Watermelon:
| Suitability of the variety for the Area Agro Climatic Zone | All India |
| Selection of the field/land preparation practices | Field should be well prepared free from weeds and well drainage facility. 1-2 deep ploughing, Soil should be exposed to sunlight, 3 to 4 rounds of harrows to reach fine tilt. Before final harrow, apply 8 to 10 MT well decomposed FYM/acre along with 250 gm Trichoderma for controlling soil born fungus.
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| Seed Treatment-rate of timing/ chemical | Seeds are treated with Carbendazim 2g + Thiram 2 g per Kg of seeds. |
| Sowing Time | Late Winter, Early Summer, Summer, Late Rainy |
| Seed Rate/ Sowing method- line sowing with row to row and plant to plant distance/ direct sowing | Seed Rate: 300 – 350 g per acre.
Sowing: Direct in main field Spacing: Row to Row and Plant to Plant – 120 × 30 cm (Single Row) or 240 × 30 cm (Double Row) |
| Fertilizer dose with timing | Total N:P:K requirement @ 80:100:120 kg per acre.
Dose & Timing: Basal Dose: Apply 50% N and 100% P, K as basal dose during final land preparation. Top Dressing: 25% N at 30 days after sowing and 25% N at 50 days after sowing. |
| Weed Control- Chemicals with doses and timing | Timely weed removal is very important, need based hand weeding can be done to ensure healthy crop. |
| Diseases & Pest control- Chemicals with doses and timing | For effective crop control apply fungicide as per recommendation from the Department of Agriculture (plant protection) to control Damping off, Downey Mildew, Powdery Mildew and other fungal diseases. Apply recommended insecticide to control sucking pest, fruit fly and any other insects
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| Irrigation Schedule | It needs regular irrigation. The irrigation interval and quantity need to fix to avoid fruit cracking.
In light soil and summer season the irrigation frequency should be more.
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| Harvesting | Harvest the fruit at the time of physiological maturity. Date of maturity or days after sowing( ͠ 75-80 days)
Maturity of watermelon can be judged by the following steps: 1.A dead tendril attach to the vine, 2.Dull appearance of the fruit compared to their slick appearance, 3.Maturity is also judged by metallic sounds, 4.After harvesting fruits should not be left long in the sun otherwise sun scaled may develop |
| Expected Yield of the variety | Average yield: 18 MT/acre ( depending on season and cultural practice) |
