How Long Do Watermelon Take To Grow

How Long Do Watermelon Take To Grow

Watermelon 

Botanical Name : Citrallu vulgaris

Family : Cucurbitaceae 

Chromosome No. : 2n = 24, 48 

                                                                                        

Watermelon (Citulus lanatus) has a prominent place among vine vegetables. In different parts of India, it is known as watermelon, kalinda and kalindi. Although it can be grown in gardens, it is mainly grown on the banks of rivers in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. As a general summer crop, it is grown from the lower Himalayan region to the southern parts of India. Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Orissa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan are the major states of watermelon production. It is an excellent dessert fruit. Both the rich and the poor enjoy its taste. If a little salt and black pepper is added to it, then an excellent refreshing juice and cold drink is made from it. Watermelon fruits contain 90 percent water.

History and Origin -  Watermelon's birthplace is Africa. Its second birthplace is also considered to be India. Its cultivation has been going on in our country since ancient times. In northern India, it is grown especially in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi. Apart from these, it is grown in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

Nutritive value - 

Ripe fruits of watermelon are juicy and sweet. Sometimes vegetables are also made from its unripe fruits. Kernels are extracted from its seeds and used in various ways. The food value of watermelon is given in the table-

                                (Nutrition Value of Watermelon per 100 gm)

Moisture              : 92.00 g Protein                 : 7.00 g Carbohydrates    : 7.00 g Phosphorus          : 7.00 g Thiamine              : 0.05 mg Ascorbic Acid      : 6.0 mg Calcium                : 7.0 mg Riboflavin            : 0.05 mg Vitamin A            : 599.00 IU

                  How Are Seedless Watermelon Grown

Climate - Successful production of watermelon requires a warm dry climate and a long growing season with hot days and long nights. Its plants are absolutely unable to tolerate very low temperatures or frost. Its germination requires optimum moisture and soil temperature between 25°-30°C. Temperature below 28°-30°C is optimum for plant growth while 24°-27°C is required for good fruit formation. High temperature is required during fruit ripening. The dry areas of Rajasthan are considered best for watermelon production, as high quality fruits are obtained there.

Soil - Watermelon can be grown in different types of soils, but sandy loam soils are considered best for its early crop and loamy soils are considered best for higher yield. Roots do not develop well in heavy soils. Hence, short duration varieties which give less yield are grown in them. Alluvial soils near river banks are also good for watermelon production. The soil should have proper drainage and should have abundant organic matter. The pH value of the soil is considered ideal to be 6.5-7-0.

Improved Varieties

Many selections, varieties and hybrids of watermelon have been developed for its commercial cultivation, which are mentioned below—

Arka Jyoti - This is a medieval hybrid variety, which gets ready in 95-100 days. Fruits are round, light green skinned with dark green stripes. Each vine bears 2-3 fruits. Sweet pulp (12-14% TSS) and chrysalis is red in colour. When the pulp is overripe, it becomes granular. It can be grown in South and North India. Each fruit of this variety weighs 6-8 kg. It gives a yield of up to 350 quintals per hectare. Seeds are small and less.

Arka Manik - Fruits of this variety are round (oval) and each fruit weighs 6 kg. Skin is light green with pale green stripes. The pulp is dark red and very sweet (11-12% TSS) and the seed management is such that it can be easily removed. This variety is resistant to powdery mildew, downy mildew, while it is tolerant to anthracnose and blossom-end-rot. It has very good storage capacity. Also, it can be transported to distant markets without any damage. It gives up to 600 quintals per hectare.

Asahi Yamato - This is a Japanese variety. It is being easily grown in India. Each fruit weighs 6-8 kg. Light green stripes are found on its skin, the pulp is deep pink, crisp, sweet (11-13% TSS) in which brown seeds are found. This variety is ready in 90-95 days after sowing the seeds. The average weight of the fruit is 7-8 kg. It gives 225 quintals of yield per hectare.

Durgapura Kesar - This is a late maturing variety. Its fruits have green stripes. The weight of each fruit is 4-5 kg. The pulp is saffron in colour and is moderately sweet, in which large seeds are found, the weight of the fruit is 6-7 kg.

