This document provides information on the production technology of watermelon. It discusses the origin and varieties of watermelon including Sugar Baby, Asahi Yamato, Pusa Bedana, and Arka varieties. It also outlines soil preparation, sowing methods, fertilizer use, pruning, weed and water management, and harvesting. Key requirements are warm weather, well-drained soil, and regular irrigation. Yields average 200-250 quintals per hectare for varieties and 300-400 quintals for hybrids.

1. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF
WATERMELON
Vanisree Padmanabhan

2. Introduction
• Watermelon is an important cucurbitaceous
vegetable grown in different parts of India and it is a
common summer season vegetable crop.
• The crop requires hot dry climate with warmer days
and cooler nights.
• Watermelon is an excellent dessert fruit and the juice
makes a good refreshing and cooling beverage.
• Fruit contains 92 % water, 0.2% protein, 0.3%
minerals and 7 % carbohydrates

3. Origin and distribution
Botanical Name : Citrullus lunatus
Family : Cucurbitaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n=22
• Indigenous to tropical Africa.
• Cultivation began in ancient Egypt and India.

6. SUGAR BABY
• Introduced from USA in 1956.
• It is early and resistant to
drought.
• Vines are medium long.
• Fruits smaller(3-5kg), round in
shape.
• Rind is bluish black.
• Flesh is sweet(11-13% TSS) with
deep pink color.
• Seeds brown and small.
• Yield potential is 150q/ha.

7. Asahi yamato:
• It is a mid-season Japanese
introduction by IARI, New Delhi.
• Fruits are medium weighing 6-8 kg.
• The fruits are round oblong, non-
striped with light green rind.
• Flesh is deep pink with 11-13%TSS.
• Fruits ripen in about 95 days.
• Yield is 225q/ha.

8. PUSA BEDANA:
• It is a seedless triploid variety of
watermelon developed at IARI, from a cross
of Tetra -2 (4x)X Pusa Rasal (2X).
• The fruits have dark green skin with faint
stripes.
• Fruits are somewhat triangular in shape
with tough rind, red flesh and white
remnants of false seed.
• TSS is 12-13%.
• Average fruit weight is 5-6kg.
• The number of fruits per vine varies from 3
to 6.
• It takes 115-120 days for first fruit harvest.
• It could not become popular due to
irregular fruit shape and high cost of seed.

9. Arka manik:
• This has been bred at IIHR, Bangalore
from a cross of IIHR 21 x Crimson Sweet.
• Fruits are round to oval with light green
to dark green stripes
• It weighs about 6 kg.
• The flesh is deep crimson, with
excellent granular texture.
• It is very sweet with 12-15%TSS.
• It has multiple resistance to powdery
mildew, downy mildew and
anthracnose.
• Yield potential is 600q/ha.
• It has good keeping and transport
quality.

10. Arka muthu
• Selection from IIHR-81-1-1.
• Dwarf vine( length 1.2m), shorter
internodal length.
• Early maturing type 75-80 days.
• Round to oval fruit with dark green
stripes.
• Deep red flesh with TSS 12-14 brix.
• Fruit yield 85-90 t/ha.

11. BusH BABY:
• It is a dwarf mutant, help in
restricting vine growth to 0.5-
1m.
• Helps in controlling multiple
branching from the crown of
the plant.
• It helps in accommodating large
population (15,000-
20,000plants/ha)in a unit area
so yield is higher.

12. CRIMSON SWEET:
• Fruits are oval, light green
with dark green strips.
• Flesh is crimson colored.
• crop duration is 110-115
days.

13. New Hampshire midget:
• It is an early variety
introduced from the USA.
• Fruit is small weighing 1.5
to 2kg.
• Shape is oval, skin color
bright green with dark
green lacerations with red
flesh.
• It takes 28-30 days from
the date of pollination to
ripening.
• It is an early home-garden
variety.
Pkm -1
• Released from TNAU.
• Fruit dark green
• Flesh pinkish red.
• Yield 36-38 t/ha in 120-
125 days

14. Improved Shipper
• An American
introduction, its fruits
weigh 8-10kg.
• It has dark green, red
flesh with moderate
sweetness (8-9% TSS).
Special No.1
• Its fruits are small,
round with red flesh
and red seeds.
• It is early in maturity
and TSS is slightly lower
than Improved Shipper.

15. DURGAPUR METHA:
• A late cultivar maturing in
125 days, fruits round with
light green.
• Rind is thick with good
keeping quality, flesh
sweet, TSS 11%.
• Fruit weighing about 6-8
kg.
Durgapur kesar:
• A late cultivar, fruit weight
4-5kg.
• Skin green with stripes ,
flesh yellow in color,
moderately sweet
• seeds are large.

