Learn how to make Watermelon-Peach Salsa and Tomatoes. MyRecipes has 70,000+ tested recipes and videos to help you be a better cook. Information about Watermelon Radish including applications, recipes, nutritional value, taste, seasons, availability, storage, restaurants, cooking, geography and. WHEN TO PLANT A long growing season (at least 3 months of warm weather) is needed to mature and develop sweet watermelons. In short summer areas. Shop and grow vegetable seeds and plants perfect for your home garden. Prize winning tomatoes, peppers, beans and heirloom vegetables from Burpee.com. Burpee.

Watermelon Germination Information How to Sow Watermelon: In areas with a long growing season, seeds are best sown outdoors after all danger of frost is past and in a. These salads are quick and easy, require minimal or no cooking, and are the perfect way to enjoy all the produce that's in season now.

Watermelon - Wikipedia. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. Cucurbitaceae. The species originated in southern Africa, with evidence of its cultivation in Ancient Egypt. It is grown in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide for its large edible fruit, also known as a watermelon, which is a special kind of berry with a hard rind and no internal division, botanically called a pepo. The sweet, juicy flesh is usually deep red to pink, with many black seeds, although seedless varieties have been cultivated. The fruit can be eaten raw or pickled and the rind is edible after cooking.

Considerable breeding effort has been put into disease- resistant varieties. Many cultivars are available that produce mature fruit within 1. Description. The watermelon is a large annual plant with long, weak, trailing or climbing stems which are five- angled (five- sided) and up to 3 m (1.

This guide can help you explore different fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Seasonal produce in your area will vary by growing conditions and weather. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. Easy Crock Pot Chili on this page. Cucurbitaceae. The species originated in southern Africa. How to plant your watermelon Watermelons come in about 1,200 varieties worldwide, divided according to season and seed production. China is by far the worlds largest.

Young growth is densely woolly with yellowish- brown hairs which disappear as the plant ages. The leaves are large, coarse, hairy pinnately- lobed and alternate; they get stiff and rough when old. The plant has branching tendrils. The white to yellow flowers grow singly in the leaf axils and the corolla is white or yellow inside and greenish- yellow on the outside. The flowers are unisexual, with male and female flowers occurring on the same plant (monoecious). The male flowers predominate at the beginning of the season; the female flowers, which develop later, have inferior ovaries.

The styles are united into a single column. The large fruit is a kind of modified berry called a pepo with a thick rind (exocarp) and fleshy center (mesocarp and endocarp).[1] Wild plants have fruits up to 2. The rind of the fruit is mid- to dark green and usually mottled or striped, and the flesh, containing numerous pips spread throughout the inside, can be red or pink (most commonly), orange, yellow, green or white.[2][3]History.

The watermelon is a flowering plant thought to have originated in southern Africa, where it is found growing wild. It reaches maximum genetic diversity there, with sweet, bland and bitter forms. In the 1. 9th century, Alphonse de Candolle[4] considered the watermelon to be indigenous to tropical Africa.[5]Citrullus colocynthis is often considered to be a wild ancestor of the watermelon and is now found native in north and west Africa. However, it has been suggested on the basis of chloroplast DNA investigations that the cultivated and wild watermelon diverged independently from a common ancestor, possibly C.

Namibia.[6]Evidence of its cultivation in the Nile Valley has been found from the second millennium BC onward. Watermelon seeds have been found at Twelfth Dynasty sites and in the tomb of Pharaoh.

Tutankhamun.[7]In the 7th century, watermelons were being cultivated in India, and by the 1. China, which is today the world's single largest watermelon producer. The Moors introduced the fruit into Spain and there is evidence of it being cultivated in Córdoba in 9. Seville in 1. 15. It spread northwards through southern Europe, perhaps limited in its advance by summer temperatures being insufficient for good yields.

The fruit had begun appearing in European herbals by 1. Europe in the 1. 7th century as a minor garden crop.[2]European colonists and slaves from Africa introduced the watermelon to the New World. Spanish settlers were growing it in Florida in 1. Massachusetts by 1. Peru, Brazil and Panama, as well as in many British and Dutch colonies.

Around the same time, Native Americans were cultivating the crop in the Mississippi valley and Florida. Watermelons were rapidly accepted in Hawaii and other Pacific islands when they were introduced there by explorers such as Captain James Cook.[2]Seedless watermelons were initially developed in 1. Japanese scientists who were able to create seedless triploidhybrids which remained rare initially because they did not have sufficient disease resistance.[8] Seedless watermelons became more popular in the 2.

United States in 2. Cultivation. Watermelons are tropical or subtropical plants and need temperatures higher than about 2. C (7. 7 °F) to thrive. On a garden scale, seeds are usually sown in pots under cover and transplanted into well- drained sandy loam with a p.

H between 5. 5 and 7, and medium levels of nitrogen. Major pests of the watermelon include aphids, fruit flies and root- knot nematodes. In conditions of high humidity, the plants are prone to plant diseases such as powdery mildew and mosaic virus.[1. Some varieties often grown in Japan and other parts of the Far East are susceptible to fusarium wilt. Grafting such varieties onto disease- resistant rootstocks offers protection.[2]The US Department of Agriculture recommends using at least one beehive per acre (4,0.