Durgapura Meetha - The fruits of this variety are round with green stripes on them, the peel is thick. The pulp is dark red in colour, which is sweet (11% TSS). The average weight of each fruit is 6-8 kg. This variety gets ready in 125 days after sowing the seeds.

Improved Shipper - This is a variety brought from America. Its skin is dark green. The pulp is red and sweet (8-9 TSS). The weight of each fruit is 8-9 kg.

New Hempshire Midget - This is also a variety brought from abroad, its fruits are small. The weight of each fruit is 1.5-2.0 kg. The skin of its fruits is light green on which black stripes are found. The pulp is red. This variety is suitable for growing in home gardens.

        How Do You Grow A Seedless Watermelon

Pusa Bedana - This is a hybrid variety, which does not have seeds, this variety grows slowly, whose leaves are dark green, its vines have internodes and the leaves are leathery, the pulp is pink in colour and of very good quality. The crop of this variety is ready in 85-90 days. The seed of this variety is expensive and there is problem in seed germination, hence this variety is not grown on commercial level.

Sugar Baby - This variety has been brought from America. Its vine grows to medium length. The weight of each fruit is 4 kg. Fruits are round, with dark green skin on which blackish green stripes are found. Fruit is very sweet (11-13% TSS) in which small brown seeds are found. Weight of fruit is 4-6 kg. Crop gets ready in 80-90 days. It gives yield up to 200-250 quintals per hectare.

Apart from the above varieties, many hybrid varieties are available which are grown on a large scale. Such as Madhu, Milan, Mohini, MHW 4, MHW 5, MHW 6, MHW 11, MHW 12, MHW 15, NS 246, NS 295, Suruchi, Samatrupati, Amruth and Century 2 are the prominent ones. The characteristics of these hybrid varieties are attractive appearance, high quality pulp, good for transportation, wilt resistance/tolerance etc.

W 19 – This variety is ready in 75-80 days. Light green stripes are found on its fruit, its pulp is deep pink and solid, yield is 46-50 tonnes per hectare. This variety is suitable for growing in dry areas.

Preparation of Land  – 

In India, watermelon is usually cultivated by making a basin in the sand on the river bank. For sowing in the field, ploughing should be done two-three times. After every ploughing, the leveller should be used so that the soil becomes friable and flat.

Manure & Fertilizers – Manure and fertilizers have special importance in the successful production of watermelon. The amount of nutrients to be given to the watermelon crop depends on many things, including the fertility of the land, climate and the method of growing them. 15-22-5 tonnes of cow dung manure or compost should be applied per hectare at the time of land preparation. Apart from this, 55-110 kg of nitrogen, 55-80 kg of phosphorus and 55-110 kg of potash should be applied per hectare. Half the amount of nitrogen, full amount of phosphorus and potash should be applied before sowing the seeds. Half the amount of nitrogen should be given at the time of emergence of vines and then after 10-15 days. Generally, applying more nitrogen in areas with high temperature increases the amount of male flowers in the vines and reduces female or complete formation, due to which fruit formation is reduced and there is a huge reduction in the yield. Therefore, full amount of all fertilizers should be put in the soil before fruit formation. Watermelon fruits are plucked when fully ripe. Therefore, more number of fruits should be obtained on the vines. Its partial treatment is- a mixture of urea and insecticide should be sprayed.

In the plains of northern India, watermelon is sown from the end of February to mid-March, whereas in north-eastern and western India it is done in November-January. In West Bengal, watermelon is sown in December-January. In Rajasthan, one of its crops is also taken in the rainy season, which is sown in August-September. In the hilly areas of northern India, Asahi Yamato variety is sown in April-May.

    How Do You Plant A Seedless Watermelon

Sowing - Watermelon is propagated from seeds. The quantity of seeds depends on the distance between rows and plants, and the spreading nature of the vine of the variety. Generally, 3.0-3.5 kg and 5.0 kg per hectare is sufficient for small seeded varieties and large seeded varieties respectively. For high yielding varieties, 1/3rd quantity of seeds of improved varieties is sufficient.

Watermelon is propagated by growing seeds in polythene bags and planting them.

