The Watermelon King devotes 30 years to studying watermelons, making gourds bear watermelons

Inside the greenhouse, hot and stuffy, Dai Zixing explains watermelon management techniques to his daughter.

After 30 years of dedicated watermelon research, starting with watermelon grafting, he solved problems such as continuous-cropping Fusarium wilt in watermelons, and his grafting technique was praised by professors at Henan Agricultural University. Through the promotion of this technique, he has helped nearly ten thousand farming households embark on the path out of poverty by growing watermelons. He is Dai Zixing, hailed by the people of Zhengyang as the "Watermelon King."

Obsessed with watermelon research for 30 years

On July 2, the reporter met the "Watermelon King" Dai Zixing, a man of short stature with slightly dark skin, at the Zhengyang Daixing Planting Farmers' Cooperative.

At 53 years old, he lives in Leizhai Township, Zhengyang County. In 1981, Dai Zixing was selected by Professor Ding Liping, the "father of world pepper hybridization," to do auxiliary work at the Nanjing Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

During that period, Dai Zixing was diligent and eager to learn, and quickly won Professor Ding's appreciation. Professor Ding often explained some hybridization principles to him. From then on, Dai Zixing became obsessed with grafting techniques.

In 1986, after returning to his hometown, Dai Zixing repeatedly explored grafting techniques. To solve the problems of continuous-cropping watermelons being prone to Fusarium wilt and low yield and returns, Dai Zixing selected gourds, loofahs, pumpkins and winter melons as rootstocks for grafting watermelon seedlings. After repeated trial plantings, he selected gourds and winter melons as rootstocks for grafting watermelon seedlings; the grafted watermelon seedlings survived early and at a high rate, the watermelon vines were vigorous, and the yield was also high.

Grafting watermelons onto gourd seedlings produces watermelons that are large, high-yielding, with a sugar content as high as 13%, good appearance, and characteristics such as disease resistance, good moisture tolerance and tolerance of continuous cropping, and it quickly became widely renowned.

In 2005, Dai Zixing invested 300,000 yuan to "marry" with the Nanjing Academy of Agricultural Sciences and founded the Leizhai Township Zhengxing Vegetable Research Institute, and afterward registered and established the Daixing Farmers' Planting Cooperative, through training and other forms, leading thousands of nearby farmers to learn the techniques.

Techniques drive farming households toward moderate prosperity

"Being rich yourself doesn't count as being rich; only when everyone is rich does it count as being rich." Dai Zixing said that he became rich through science and technology, but the people around him had not yet become rich, and he had an obligation to help everyone become rich together.

Lei Jianwei of Houzhai Village, Leizhai Township, suffered from congenital muscular atrophy, and his family was extremely poor; in his 30s he had not yet married. Old Dai took the initiative to teach him watermelon seedling-raising techniques, and provided seedlings, fertilizer and other agricultural materials free of charge. Through study and assistance, Lei Jianwei gradually escaped poverty and also married and started a family; now he can guide and manage more than 10 mu of watermelons.

"Brother Dai helped me and taught me techniques, filling me with hope for life. Brother is the great benefactor of my life!" Whenever this matter is mentioned, Lei Jianwei is full of gratitude.

In recent years, Dai Zixing has successively helped nearly 100 poor households that developed cash crop planting and prospered.

Dai Zixing and the township government jointly invested 130,000 yuan to establish the Leizhai Township Grafted Watermelon Seedling Demonstration Base, and established 10 watermelon grafting points throughout the township; each year the grafting points help at least 100 poor households become watermelon specialist households.

In addition, Old Dai cooperated with the Nanjing Academy of Agricultural Sciences to introduce, breed and promote 36 new varieties of melons and vegetables such as watermelons and peppers, with a promotion area of 4.5 million mu, leading nearly ten thousand farmers across the country onto the path of "escaping poverty through watermelons."

"I took detours in watermelon grafting; I hope farmers take fewer detours on the road to prosperity, invest less and get more results, and reach moderate prosperity soon," Old Dai said.