Where is the production area of the eight-month melon? Introduction to the distribution of main production areas

The scientific name of the eight-month melon is Akebia trifoliata, also known as ox kidney fruit, dog kidney, August crack, September crack, etc. It is an evergreen woody vine of the genus Akebia in the family Lardizabalaceae. It is named because its fruit ripens and splits open in August. It resembles a banana and is rich in sugar, vitamin C and 12 kinds of amino acids. It is a pollution-free green food and is known as the “earth banana”. Now let us take a look at where the production area of the eight-month melon is!

Where is the production area of the eight-month melon?

The production areas of the eight-month melon are distributed in Shanxi, Hunan, Henan, Shaanxi, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Xizang and other places. Among them, Guizhou Tongren and the Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, Hunan are the most common. The eight-month melon ripens and splits open in the eighth lunar month. Wild resources are abundant in mountain foothills, valleys and forest-edge shrub thickets such as Suoxiyu and Yangjiajie, making it a superior wild fruit.

The production environment of the eight-month melon

The eight-month melon likes shady and humid conditions and is relatively cold-tolerant. It often grows in grassy thickets under mountain slopes at low altitude. It grows well in slightly acidic yellow soil rich in humus and can also adapt to neutral soil. Its stems and vines often creep along the ground. Other communities and main associated plants include Liriodendron chinense, Cornus controversa, Toxicodendron vernicifluum, Cinnamomum platyphyllum, Stachyurus chinensis, Viburnum chinshanense, Holboellia latifolia, Decaisnea insignis, Staphylea holocarpa, etc.

Propagation methods of the eight-month melon

1. Seed propagation: When the fruit of the eight-month melon matures from September to October, pick the fruit, eat the flesh, keep the seeds and sow them promptly in autumn. First rub and wash the seeds with alkaline water, rinse them clean with clear water, drain the water, dry them in the sun, store them in sand for 50 to 70 days around the 11th lunar month, and sow them promptly in the prepared seedbed in early February of the following spring. Seed propagation is simple and easy, but the seedlings produced bear fruit late, generally only after 3 years. It is generally not used in production.

2. Layering propagation: The vines and stems of the eight-month melon have strong sprouting ability. Select 1- to 2-year-old branches and vines and bury them in the soil. They can take root after 1 month and can be propagated in all four seasons. Generally, they can bloom and bear fruit in the second year after planting.

3. Root division propagation: Root division propagation of the eight-month melon is carried out before sprouting in early spring. For a clump with multiple plants, divide the eight-month melon into multiple plants by hand from the root part. Without cutting the branches and vines, planting in the current year can bear fruit in the current year.

4. Cutting propagation: Cuttings of the eight-month melon can be taken in all four seasons. Select robust 1- to 2-year-old branches and vines free of pests and diseases, cut them into 10 cm-long cuttings, and insert them into the prepared seedbed, paying attention to waterlogging, shading and drought prevention. If conditions permit, ABT No. 2 rooting powder can be used to soak the branches and vines for cuttings, increasing the survival rate to 100%.