Before sowing the seeds are soaked in water for 48 hours. By doing this, the seeds germinate quickly. In high land, the germinated seeds are sown in pits made in pits and drains or on the banks of rivers by making baskets. For varieties with long vines, the distance between rows and plants is kept at 3.5 meters, and on the banks of rivers, the distance between the plants is kept at 1.2 meters. While for medium vining varieties like Sugar Baby, a distance of 2.0 m x 1.0 m is kept in the upper soil. The distance between plants can be reduced to 0-6 m. In this method, if one plant is grown per doli on the doli, then 16,600 plants can be grown per hectare. For transplanting in pits, pits of size 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm are dug. A mixture of cow dung manure + nitrogen, phosphorus and potash is mixed in the dug soil and the pits are filled.

In the plains of northern India, sowing of watermelon is done from the end of February to mid-March, while in north-eastern and western India it is done in November-January. In West Bengal, sowing of watermelon is done in December-January. In Rajasthan, one of its crops is also taken in the rainy season and the sowing is done in August-September. In the hilly areas of northern India, the Asahi Yamato variety is sown in April-May.

For transplanting, one or two seeds are sown in each bag after filling the alkathene bags of 150-200 micron thickness with a mixture of soil + cow dung manure. When 2-3 leaves develop in the plants, then their bags are removed and the earth ball along with the soil is planted in the field at an appropriate distance.

 

Use Plant Regulators - Use plant regulators to increase the number of female flowers in the crop, for which spray 2, 4-5, 25-50 ppm of tri-iodo benzoic acid (TIBA). First spraying should be done when the crop is 15-20 days old and the second spraying should be done 10-15 days after the first spraying. By doing this, the yield increases by 1.5 times. Researches conducted at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar have shown that more yield has been obtained in watermelon crop by treatment with growth regulator. For this treatment, prepare a solution of a chemical called ginellic acid and spray it on the watermelon crop at the stage of 2 to 4 raw leaves. First dissolve 1.25 grams of gibberellic acid in a small amount of alcohol and mix water in it to make a 50 liter solution. This is sufficient for one hectare area. The variety named “Sugar Baby” has successfully benefited from this treatment and the yield of this variety has increased to 173.8 quintals per hectare, whereas without treatment, the yield of this variety was only 131.6 quintals per hectare. The only thing to be noted in this treatment is that stickiness-inducing substances like Television-21, Cellwet-99 etc. must also be used in the solution. By doing this, the medicine will stay on the surface of this crop to some extent and the treatment will prove to be more beneficial.

        How To Plant A Seedless Watermelon

Irrigation & Drainage  - 

Watermelon requires more irrigation. But it cannot tolerate water logging. The first irrigation should be done after sowing seeds or planting saplings. Spring-summer crops require more water. Frequent irrigation in heavy soils leads to more vegetative growth of plants, so frequent irrigation should not be done there. On the other hand, due to lack of moisture in the stages before flowering, flowering and fruit formation, there is a huge reduction in the yield. But irrigation should be stopped when the fruits are mature. Because irrigation at this stage reduces the quality of the fruit obtained from the plant and increases the process of fruit bursting. Water should be limited to the base and root region of the plants. Vines or other vegetative parts should not get wet with irrigation water, especially when flowers are coming out, fruits are being formed and fruits are developing. Wetting of leaves, stems and growing fruits causes diseases. Crops grown on river banks require irrigation in the beginning, later when the roots of the plants reach 1.5 meters or the water level, then no irrigation is done. In summers, irrigation should be done at an interval of 3-5 days. Whereas in West Bengal, irrigation should be done at an interval of 10-15 days.

Plant Protection

Weed control - There is no special problem of weeds in watermelon crop. Initially, it is necessary to keep the beds and the baskets free from weeds. When nitrogen fertilizer is applied by top dressing, at that time weeding is done and soil is also put on the plants. When the vines spread, weeds cannot grow. The weeds that grow in large numbers should be removed by hand. Such weeds cause up to 30 percent damage to the crop without harming the vines. To reduce their damage, weeding should be done 15-20 days after sowing the seeds.