16. Arka madhura
• Triploid seedless variety.
• Cross b/w Tetra-1 X Arka
Manik.
• High yield of 50-60 t/ha.
• Flesh sweet, juicy and TSS
14-15%
• Longer shelf life and good
transport quality.

17. ARKA AISWARYA
• Flesh red coloured and
juicy.
• Sweet with TSS 11.3%
• Yield 80.6t/ha.
Arka akash
• Fruit oblong with red
flesh(TSS 12-13%)
• Fruit weight 6.5 kg
• Duration 90-95 days.
• Fruit yield 65-70 t/ha.

18. Arka Jyothi:
• It is a mid-season F1 hybrid cultivar
evolved at IIHR.
• Developed by crossing a local
watermelon of Rajasthan (IIHR 20) X
crimson sweet.
• Fruit oval with deep blue angular
stripes.
• Fruit weight 5-6 kg and each vine
bearing 2-3 fruits.
• TSS 12-14%.
• Yield potential is 800 q/ha.

19. Private sectors Name of hybrids
Indo American hybrid seeds Madhu,Milan,Mohini, I.A.-9305,I.A.9307
Mahyco Amrit, Santripti, MHW-16, MHW-17, MHW -24,
MHW-23,Suchitra
Century seeds Hybrids No. 1, Millionare, CHW-1,CHW-5,CHW -
7,CHW-8
Nunhems Seeds Madhuri, Madhubala, Khushboo, Red honey, Maya,
Mumtaz
Namdhari Seeds NS 295,NS 246, NS 1004 , NS 2332 , NS294,NS296
Bejo Sheetal Seeds BSS 358 , BSS 360, BSS 359, Swapnil, Sweet Baby
Sungro Seeds Rasila , Raj Ras, Rangeela , Rasmadhu
Private sector hybrids

20. Variety
/hybrid
name
Fruit
shape
Rind
character
Flesh color Fruit
weight
Harvesting
period(DAS)
SPECIAL
FEATURES
Santrupti Oblong,
long
Thick and
hard skin
Reddish flesh
(TSS-9.5-10
brix)
4-6 kg 95-100 days Resistant
to wilt
Amrit Oblong,
long
Deep
greenish
skin, hard
and thin.
Deep red
TSS 10-10.5
Brix
6-8 kg 95-100 days High
yielder,
Resistant
to wilt
M.H.W.11 Medium
shape,
round
Blackish
green and
hard skin
Red and tasty
11.0 Brix
4-5 kg Medium
duration
High
yielder
Suchitra
(MHWM-
285)
Oblong Light
green
with dark
green
striped
Scarlet red
and frim
TSS 10 Brix
7-8 kg 95-103 Export
potential
and early
sowing
MAHYCO HYBRIDS

21. Variety
/hybrid
name
Fruit
shape
Rind
character
Flesh color Fruit
weight
Harvesting
period(DAS)
SPECIAL
FEATURES
CWH- 1 Round Color
similar to
sugar
baby but
thick
Flesh deep
red (TSS-9.0-
9.7 brix)
7-8 kg 115 days Suits for
long
distance
transport
CWH-5 Oval Thin rind
with dark
green
stripes
Red flesh with
high sugar
content
- - Good
shipper
CWH-8 round Blackish
green
Deep Red and
very sweet
and crisp
5-6 kg 70-75 days Resistant
to fruit
cracking
and suits
long
distance
transport
Century seeds HYBRIDS

22. Variety
/hybrid
name
Fruit
shape
Rind
character
Flesh color Fruit
weight
Harvesting
period(DAS)
SPECIAL
FEATURES
Madhuri Oval to
Oblong
- Red color
with granular
texture with
small
seeds(TSS 11-
12 BRIX)
12 kg -
Khushboo Round to
Oblong
Shiny ad
dark tiger
stipe skin
Juicy, Deep
red
TSS 13 Brix
13 kg - Has
vigorous
vine
growth
Madhubala Large
oblong
Light
green
with dark
green
stripes
Red and frim
12 Brix
Medium
duration
Excellent
keeping
quality and
avoids
stress
conditions
Numhems seeds HYBRIDS

