many rainy days, the humidity is too high and they are susceptible to diseases. Watermelons like light, and watermelons have a long growth period, so they require a lot of nutrients. As the plant grows, the amount of fertilizer required for watermelon gradually increases, and reaches its maximum value when the fruit grows vigorously. Watermelons are highly adaptable, and are best for sandy soil with loose soil, deep soil layer and good drainage. Likes weak acidity, pH 5-7. [5]
It is cultivated in various parts of China, with many varieties, and the outer skin, flesh and seed forms are diverse. It is the most famous in Xinjiang, Lanzhou, Gansu, Dezhou, Shandong, Liyang, Jiangsu and other places. The original species may come from Africa and have been widely cultivated in the world’s tropical to temperate zones for a long time. It was introduced to China during the Jin and Yuan dynasties. [4] Reproduction methods include grafting and seed reproduction, which is mainly through seed reproduction. With the help of external forces or artificial cultivation, new watermelon seedlings will grow. [31] Soak seeds and germination: Soak the seed for 2 days before sowing, and then disinfect the seeds. Soak the seeds in 55℃ warm water, stir while soaking for about 30 minutes, and then continue to soak the seeds for 2 hours after cooling. The agent treatment is usually soaked in 100 times formalin solution for 30 minutes, or soaked in 50% 50% wormwood solution for 1 hour, rinse with clean water and soak for 3-4 hours. Wash the treated seeds, place them in a constant temperature box at high temperature of 40℃ for 6 hours, germinate at a constant temperature of 33℃, and seeds can be sown when the radiculogen grows to 0.5 cm.
Soak seed germination
Prepare seed beds: Seed beds should be built by plots that are leeward and sunny, with high terrain and convenient management. Watermelon seedlings should be cultivated in a greenhouse or in a greenhouse. Electric hotlines can be laid to increase the soil temperature and a small arch shed is covered on the seedling bed. When watermelon seedlings are raised after autumn, a sunshade should be built and prevent rainstorms from eroding. The nutrient soil is required to be loose and free of diseases and pests, and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied in proportion, which is slightly sticky. You can mix evenly with 6 parts of rice field topsoil, 3 parts of decomposed manure and 1 part of wood ash, and add 5 kg of decomposed chicken and duck manure per cubic meter of soil. The soil and fertilizer should be mashed and sieved, kept in pellet form, then added with appropriate amount of water and mixed thoroughly, and piled up 1-2 months before sowing. Nutritional bowls are used to cultivate seedlings, with a diameter of 6-8 cm. They are made of scrap newspapers. Each large newspaper is made of 10 paper bowls, or plastic bowls or mud bowls. Put the nutrient soil into the nutrient bowl 1-2 cm away from the mouth of the bowl and arrange it neatly in the seedling bed. Sowing: Early-ripening watermelons are sown from mid-December to late March last year, medium-ripening watermelons are sown from April to June, and watermelons are sown from mid-to-late July after autumn. sowingOne afternoon, water the nutrition bowl thoroughly. When sowing, place the seeds with bud tips flat in a nutrition bowl, 1 pill per bowl, cover with fine soil and 1 cm thick, and cover with a thin film.
Sowing
Seedling management: ① Temperature management: After sowing, the daytime temperature in the bed should be controlled at 28-35℃ and 20-25℃ at night; after 80% of the seeds break through the soil and emerge, the daytime stays at 20-25℃ and 15-18℃ at night; after the first real leaf appears, the daytime stays at 25-28℃. Start refining the seedlings 1 week before transplanting. ② Water management: Watering is generally not allowed before unearth; watering should be controlled during the cotyledon period, and the ground should be dry and wet, mainly to retain moisture; after the real leaves are displayed, the watering volume can be increased. Watering should be done on a sunny morning, and the topsoil should be loosened after watering to maintain moisture. It is not advisable to water on cloudy days. In addition, pay attention to uncovering the membrane and ventilation to prevent high temperature and high humidity. The watermelon seedlings in Qiuyan is dry at high temperature, so pay attention to moisture supply.