Herbicides can also be used to control watermelon weeds. In India, simazine, alachlor, dichlor mate, propanil, butachlor are used after sowing and before germination. By doing this, weeds are effectively controlled. The use of Butachlor and Teatree Florali 2 kg and 1.2 kg per hectare respectively has also been found to be effective.

Pruning - Generally Indian farmers do not prune watermelon vines, which results in low yield. Pruning is a very important task to prevent excessive growth of vines and increase the number of female flowers in the plants. Apical shoot should be plucked and two side shoots should be allowed to grow. This gives more yield.

Plucking of fruits also helps in increasing the yield. 2 fruits should be left on each vine so that they grow properly and ultimately more yield is obtained.

Training

The following three methods are adopted for training watermelon vines-

(1) Archway system – In this method, plants are planted at a distance of 45 cm. In this method, 9500 plants are planted per hectare.

(2) Inclined cordon system – In this method, the plants are kept at a distance of 45 cm between the rows and are planted one after the other in the middle of 2-1 m and 76 cm beds.

(3) Vertical cordon system – In this method, the plants are kept at a distance of 54 cm and the distance between the rows is 1.52 m. In this method, 12,000 plants are planted per hectare.

Insect Control 

Laldi (Red Pumpkin Beetle) – Its adults fly near the plants and damage the leaves. They eat the leaves and make holes in them. Its larvae cut the roots and the parts near the ground.

Control – In case of infestation of this insect, spraying of carbaryl (0.2%) should be done immediately after germination.

Fruit fly – Due to infestation of this insect, small and mature fruits rot.

Control – Mixing 5% jaggery with phenythione (0.05%) should be sprayed at the time of fruit formation.

Aphids  – This insect can be seen in tender leaves and flower buds. They suck the juice of leaves and flower buds. Due to which the food production process of the plant gets hindered.

Control – As soon as this insect infests, spraying of monocrotophos or dimethoate (0.05%) should be done.

Disease Control

Powdery Mildew - This disease is caused by fungi named Erysiphe cichoracearum and Sphaerotheca fuliginea. Due to this disease, small spots of white to powdery colour are formed on leaves and green stems. Later they turn into powdery form and grow bigger. Later the whole plant is covered with white powder. In case of severe infestation, fruits also get covered with white powder. The quality of fruits is badly affected.

Control -

- Calixin (0.05) should be sprayed 2-3 times at an interval of 10 days.

Downy Mildew - This disease is caused by a fungus named 'Pseudopernospora queuensis'. Angular yellow spots are formed on the surface of leaves and later the leaves die. This disease causes a huge reduction in the yield of leaves and fruits. Control-

- Diseased leaves should be removed.

- Later spray Mancozeb (0.25%) at an interval of 8-10 days.

Anthracnose - This disease is caused by a fungus called Colletotrichum lagenarium. Small yellow or water soaked spots are formed on leaves which soon turn brown, newly emerging leaves die, circular sunken spots on fruits which turn dark brown at the edges. Black stomata are formed in the middle of these spots on which pink blisters are formed.

Control-

- Spray Hexacap (0.25%) at an interval of 15 days.

How Long Do Watermelon Take To Grow

Crop harvesting - Watermelon should be harvested at its proper ripe stage. The size of watermelon fruit and its skin colour are not good indicators of this ripeness. Its crop is ready for harvesting 90-120 days after sowing the seeds, which depends on its variety and season. When the light green coloured fruit which is attached to the ground becomes white to cream and the dark green coloured fruit becomes yellow, these are the beneficial indicators of its ripeness. Its ripeness is revealed by a heavy dull sound. When the tendrils which are the base of the watermelon dry up, it is a good indicator of ripeness. Fruits are ready for harvesting 30-40 days after pollination. Fruits should be cut and separated with a knife.

Yield - The yield of watermelon depends on many things. These include fertility of the soil, variety grown, season and care of the crop. The yield is 200-250 quintals per hectare while the hybrid varieties yield up to 300 quintals per hectare.

Watermelon fruits can be stored for 1-3 weeks at 2.2°-4.40°C temperature and 80% relative humidity and can be transported to distant markets for sale without any refrigeration. Some varieties of fruits can be stored at normal temperature for up to 3 weeks without spoiling.