WATERMELON – Common Varieties

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Watermelons originated in the deserts and semi-tropical regions of Africa. Egyptians have been cultivating the melons for more than 4,000 years. The fruit served as an important source of water in the desert. African slaves and Christian missionaries introduced the watermelon to the rest of the world. Evidence of watermelon cultivation in Ancient Egypt was recorded in hieroglyphics painted on building walls dated back to 2500 BC. However, its first cultivation in the Nile Valley began at least as early as the second millennium BC. The fruit was held in such regard that it was placed in the tombs of many Egyptian kings.  Numerous watermelon seeds were recovered from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, 2000).  It is not surprising that watermelon played such an important role in this country, and subsequently in countries in the Mediterranean region, since water was often in short supply in these areas, and people could depend upon watermelon for its thirst-quenching properties.

David Livingston found wild watermelons in the Kalahari Desert in 1850s. Watermelon was brought to the New World by the African slaves and European colonialists. It was brought to Brazil and then to the West Indies, north eastern America, the islands of the Pacific, and to New Zealand and Australia. The watermelon arrived in the Americas in the early 1600s with traders and was first cultivated in Massachusetts in 1629. Museums Online South Africa lists watermelons as having been introduced to North American Indians in the 1500s. Early French explorers found Native Americans cultivating the fruit in the Mississippi Valley. Many sources list the watermelon as being introduced in Massachusetts as early as 1629. Parsons also mentions the crop being farmed by Native Americans in Florida (by 1664) and the Colorado River area (by 1799). Other early watermelon sightings include the Midwestern states (1673), Connecticut (1747), and the Illiana region (1822).

By the middle of the 17^th century, watermelon had made its way down to Florida.

By the 10th century AD, watermelons were being cultivated in China, which is today the world’s single largest watermelon producer. By the 13th century, Moorish invaders had introduced the fruit to Europe. In Vietnam, legend holds that watermelon was discovered in Vietnam long before it reached China, in the era of the Hùng Kings. According to legend, watermelon was discovered by Prince Mai An Tiêm, an adopted son of the 11^th Hùng King. When he was exiled unjustly to an island, he was told that if he could survive for six months, he would be allowed to return. When he prayed for guidance, a bird flew past and dropped a seed. He cultivated the seed and called its fruit “dưa tây” or western melon, because the birds ate it while flying from the west. When the Chinese took over Vietnam in about 110 BC, they called the melons “dưa hảo” (good melon) or “dưa hấu”, “dưa Tây”, “dưa hảo”, “dưa hấu”—all words for “watermelon”.  Tiêm’s island is now a peninsula in the suburban district of Nga Sơn. Watermelon is probably introduced into Peninsular Malaysia by the early Indian and Chinese merchants in the 14^th century (Salleh 1986).

Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide and there are 1.3 million hectares. In Russia, where much of the commercial supply of watermelons is grown, there is a popular wine made from this fruit. In addition to Russia, the leading commercial growers of watermelon include China, Turkey, Iran and the United States. China ranks first in worldwide watermelon production (57.531 million tonnes in 2002) and the United States currently ranks fourth (1.778 million tonnes in 2002). In China and Japan watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host. Watermelon is 92% water. Watermelon is avaialble in the traditional red variety, as well as the lesser known yellow variety.

Most of the U.S. watermelon production is consumed fresh. US per capita watermelon consumption in 2003 was 6.2 kg and watermelon is about 1/3 more popular in the Western states then in the Midwest and East. About 85% of watermelons are purchased at the retail level for home consumption. Other processed products include roasted seeds, pickled rind and watermelon juice.

Today, farmers in the U.S. grow watermelon commercially, and almost all these varieties have some Charleston Gray (the fruit is oblong shape and hard rind made it easy to stack and ship). Its adaptability meant it could be grown over a wide geographical area. It produced high yields and was resistant to the most serious watermelon diseases: anthracnose and fusarium wilt in their lineage. This now-common watermelon is often large enough that groceries often sell half or quarter melons. There are also some smaller, spherical varieties of watermelon, both red- and yellow-fleshed, sometimes called “icebox melons.”

In Japan, farmers of the Zentsuji region found a way to grow cubic watermelons, by growing the fruits in glass boxes and letting them naturally assume the shape of the receptacle. The square shape is designed to make the melons easier to stack and store, but the square watermelons are often more than double the price of normal ones. Pyramid shaped watermelons have also been developed.

For commercial plantings, one beehive per 9,000 m² is the minimum recommendation by the USDA for pollination of conventional, seeded varieties. Because seedless hybrids have sterile pollen, pollinator rows of varieties with viable pollen must also be planted. Since the supply of viable pollen is reduced and pollination is much more critical in producing the seedless variety, the recommended number of hives per hectare, or pollinator density is one hive per 1,300 m².

Although so-called “seedless” watermelons have far fewer seeds than the seeded varieties, they generally contain at least a few soft, pale seeds. They are the product of crossing a female tetraploid plant (itself the product of genetic manipulation, using colchicines) with diploid pollen. The resulting triploid plant is sterile, but will produce the seedless fruit if pollinated by a diploid plant. For this reason, commercially available seedless watermelon seeds actually contain two varieties of seeds; that of the triploid seedless plant itself (recognizable because the seed is larger), and the diploid plant which is needed to pollinate the triploid. Unless both plant types are grown in the same vicinity, no seedless fruit will result.

Watermelons (Citrullus lunatus) are in the family Cucurbitaceae and there is a large range of varieties available for planting. They vary in shape, size and internal and external color. There are over 1,200 varieties of watermelon worldwide available for planting. Watermelons are grouped according to fruit size, flesh color, and with or without seeds.

The most sought after standard types are those with dark striped skin with rich red flesh and very black seeds. Mini melons are popular on the market and are sold in cartons. Seedless melons have become an important crop. They vary in shape, size and internal and external color. The most sought after standard types are those with dark striped skin with rich red flesh and very black seeds. Mini melons are popular on the market and are sold in cartons. Seedless melons have become an important crop.

Watermelons were considered a seasonal fruit, but today imports combined with local production ensure a year-round supply. Meanwhile, “Icebox” watermelons are gaining in popularity as they are ideal for small families and fit easily into a refrigerator.

Several notable Western and Australian varieties are included here:

Hybrid Blackita F1 – maturity (84 days), fruit weight (7 kg), brix  (11.5°), flesh color (deep red), seed size & color (medium, mottled brown), resistance to transport, disease resistance/tolerance