How Is It to Grow Seedless Watermelons in 2020? Variety Recommendations and Cultivation Techniques
A summer without watermelon is incomplete. On a scorching summer day, a refreshing slice of chilled watermelon makes the whole summer feel cooler. So how is it to grow seedless watermelons in 2020? Which variety is good to grow? Let's take a look below.
1. How Is It to Grow Seedless Watermelons in 2020?
Watermelon sales in summer are very high, and nearly every household chooses to buy watermelon, with seedless watermelons being especially popular. As cultivation techniques continue to advance, the yield of seedless watermelons has also been rising steadily, and the yield per mu of seedless watermelons can reach about 4 tonnes. Looking at the price of seedless watermelons in 2019, the price was 0.6-1.2 yuan per jin, and it is expected that the price in 2020 will not fluctuate much compared with 2019, so the profit from growing them is still fairly considerable.
2. Which Varieties Are Good to Grow?
1. Yuyi Tiansheng seedless watermelon: pure black skin, mid-season, whole growth period 100 days, easy fruit set, single fruit weight 8-10 kg, good quality, tolerant of storage and transport.
2. Yuyi 926 seedless watermelon: Jingxin-type skin colour, mid-early maturing, whole growth period 100 days, sugar content as high as 13%, exceptionally good quality.
3. Huabao Seedless No. 2 watermelon: striped skin, mid-late maturing, single fruit weight around 8 kg, good quality, easy fruit set, and tolerant of continuous cropping, with good disease resistance.
4. Yuyi Gantian seedless watermelon: early maturing, easy fruit set, steady growth, single fruit weight 7-8 kg, good quality.
3. Seedless Watermelon Cultivation Techniques
1. Shell cracking and sprouting
Shell cracking: seedless watermelon embryos develop poorly and the seed coat is thick, so before sprouting the shell must be cracked; that is, after the seeds have been soaked for 6-8 h, gently crack the seed coat open with the teeth without damaging the kernel, and then proceed with sprouting.
Sprouting: under a temperature of 33-35°C, after 36-48 h of sprouting, the germination rate can reach over 70%.
2. Sowing at the right time
For seedlings raised in solar greenhouses or arch sheds, the transplanting period can be arranged for late April; for open-field seedling raising it can be postponed to mid-to-late April; and if plastic film mulching is used for seedling raising, it can be 5-7 days earlier than open-field seedling raising.
3. Transplanting
Seedless watermelons should be transplanted at a suitably sparse density, preferably 500 plants per mu, with a row spacing of 2.5 m and a plant spacing of 0.6 m; small-fruited varieties should be planted at 600 plants per mu. For transplanting, it is best to choose loam or sandy loam that does not easily waterlog and is convenient for irrigation and drainage. Before transplanting, apply sufficient base fertiliser in combination with land preparation; land preparation requires deep ploughing and fine harrowing, then build high beds 2.5 m wide ready for planting. Two days before planting, water the nutrition pots thoroughly once. When transplanting, set the seedlings at a plant spacing of 0.6 m on one side of each bed, close to the bed edge (to make watering easier). After transplanting, water lightly once to settle the seedlings. The ordinary seeded watermelon seedlings used for pollination can be planted at a rate of 1 row of pollinating watermelons for every 5 rows, which makes management and harvesting easier.
4. Pest and disease control
Fusarium wilt: avoid continuous cropping; use grafted seedlings; apply 400 g of Chongchaling per 667 sq m, mixing it with soil and spreading it evenly before land preparation, and spray the leaves with a 600-800 times dilution of Weibingkang during the growing period.
Anthracnose and phytophthora blight: spraying a 500 times dilution of Jianzhibao once every 7-10 days before the disease occurs has a good preventive effect; after anthracnose occurs, spray a 900 times dilution of 50% carbendazim, or an 800 times dilution of 75% chlorothalonil, or an 800 times dilution of Haoyi fungicide for control; after phytophthora blight occurs, spray the leaves with a 500 times dilution of 58% Lusujing, or a 700 times dilution of 72% Shuangyiqing for control.
Viral disease: spraying a 500 times dilution of Jianzhibao about once every 7 days during the growing period also has a good preventive effect. After the disease occurs, spray the leaves with 2 tablets of Kangrun No. 2 + 30 g of Wanshuai No. 1 + 30 ml of Jianzhibao mixed with 15 kg of water for control.
Aulacophora beetles: during the adult stage, spray the leaves with a 1000 times dilution of 40% Lorsban; during the larval stage, drench the roots with a 1000 times dilution of trichlorfon to kill the larvae; during the adult egg-laying period, scatter plant ash around the plants to prevent the adults from laying eggs.
Melon aphids: use a 900 times dilution of 40% Lorsban, a 6000 times dilution of Mieshabi, or a 4000 times dilution of 2.5% Kungfu emulsifiable concentrate for control.
The prospects for growing seedless watermelons are still very good. Before planting, it is best to choose watermelons that suit the local environment and market conditions.