Seedless hybrids have sterile pollen. This requires planting pollinizer rows of varieties with viable pollen. 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 acre (pollinator density) increases to three hives per acre (1,3. Watermelons have a longer growing period than other melons, and can often take 8. Farmers of the Zentsuji region of Japan found a way to grow cubic watermelons by growing the fruits in metal and glass boxes and making them assume the shape of the receptacle.[1. The cubic shape was originally designed to make the melons easier to stack and store, but cubic watermelons may be triple the price of normal ones, so appeal mainly to wealthy urban consumers.[1.

Pyramid- shaped watermelons have also been developed and any polyhedral shape may potentially be used.[1. Varieties. The more than 1. The 'Carolina Cross' produced the current world record for heaviest watermelon, weighing 1. It has green skin, red flesh and commonly produces fruit between 2. It takes about 9. The 'Golden Midget' has a golden rind and pink flesh when ripe, and takes 7.

The 'Orangeglo' has a very sweet orange flesh, and is a large, oblong fruit weighing 9–1. It has a light green rind with jagged dark green stripes. It takes about 9.

The 'Moon and Stars' variety was created in 1. The rind is purple/black and has many small yellow circles (stars) and one or two large yellow circles (moon). The melon weighs 9–2. The flesh is pink or red and has brown seeds. The foliage is also spotted. The time from planting to harvest is about 9.

The 'Cream of Saskatchewan' has small, round fruits about 2. It has a thin, light and dark green striped rind, and sweet white flesh with black seeds. It can grow well in cool climates. It was originally brought to Saskatchewan, Canada, by Russian immigrants.

The melon takes 8. The 'Melitopolski' has small, round fruits roughly 2. It is an early ripening variety that originated from the Astrakhan region of Russia, an area known for cultivation of watermelons.

The Melitopolski watermelons are seen piled high by vendors in Moscow in the summer. This variety takes around 9. The 'Densuke' watermelon has round fruit up to 1. The rind is black with no stripes or spots. It is grown only on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, where up to 1.

In June 2. 00. 8, one of the first harvested watermelons was sold at an auction for 6. US$6,3. 00), making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold. The average selling price is generally around 2. Gina Neely here.

Many cultivars are no longer grown commercially because of their thick rind, but seeds may be available among home gardeners and specialty seed companies. This thick rind is desirable for making watermelon pickles, and some old cultivars favoured for this purpose include 'Tom Watson', 'Georgia Rattlesnake', and 'Black Diamond'.[2. Watermelon (an old cultivar) as depicted in a 1. Giovanni Stanchi. Variety improvement. Charles Fredric Andrus, a horticulturist at the USDA Vegetable Breeding Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, set out to produce a disease- resistant and wilt- resistant watermelon.

The result, in 1. Charleston". Its oblong shape and hard rind made it easy to stack and ship.

Fusarium wilt of watermelon and other cucurbits. D. S. Egel and R.

D. Martyn. 2. 00. Fusarium wilt of watermelon and other cucurbits. The Plant Health Instructor. DOI: 1. 0. 1. 09. PHI- I- 2. 00. 7- 0.

Updated 2. 01. 3. DISEASE: Fusarium wilt of watermelon and other cucurbits. PATHOGEN:  Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend: Fr. Snyd. & Hans.) f. E. F. Sm.), f. sp. Leach & Curr.), and f. J. H. Owen)HOSTS: Watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum.

Nakai]; Melon (Cucumis melo L.); Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)Authors. Daniel S. Egel and Ray D. Martyn. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology Purdue University, West Lafayette, INThe Cucurbitaceae plant family is affected by several vascular wilt diseases caused by different formae speciales of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, which are morphologically similar, but generally host- specific.

The most economically important of these attack watermelon, muskmelon, or cucumber. The cucurbit wilt fusaria are similar in terms of their biology, epidemiology and management. Consequently, Fusarium wilt of watermelon, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.

Fusarium wilt of watermelon is one of the oldest described Fusarium wilt diseases and the most economically important disease of watermelon worldwide. It occurs on every continent except Antarctica and new races of the pathogen continue to impact production in many areas around the world. Long- term survival of the pathogen in the soil and the evolution of new races make management of Fusarium wilt difficult. Symptoms and Signs. Symptoms of Fusarium wilt are similar on all cucurbits and are dependent on several factors, including the amount of inoculum in the soil, environmental conditions, nutrients (particularly nitrogen), and susceptibility of the host.  Fusarium wilt is characterized by loss of turgor pressure of the vines. Vines may recover during the evening, but eventually wilt permanently (Figure 1 and 2).  Initial symptoms often include a dull, gray green appearance of leaves that precedes a loss of turgor pressure and wilting.  Wilting is followed by a yellowing of the leaves and finally necrosis.  The wilting generally starts with the older leaves and progresses to the younger foliage.  Initial symptoms often occur as the plant is beginning to vine and wilting may occur in only one runner leaving the rest of the plant apparently unaffected (Figure 1).  Under conditions of sufficiently high inoculum density or a very susceptible host, the entire plant may wilt and die within a short time.  Affected plants that do not die are often stunted and have considerably reduced yields.  Under high inoculum pressure, seedlings may damp off as they emerge from the soil.  Zhou and Everts surveyed numerous watermelon fields in Maryland and Delaware to determine the level of F. They concluded that the minimum amount of inoculum necessary to cause wilt was 1.

