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WATER
MELON (Citrullus lanatus)
It
is a tropical cucubit. It is the richest source of iron
among all the cucurbits.It requires a warm weather with
low humidity and bright sunshine.Sandy loam soil with
a pH of 5.0 -7.0 is best suited for this crop. The pulp
of fully ripe fruit is juicy and delicious.
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Sugar
Baby, Arka Jyothi.
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Preparation
of land
Pits
of 60 cm diameter and 30-45 cm depth are taken. Well
rotten FYM and fertilizers are mixed with topsoil
in the pit and four or five seeds are sown in a pit.
Remove unhealthy plants after two weeks and retain
two or three plants per pit.For trailing the water
melon, spread dried twigs on the ground.
Season
The ideal season is Dec-April. Seed Rate: 1
to 1.5 kg/ha
Spacing
3.0 m x 2.0 m
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During
the initial stages of growth, irrigate at an interval
of three or four days. Irrigate on alternate days during
flowering and fruiting. When fruits are mature, the
frequency of irrigation may be reduced.
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Apply FYM @ 20-25 t/ha as basal dose along with half
dose of N (35 kg) and full doses of P2O5 (25 kg) and
K2O (25 kg/ha). The remaining dose of N (35 kg) can
be applied in two equal splits at the time of vining
and full blooming.
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Conduct
weeding and raking of the soil at the time of fertilizer
application.
The important pests are red pumpkin beetle and epilachna
beetle. They can be controlled by adopting measures
suggested for bitter gourd.
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Downy mildew and powdery mildew are important diseases
affecting water melon. Control them by adopting measures
recommended for bitter gourd.
Harvesting can be done only after 10 days (at least)
of insecticide / fungicide application. Only well ripe
fruits should be harvested.
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Fully
ripe melon on thumping with a finger will give a flat
dead sound whereas, an unripe melon fruit gives a metallic
or ringing sound. The colour of the fruit surface which
comes in contact with the soil will turn from green
to white or light yellow. When the fruit is ripe, the
tendril nearest to the fruit becomes dry.
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Not
Available
The
yield ranges from 45 to 60 tonnes/hectare.
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