23. Variety
/hybrid
name
Fruit
shape
Rind
character
Flesh color Fruit
weight
Harvesting
period(DAS)
SPECIAL
FEATURES
NS 295 Jubilee
type,
blocky
oblong
Thick and
hard skin
Flesh deep
crimson with
granular
texture (TSS-
12-13brix)
7-8kg
upto14
kg
90 days Good for
transport
NS 294 blocky
oblong
Deep
greenish
skin, hard
and thin.
Flesh deep
with granular
texture (TSS-
11-12brix)
5-7 kg 85 days -
Namdhari seeds HYBRIDS

24. NS 777
Santrupti
NS 750

25. • Varieties suits for long
distance transport:
crimson sweet
Arka manik
Durgapur Meetha
• Varieties with thin rind:
yellow baby
carnival
red glory
• Varieties with yellow flesh:
crimson sweet
Arka manik
• Varieties resistant to
anthracnose:
crimson sweet
Arka manik
• Varieties with high quality:
Arka manik
sweet marvel

27. Soil and land preparation
• Watermelon can be grown on a wide variety of soils.
• Sandy loams are the best for early crop, while high
yields are recorded in loamy soils.
• Soil pH range from 5.5-7.0
• Well drained soil with high organic matter is preferable
for the cultivation.
• Land prepared by ploughing at right moisture content
using a tractor or power tiller drawn plough.

28. Sowing season
November to December
Seed rate
• Seed rate depends on the variety or the hybrid.
• Normally 3 kg/ha for small seeded types and 5 kg/ha for
large seeded types is recommended.
• For high yielding hybrids seed rate of 0.75 -1kg is
sufficient.

29. Seed treatment
• Treat seeds with biocontrol agents viz. Trichoderma
viride @ 30 g/kg seed or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 50
g/kg seed
• Treat seeds with fungicides viz. Carbendazim @ 2g/kg
of seed or Thiram @ 2g/kg of seed.

30. Climatic requirements
• Warm season crop grown in subtropical and hot arid
regions.
• Soil temperature ranges from 16 to 33⁰C
• For seed germination optimum temperature is 21.5 ⁰C
• For pollination, fertilization and fruit set the temperature
is 25- 30 ⁰C
• It is sensitive to low temperature and frost.

31. Sowing and planting
Sown either on raised bed or in pits
Seedlings become ready in 25-30 days
Sowing methods
Furrow method
• Open furrows at a distance of 2-3 meters apart.
• Sow the seeds on either side of the furrows.
• Allow the vines to trail on the ground.
• Two plants/ hill should be maintained.
• Plant to plant spacing should be 0.75 to 1m.

32. Pit method
• Prepare pit of 60 cm diameter and fill with
sufficient quantity of organic manure before
sowing.
• 4 plants/ pit should be maintained
• Pit to pit distance should be 2-3 m.
Furrow method Pit method

33. Manuring
Apply 20 tones/ha farmyard manure well before sowing and
mix thoroughly with the soils.

34. Use of plant growth regulators
• Exogenous application of triiodo benzoic acid
(25-250 ppm),molybdenum(3-4ppm) and
calcium(20-25 ppm) is recommended to increase
the fruiting and yield.
• These PGR applied at 2-4 true leaf stag as
foliar spray.

35. Pruning
• Prune the excessive vine growth manually to restrict
vegetative growth and promote higher female: male
flower ratio.
• If apical shoot is pinched and 2-4 side shoots are allowed
to grow, it gives significantly higher yield.
• Thin the fruits to retain only maximum of 4-5 fruits per
vine to improve fruit size and yield.

36. Weed management
• Spray Butachlor @ 2kg/ha after 3 days of sowing
• Remove the weeds by hand weeding after 15, 30 and 45
days of sowing.
Water management
• Irrigate at regular intervals of time as watermelon
responds well to irrigation.
• Over watering frequently is not recommended as it
promotes excessive vegetative growth.
• Stop the irrigation during ripening as it will adversely
affect fruit quality and leads to fruit cracking.
• Don’t allow water stagnation.
• Avoid water stress during pre-flowering, flowering

37. Harvesting
• Normally harvesting of watermelon starts 30-40 days after
flowering.
• Harvest the fruits when it produces heavy dull sound upon
tapping.
• Maturity of the fruit is indicated when fruits surface on the
ground level produces light yellow color.
• When the tendrils at the base of the fruit are dried is also an
indication.

38. Storage of seeds
• Dry the seeds to reduce the moisture level below 10–
12%.
• Add finely grounded Tirphal / Boric acid powder @2
g/kg of seeds to reduce pest attack.
Yield
• Average fruit yield ranges from 200-250q/ha(varieties)
• For hybrids 300-400q/ha.