Vegetable Crops–PLSC 404 Lesson 19, Melons Instructor: Stephen L. Love Aberdeen R & E Center P.O. Box 870 Aberdeen, ID Phone: Fax:

What makes the garlic diet so great?

You don’t have to lose weight, your friends stand so far away they think you look smaller.

"The true southern watermelon is a boon apart and not to be mentioned with commoner things. It is chief of this world’s luxuries, king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat." Mark Twain

Watermelon fruit

Watermelon Taxonomy Dicotyledon Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus and species: Citrullus lanatus Related species: melons, gourds, luffa, cucumber

Watermelon Origin and Domestication Indigenous to south-central Africa (dry savannah regions) Ancient cultivation in the Mediterranean Taken into China from India Unknown in Europe before 1600 AD Taken in North America by 1630 AD

Watermelon Market Evolution Important source of water for foragers in savannah regions Became a staple of subsistence farmers – nutrition, water storage Became an item of local trade Now an important cash crop used in worldwide export activity

Watermelon Major Watermelon Exporters ExporterSold to: MexicoUS, Canada SpainEurope TurkeyEurope PanamaUS, Canada ItalyEurope

Watermelon Use and importance Nutritionally lean due to high water content Good source of carbohydrates, energy, and calories Moderate source of vitamin A and vitamin C

Watermelon Genetics and breeding Diploid Chromosome number 2n=22 Tetraploid forms used to create seedless melons Hybrids becoming common in the U.S (good for uniformity rather than vigor and yield)

Watermelon Production of Seedless Seeds Tetraploid ParentX Diploid Parent (hand pollination) Triploid Seed (Produces seedless melon)

Watermelon Genetics and breeding The bitter principle Caused by cucurbitacins Inherited by a single gene Toxic to humans at high levels Human population – tasters and non-tasters

Watermelon Subsistence Production Mostly located in Africa Historical uses remain in play Production during dry season Supplemental nutrition to augment staple crops such as cassava, sweet potatoes, yams Production very labor intensive

Watermelon Watermelons are among the most popular cultigens for forager-farmers in the Kalahari for the following reasons: "First, they provide a source of water; second, they are relatively drought-resistant, especially when compared to seed crops like sorghum and maize; and third, dried melons are an article of food for both humans and livestock and, after they have been cut into strips and hung on thorn trees to dry, they are easy to store" (Hitchcock and Ebert 1984).

Watermelon Market Garden Production Located worldwide Opportunities for market identified products Small producers participate in export through wholesalers Production very labor intensive Crop not amenable to vertical production systems

Watermelon Modern-Intensive Production Located throughout northern hemisphere (Australia) Practiced in many undeveloped countries Marketed through major shippers/wholesalers Seasonal production dictated by price Harvest labor intensive

Watermelon Climate and soils Warm season, tender crop Cannot withstand frost Susceptible to chilling injury (<45 degrees) Optimum temperatures degrees Produces best quality in climates with low humidity Grows in most soils, earlier in light soils

Flowering habit of watermelon (C. colocythis)

Watermelon Flowering and Fruit Set First pistillate flowers rarely develop fruit Pistillate flowers receptive for only a few hours About 1 week between pistillate flowers on any one branch Adequate pollination by insects essential Importation of bees can be beneficial

Watermelon Production – Disease Control Fungal Fusarium wilt – rotation (6-10 yrs), resistance Physiological Blossom-end rot – proper irrigation, calcium

Watermelon Production - Harvest (must be harvested ripe, not climacteric) Harvest indices Dead fruit peduncle tendril Yellow ground spot Bass or hollow thump sound Presence of “bee stings” Sampling important for final determination

Watermelon Quality and Grading Based on: Sweetness (measured as soluble solids, minimum 10.5 %) Size Color Texture Freedom from injury or rot

Watermelon Marketing On a local basis, diversity of type creates good marketing opportunities

Traditional

Seedless

Yellow flesh

Orange flesh

Icebox

When is a cucumber like a strawberry?

When one is in a pickle and the other in a jam.

Melons

Melon Domestication Indigenous to Africa Secondary centers of diversity in India, Iran, Russia, China Cultivated in Egypt prior to 2400 BC Name after Cantaluppi, Italy

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon - Botany Eight sub-species groups Cantalupensis – cantaloupe, muskmelon Inodorus – winter melon (casaba, honeydew) Flexuous – snake melon, Armenian cucumber Conomon – oriental pickling melon Chito – mango melon Dudaim – pomegranate melon Momordica – Snap melon Agrestis – wild type

Melon Producing countries Produced worldwide Has achieved its maximum potential and diversity in Asia China is the largest producer

Melon Production and Management Most production market garden and modern- intensive Less important as a subsistence crop Production preferentially in Asia, Mediterranean, N. America Management systems nearly identical to those used for watermelons

Melon Varieties and Breeding All C. melo are cross-fertile Variety type differentiation is market oriented Most varieties are open pollinated – some hybrids

Melon – muskmelon, western shipping type

Melon – muskmelon, eastern type

Melon – honey dew

Melon - casaba

Melon - crenshaw

Melon - galia

Melon - kharbouza

Melon – santa claus

Melon Production – Harvest and handling Must be harvested fully ripe Harvest indices Muskmelon Full slip Yellow ground color Winter melons Slightly spongy stem end Yellow or gold ground color