CFU/g soil and that 3. CFU/g was enough to cause wilt in 5. ID5. 0).  In most of the fields examined (7. CFU/g soil values ranged between 1. The primary diagnostic symptom of Fusarium wilt is a discoloration of the vascular system (xylem), which can be observed readily in longitudinal or cross section of roots or stems (Figures 3 and 4).  In watermelon and muskmelon, a brown necrotic streak may be visible externally on the lower stem and extending along the length of the vine.  Since the pathogen is soilborne, symptomatic plants often occur in clusters corresponding to the distribution of high inoculum densities in the soil.  Fusarium wilts are generally most severe in light, sandy, slightly acidic soils when temperatures are between 2. C.  Higher temperatures appear to impede infection often resulting in plants that are yellowed and stunted but not wilted.  However, plants infected earlier in the season may display more severe symptoms later in the season, as the temperature increases, and there is more transpiration demand on the plant.

Watermelon and other cucurbits also are susceptible to a vascular wilt disease caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae (Verticillium wilt) that may be confused with Fusarium wilt, as the symptoms are very similar. Neither fungus readily sporulates on the surface of the plant and confirmation of the causal agent may require isolation of the pathogen from the diseased plant onto an agar growth medium and subsequent observation under a microscope. Pathogen Biology. Fusarium oxysporum f.

FON) has no known sexual reproductive stage.  Asexual reproductive structures include both micro- and macroconidia (Figures 5 and 6).  Microconidia are abundant, oval to kidney- shaped, generally one- celled and are formed on short conidiophores.  Microconidia are capable of infecting roots but probably play little role in initial infection in the field because of their ephemeral nature.  Macroconidia are fusiform (‘canoe- shaped’), typically having three to five cells (Figures 6 and 7) and are produced in large numbers, often in clumps known as sporodochia.  Macroconidia also infect roots, but their primary role may be survival as they have the ability to form chlamydospores (asexual resting structures).  Chlamydospores are the primary means of survival and typically form under conditions of suboptimal growth for the fungus or death of the host plant.  F. Figure 7) and one from within the mycelium.  Those formed from mycelia tend to occur singly or in pairs and may be either intercalary (within the mycelium) or terminal (occurring at the ends).  Fusarium oxysporum is a cosmopolitan soilborne fungus with both saprophytic and pathogenic members.  Pathogenic strains (formae speciales) are somewhat specialized and are defined on the basis of the host they predominantly infect.  Currently, there are over 1.

Many are further divided into pathological races based on their pathogenicity to a set of differential host cultivars, each with a unique set of resistance genes.  Six different formae speciales have been described that cause wilt in curcurbits: F. F. o. f. sp. melonis (muskmelon); F. While there are reports of cross infection between some formae speciales, these are mostly laboratory and greenhouse phenomena and, in the field, the cucurbit wilt fusaria are host- specific and rarely cross- infect. The biology, pathology, epidemiology, and control are very similar among all of the cucurbit- infecting formae speciales.   Ideally, races are described based on their ability to overcome specific resistance genes in a set of differential cultivars (Table 1).

Race 0, first detected in Florida in 1. Race 1 is the predominant race throughout commercial watermelon regions in the U.

S. and world.  Thanks to plant breeding programs initiated over a hundred years ago, most commercial diploid cultivars have a high degree of resistance to race 0 and 1. There is growing speculation, however, that the distinction between race 0 and race 1 may be more quantitative than qualitative and, consequently, race 0 and race 1 may all be strains of race 1 varying in aggressiveness. On the other hand, race 2 is highly aggressive to all current commercial watermelon cultivars and hybrids and clearly is a distinct race.  A new race (race 3) was recently confirmed from the eastern US that overcomes the resistance in PI2. FR.  Since resistance to race 2 in PI2.

FR is complex and is not fixed, segregation for susceptibility still occurs and extra caution is needed when using this PI line as a differential, since false positives may occur.  Alternatively, the watermelon varieties Super Pollinizer- 5 (SP- 5) (U. S. Patent number 8,1. Super Pollinizer- 6 (SP- 6) (U.

S. Patent number 8,2. Syngenta Seeds, Inc. PI- 2. 96. 34. 1- FR . Vegetative compatibility Groups (VCG) also has been used to differentiate races from each other.  Race 2 was differentiated from race 1 by VCG and race 3 was differentiated from races 0, 1 and 2. Race 2 was first observed in Israel in 1. U. S. states (Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, South Carolina and Indiana) and at least 1.