Hami melon seed treatment methods and key technical points

Hami melons are usually propagated by seed. In actual production, to ensure the survival rate of sowing and to achieve uniform, strong seedlings after sowing, the seeds need to be pre-treated before sowing. Let's take a look at the seed treatment methods for Hami melons!

Hami melon seed selection and sun-drying

Place the Hami melon seeds in a clean place and sort them by hand. Remove seeds that are deformed, moldy, damaged or insect-eaten, and keep uniform, plump Hami melon seeds for later use. Spread the selected Hami melon seeds evenly on clean paper or a straw mat, and dry them in the sun when the weather is clear and sunny. Turn them once every 2 hours so the Hami melon seeds receive even sunlight. Sun-drying promotes after-ripening of the seeds, enhances seed vigor and increases the germination rate of Hami melon seeds. At the same time, the ultraviolet rays in sunlight and the relatively high temperature can kill pathogens carried on the Hami melon seeds, reducing the occurrence of diseases spread through seeds. Moreover, the drier the seeds are, the faster they absorb water during later soaking, which is beneficial for seed germination.

Hami melon seed disinfection

The warm water disinfection method is generally used. Add hot water at about 55-60°C to a clean porcelain or glass container, with the amount of water ideally 5 times the volume of the seeds. Put the sun-dried seeds into the hot water to soak, while continuously stirring gently in the same direction with a glass rod or wooden stick. Add hot water at any time to maintain a temperature of 55-60°C for 20-30 minutes, so that the seeds are fully heated and heated evenly. Then stop adding hot water and continue stirring until the water temperature drops to about 28-30°C, then remove the seeds, drain the water and prepare for soaking.

Hami melon seed soaking

Put the disinfected and drained seeds back into the original container, pour in warm water at 28-30°C, and then frequently add hot water to maintain a temperature of 25-30°C. After soaking for 6-8 hours, pour the seeds into a larger container and gently rub and wash them with your hands to rub off the mucus on the seeds (because the mucus contains substances that inhibit seed germination, rubbing it off cleanly is beneficial for seed germination). After the mucus is rubbed off cleanly, rinse the seeds thoroughly with clean water.

Hami melon seed germination

Drain the soaked seeds, wrap them well in clean wet gauze, and then wrap the gauze with a clean wet towel to prevent water evaporation. Then spread the seeds flat on the bottom of a prepared container, insert a thermometer in the container near the seeds, and use a heated kang, electric blanket, etc. to raise and maintain the temperature. Check the thermometer reading frequently and keep the temperature between 25-28°C. During germination, turn the seeds frequently to expel the carbon dioxide and respiration heat produced by the seeds' respiration, exchange fresh air and supply them with enough oxygen. Under suitable temperature conditions, sprouts can appear in about 24 hours. When the seeds just begin to show white, they can be sown. During germination, try to keep the sprout length within 0.5 cm to prevent overly long germination. If the sprouts grow too long, they are easy to break when sowing, which will reduce the emergence rate.