What causes watermelon fruit to become stunted

1. Dry soil and insufficient fertilizer and water: if fertilizer and water are insufficient during the fruit swelling stage, stunted fruit is easily formed. Therefore, the melon field should be irrigated, with the amount of water increasing gradually from little to more, and the water must not cover the bed surface. Water should not remain in the field for too long, and irrigation should be done in the evening or at night to avoid burning the roots at high temperatures. When developing watermelons in hilly areas, water storage should be increased before winter, and the method of raising seedlings and transplanting should be adopted to achieve early fruit set and reduce the impact of drought on fruit swelling. When the young fruit grows to the size of an egg, apply fruit-swelling fertilizer in time.

2. Insufficient functional leaves: generally speaking, fruits with more leaves grow larger and are of better quality, so cultivation should have a considerable number of functional leaves for photosynthesis to meet the needs of fruit swelling.

3. Excessive vine growth: the nutrients produced are mostly consumed by stem and leaf growth, which cannot meet the needs of fruit swelling, resulting in a rampant growth state. Strong seedlings should be cultivated to lay a good foundation for normal fruit development. Before and after fruit set, the amount and timing of fruit-swelling fertilizer application should be adjusted according to the size of new leaves, the thickness of the vine, the length of the internodes, and the length from the top of the vine to the node of the opened female flower. If the length from the top of the vine to the node of the opened female flower exceeds 67 cm, it indicates that the vine is growing excessively and its growth should be suppressed; if the length is less than 50 cm, it indicates that the vine is growing weakly and fertilizer should be applied immediately to promote growth; if the length is within the range of 50-67 cm, it indicates that the vine is growing normally.

4. During pollination, the amount of pollen from male flowers applied to the stigma of female flowers is insufficient. The number of seeds has an important influence on fruit development. Under the same conditions, fruits with more seeds grow larger. Therefore, the best timing should be chosen to apply as much pollen with strong vitality as possible to the stigma, so as to increase the number of seeds and achieve the goal of high yield.

5. Female flowers that are slender and weak with sparse hairs are not easy to set fruit after pollination, and even if fruit set occurs, it is difficult for them to grow large. Therefore, female flowers with well-developed buds, large size, and vigorous growth should be selected for pollination. The main characteristics of high-quality female flowers are a thick fruit stalk, a large ovary, normal shape, tender green color with luster, and dense hairs.

6. Leaves seriously damaged by pests and diseases cannot carry out photosynthesis normally, affecting fruit development.

7. If fruit set is too close or too far, fruit swelling is affected in many ways and becomes stunted.