When choosing a land, it is advisable to choose sandy loam with deep soil layer, loose and fertile soil, and convenient drainage and irrigation. Fields with no melon crops planted within 5 years of dry land and within 3 years of paddy fields. Fertilize the melon fields before winter and cultivate frozen basins, and prepare the land in time before transplanting. The melon fields should be equipped with three ditches, so that the fields should be dried until the rain stops dry and the soil should be flat. Base fertilizer is mainly high-quality organic fertilizer and cake fertilizer and supplemented by inorganic fertilizer, which generally accounts for 60%-70% of the total fertilizer application. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be properly matched, and micro fertilizers should be applied or sprayed separately according to the deficiency of the nutrients. The amount of fertilizer applied depends on the soil fertility and cultivating varieties. Generally, medium-fertile fields should be used for every 667 square meters of decomposed organic fertilizer, 60-80 kg of 45% nitrosulfur-based or potassium sulfate-type controlled-release fertilizer for every 667 square meters. Do not apply chlorine-containing fertilizer. Small fruit watermelons and grafted watermelons can be applied with 20% less fertilizer. Planting is carried out with high trench, with wide trench 4-4.5 meters and narrow trench 2.0-2.5 meters. Wide beds can be planted on both sides of the bed, and melon vines can be planted on both sides of the bed, and narrow beds can be planted on one side of the bed.
The seedlings of early ripe watermelon are about 1 month old, and 2-3 real leaves can be grown to be planted. Medium-ripe watermelon seedling age is 20-25 days, and late-ripe watermelon seedling age is 7-10 days. Plant 2 rows in wide beds and 1 row in narrow beds. Small fruit watermelon shed vertical cultivation, 1,500-1,800 plants are planted every 667 square meters; climbing ground cultivation, three vines or four vines are pruned, and 600-750 plants are planted every 667 square meters. Medium and large watermelons are generally planted with 650-700 plants per 667 square meters, and 300-400 plants per 667 square meters of grafted seedless watermelons are planted with 300-400 plants per 667 square meters. Dig the planting holes according to the row spacing of the plant, put the nutrient bowl into the planting holes in the same direction as the cotyledons and the bed, and keep the depth equal to the surface of the bed. Fill the seedling holes with fine soil, and water the root water with human and animal fertilizer and medicine. When transplanting, cover the film. The width of the film should not be narrower than 80 cm. The cover film should be fine and flat, the film should be close to the moisture surface, and seal the surrounding area with fine soil. Pruning and vines are generally pruning three-video. When the main vine leaves are 8-9, the main vine and two strong side vines are selected, and the remaining son vines and grand vines are removed. Pruning should not be done on rainy days to prevent the spread of diseases. DangmanWhen it grows to about 50 cm, use soil to press the vines together with pruning. Then, press them once every 3-4 sections apart. Press each vine 2-3 times in total, and spread the melon vines evenly. Reverse pressure. The watermelon grows too vigorously and uses reverse pressure. Dig a 7-10-centimeter-deep pit, push the melon vines into the pit in the direction of the melon roots, arch the vines behind them, and then fill them with soil to compact them. This can control the long-term and increase the melon seating rate. Holding vines. When the second to third female flowers appear, in order to make the melon sit and grow, you can use a vine to hold it. At a finger above the ground, use two wooden strips about 7 cm to hold the vine to flatten the vine to ensure that the vascular system is constantly bound and achieve the effect of damaging the skin and flesh but not the muscles and bones. Lift the stem. If you want the young melon to sit steadily, you will lift it hard on the vine behind the young melon and hear a “click”, “Click the back, and the melon is formed in front.” Pinch the tip of the plate. When the watermelon enters the swelling stage, the vines in front of the melon should be properly suppressed and should not allow them to grow vigorously, otherwise it will lose nutrients and affect the swelling of the melon. When pinching the tip of the plate, pull the vine in front of the melon, circle it on the side of the watermelon, and pinch the tip of the vine at will. [14] The second and third female flowers on the main vine or the first and second female flowers on the side vine should be selected. To ensure that you sit on the appropriate joints, in the event of low temperature or rainy weather, artificial auxiliary pollination should be used to protect flowers and fruits. After the melon sits firmly, the young melon and vines are placed in a straight line. When the fruit grows fully, you should turn the melons in time. When turning the melon, rotate in one direction, about 1/3 of each time. Top dressing When the young melon grows to the size of an egg, apply expanding melon fertilizer according to the growth of the plant. Generally, 15-20 kg of nitrosulfur-based or potassium sulfate-type