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Crop Production

Watermelon World’s acreage of watermelon is 21 lakh ha. with a productivity of 17 tons/ha, while in India, it is cultivated in 1.66 lakh ha. with a productivity of 12 tons/ha. Major watermelon growing states in the country include Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra, Karnataka Bihar, Orissa, , Madhya Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Rajasthan, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab, Watermelon is affected by a number of pests & diseases, which include fungal, bacterial, viral and root knot nematodes
Soil and climate: Soil and climate: Select deep, well drained soil with sandy or sandy loam texture. The pH of the soil should be between 5.5 and 6.5.Watermelon requires hot dry climate a nd a long growing season preferably with warmer days and cooler nights.It can not withstand frost or very low temperatures. For seed germination, an optimum moisture and a soil temperature between 25-30oC is needed. Similarly plant growth is optimum under 28-30oC, while fruiting is better at 24-27 degree C

Cultural practices
Cultural Practices

  1. Land preparation: • Bring the soil to a fine tilth after 2-3 ploughings and harrowings. Broadcast 20-25 tonnes of farm yard manure/ha after the first ploughing.   • Open up 2.0-3.5 m long and 30 cm wide sowing channels across the slope. Prepare 30 cm wide and 15 cm high ridges (bunds) on either side of the sowing channel. • Suitable spacing between two sowing channels, 300 cm and between the hills, 90 cm. Prepare the irrigation channels along the slope to irrigate the sowing channels (irrigate 2 days before sowing). • Make shallow furrows in the sowing channels at the bottom of the ridges with pick axe. Apply the fertilizer mixture (75kg N, 100 kg P2O5 and 35-70 K2O/ha) in the shallow furrows made in the sowing channels and cover it with soil. • Irrigate the sowing channels two days before sowing.
  2. Sowing  : • Prepare sowing hills on the inner-side of the ridges of the sowing channel, 8-10 cm above the place where fertilizer as been applied.  • Sow 4-5 seeds per hill and cover them with soil and give a light irrigation. • Seed rate per hectare 2.0 kg.  •(October- November) is suitable for both seed and commercial production instead of regular February sowing. • Use of pro-tray/ peg trays (98 cells) to get quality watermelon seedling instead of traditionally followed direct seed sowing. • Drench the seedlings with captan 3g/litre to control damping off and seedling wilt in the pro-trays.
  3. Intercultural operations: Irrigate once in 4-5 days depending upon the soil and weather conditions.   • Do the weeding and hoeing during the first 45 days of plant growth. • Thinning of plants should be done 25-30 days after sowing, retaining 2 good seedlings in each hill.  • Top-dress the crop with nitrogen (25 kg/ha), 30-35 days after sowing.  • When the plants start vining (35-40 days after sowing), vine guiding should be done. This helps intercultural operations and minimizes disease incidence and fruit rot.
  4. After care of transplanted seedling: 4-5 Days after transplanting, Captan 3g/lit or Bavistin 2 g /lit. must be drenched to protect from the wilt. After 15 days of transplanting to the main field, during summer season cotyledanary leaves to be removed to protect serpentine leaf minor and further spread, this was followed by spraying of Hostothian 2ml /lit.  After 25 days of transplanting before flowering spray multi-K ( 15 all NPK) 5 g/l of water with sandovit to improve the vegetative growth. After 45 days of transplanting spray vegetable special ( micronutrient ) 4 g/lit.of water to enhance more number of female flower. After 60 days of transplanting spray boron (boric acid) 2 g/lit.of water to increase fruit size and protect fruit cracking.

Precision Farming

Watermelon Cultivation

Method Description
VarietyArka Ishwariah, Arka Akash and popular commercial hybrids.
Soil typeWell drained fertile soils with a pH range of 6.0 to 70.
Season & Seed requirementOct- Nov.  seed requirement 400g or 3300 seedlings. Nursery raising : Direct sowing in mainfield or if seedlings are raised, pro-tray method: Trays filled with enriched cocopeat and raised in protected structures using 98 celled portray. Seedling age: 15 days old seedlings.
Land preparationRaised bed method: 10-15cm height, 90cm width, convenient length, 110 cm inter-bed spacing.
FYM applicationApply 10 tonnes of enriched FYM.
Neem cake applicationApply neem cake @ 250kg/acre to the beds treated with bio-agents. Note: This may affect germination
Fertilizer Dose30:25:30 kg N:P:K
Basal fertilizer applicationApply 8-8-6 kg N:P:K (38 kg Ammonium sulphate + 52 kg Single super phosphate+10 kg Muriate of potash). Mix well and level the beds properly.
Laying of drip linePlace one in-line drip lateral at the center of the bed for which 2000 meter length of lateral pipe is required.
Polyethylene mulching2000 meter length of mulch film of 1.2m width and 30micron thickness is required (65 kg)
Spacing and plant population Single crop row at the center of the bed. Make holes of 5cm diameter at a distance of 60cm. 3300 seeds/seedlings can be accommodated in one acre. If transplating method is followed, transplant 15 days old seedlings at the center of the hole. Avoid the seedlings touching the mulch film.
IrrigationRun the drip irrigation daily for a duration of 20 to 40 minutes depending on the crop stage, season and emitter discharge.
FertigationSchedule fertigation once in 3 days starting from 15 days after sowing and ending at 90 days after transplanting for a 3½ month duration crop, thus requiring 26 fertigations.
Water soluble Fertilizers per fertigation (Once in 3 days)0-14 days: No fertigation.
15-30 days: 2.0 kg 19-19-19/fertigation (6 fertigations)
33-51 days: 3.0 kg 19-19-19 +1.0 kg KNO3 + 1.0 kg CaNO3/fertigations (7 fertigations)
54-90 days: 4.0 kg 19-19-19 +1.0 kg KNO3 + 1.0 kg CaNO3/fertigation (13 fertigations)
(85 kg 19-all+ 20 kg KNO3+20 kg CaNO3)
Foliar nutritionGive foliar sprays @5g/litre using foliar spray grade fertilizers containing Ca,Mg, Fe, Mn, B, Cu, Zn three times starting from 30 days after transplanting at an interval of 15 days 
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