Watermelon production
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus ( Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai, is one of the most important summer vegetable crop grown from the lower Himalayan region to south India. Fruits are delicious and sweet . It is a rich source of Vitamin A and minerals like calcium. Due to its versatility; rinds of watermelon is used in various processed items such as tuty fruity ,candy , watermelon juices.
Watermelon Varieties
ICAR-IIHR, Bangalore has developed several Watermelon varieties and hybrids namely Arka Manik, Arka Aakash, Arka mathura, Arka Muthu etc., The other promising varieties are Asahi Yamato, Sugar Baby, Augusta, Durgapura Meetha , Durgapura Kesar, Pusa Rasal, Improved Shipper,etc.
Disease management
Diseases are the most important production constraints, which limits the successful cultivation of watermelon. Among the diseases, Anthacnose, Powdery mildew, Downey mildew, Gummy stem blight and Fusarium wilt are the major diseases in watermelon growing areas.
Pest management
The major pest afectong the watermelos crops are Major pests: Red Pumpkin beetles, Leafminer, Melonfly, Aphids which attacks a wide range of vegetables. It's rarely fatal but they definitely can reduce the crop considerably.