controlled-release fertilizer per 667 square meters are applied. During the water seedling period, try to water as little as possible, or even not water, to promote the seedlings to form a developed root system; control the water before flowering and fruiting to prevent rapid growth; after fruiting, sufficient water supply should be ensured to facilitate the expansion of the fruit and increase weight. It is not advisable to water 7-10 days before harvest to allow the fruit to accumulate sugar. When water is short, water should be poured in the morning and evening at night when the temperature is low. Ditch irrigation, that is, irrigation of water in the ditch, and after the water penetrates the melon ridges, the residual water in the ditch is immediately drained. Drain the water in the fields immediately after irrigation and rain, otherwise it is easy to cause roots and vines to rot. Harvest should be carried out in the morning. For long-distance transportation or storage, it can be harvested when it is 80% ripe; for sales in the suburbs, it can be harvested when it is 90% ripe, and raw melons should not be launched on the market. Generally, early-mature varieties are harvested about 30 days after pollination, medium-mature seeds for about 35 days, and late-mature seeds for about 40 days. The speed of the fruit ripening is affected by temperature, light intensity and time. It is best to indicate the time during pollination. When it is expected to mature, the sample melon is used to cut the fruit, measure its sugar and taste it. After confirming it is ripe, harvest it in batches according to the mark. The main diseases of watermelon prevention and control include blight, anthrax, viral diseases, powdery mildew, and epidemics. The main diseases include tigers, aphids, red spiders, yellow melons, melon maggots, leaf fly, etc. Perform crop rotation for more than 4-5 years, select disease-free seeds, soak the seeds in 100 times formalin solution for 30 minutes to disinfect. Main prevention and treatment methods for fungal diseases: remove and burn the diseased strain in time when it is found, and disinfect the disease acupoints with lime or 50% thymethanol 400 times. In the early stage of the disease, 50% 50% thyroid ammonium peroxide can be poured on the rhizosphere to prevent and treat it. Promotion WestMelon grafting and root replacement technology. Apply decomposed organic fertilizer and increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. During the May-July watermelon growth period, use 70% Tobujin 1000 times liquid, 25% pyrosin 500-700 times liquid, 50% pyrosin zinc 1000 times liquid, 1:1:200 times Bordeaux liquid and other methods to prevent and treat it every 7-10 days. For small-scale tigers, melon maggots, and yellow melons, you can use more plowing and raking in early spring to eliminate insect eggs, use sweet and sour moths to eliminate adult insects, use 90% of the 800-1000 times of the roots or add a small amount of water to mix fresh grass, and mix with fragrant cakes and fat to lure them. Red spider and leaf fly can spray 50% lecota 1000 times liquid or 80% DDT 1000-1500 times liquid. [15]
The ripe fruit of the little angel watermelon is oval, with a fruit shape index of about 1.3; the average weight of a single melon is 1.5 kg, and the maximum can reach more than 3 kg. The fruit surface is smooth, the base color is bright green, covered with dark green medium-fine racks; the melon pulp is red, the flesh is crisp and tender, juicy and refreshing, with less fiber, and the central refractive sugar content is about 13%, up to more than 13.5%; the peel is about 0.5 cm thick and does not crack the fruit. The seeds of commercial melons are brown oval, with a weight of about 32 grams per 100 melons, and an average number of seeds per melon are about 100. [6]
Chunlei watermelon fruit is oval, with a fruit shape index of 1.25. The peel is thin and tough and is only 0.6 cm thick. The background of the fruit surface is emerald green, and the dark green pinstripe band is evenly distributed. The band gap is wider and has fewer spots. The surface is shiny and beautiful. The flesh is bright red. The taste is sweet and refreshing, not hollow, not overturned, and has less cellulose, with a content of soluble solids of more than 13.9%, a small gradient of medium and edges, a high edible rate and good quality.
Jingxiu watermelon ripenses early, with 26-28 days of fruit development and 85-90 days of total reproductive period. The plant grows strongly, the fruits are oval, the circumference is beautiful, green, with narrow zigzag strips. The average fruit weight is 1.5-2.0 kg, and the output is 2500-3000 kg/mu. The fruit profile is uniform, without hollows or white tendons; the melon is red, the flesh is crisp and tender, with a good taste, good flavor, and few children.
Jingxiu Watermelon
The Qilin King watermelon ripens very early and matures about 28 days after flowering. The plant grows vigorously, the fruits are oval in shape, and the peels are light green with thick green flower stripes, which have a beautiful appearance. The flesh is bright red, the flesh is crispy, and the fiber is small, juicy, and contains 12.9% soluble solids. The peel is tough and not easy to hollow, and the single fruit weighs about 5.0 kg. Resistant to diseases, high yields, and resistant to heavy strands. [8]
Kirin King Watermelon