Water Melon : Cucumis melo

Introduction Nutritive (per 100g edible portion) Energy Protein Fat Carbohydrates Calcium Phosphorus Iron Thiamine Riboflavin Vit.C 16.0 k cal 0.2 g 0.2 g 3.3 g 11.0 mg 12 .0 7.9 mg 20.0 ug 40.0 ug 1.0 mg

Values

Medicinal Quenches thirst when eaten as fresh fruit. Recommended Thiliny Type Skin colour Fruit size Days to 50% flowering Days to fruit set Open pollinated variety Dark green Medium (2.5-3.0 kg/fruit) 20-30 days after planting 25-35 days after planting

Values

Varieties

Field Establishment Environmental Requirement rain fed or supplementary irrigation. Performance of the crop is better under irrigation in yala seasons compared to maha seasons. Crop Management Agronomic and Cultural Practices Seed requirement is 3 kg/ha. Three to four seed have to be planted in planting holes spaced at a distance of 100 x 50 cm and thinned out to get two plants per hill, ten days after planting. It is better to apply straw mulch in the cultivation. Irrigation has to terminate two weeks prior to

harvesting. Fertilizer requirement Stage of the crop Basal Two weeks after planting Five weeks after planting Urea (kg/ha) 75 75 75 TSP (kg/ha) 200 MOP (kg/ha) 60 60 60

Pest Pest: Aulacaphora

and beetle, Leaf minor and Fruit fly are the major pest in

Disease melon.

Aulacaphora beetle Adults feed on leaves and the larvae damage the stem and root system. Apply Carbofuran 3% granules at planting to control larvae in areas where the damage is severe. For adults apply Trichlorafon 50 EC (800-1100 ml/ha) or Carbaryl 45 WP (1.1-1.4 kg/ha) when the damage or pest is observed. Fruit fly Apply Fenthion 50 EC at the rate of 1050-1400 ml/ha at flowering. Bagging the fruits if possible will also reduce the pest damage. Leaf minor It is not advisable to apply chemicals to control this pest. However if the pest damage severe apply Cyramaizine at the rate of 150 g/ha or Azadirachtin 400 ml/ha. Check for live mines in 6th to 12th leaves below the tip. Diseases Powdery and Downey mildew, are the major diseases in melon. The powdery mildew on leaves characterized by the appearance of tiny white to dirty gray spots on upper surface of the leaves while angular yellow coloured spots appears on lower surface of the leaves when infected by the Downey mildew. Maintained the field without host plant and cucurbitacea plants. Apply Captan Carbendazim or Thiophanate- methyl to control powdery mildew and apply Captan, Maneb or Propineb as per instructions by the manufacture to control downy mildew.

Harvesting & Post-harvest Technology Harvest Melon can be harvested 75-110 days after planting. Average yield is about 25-30 mt/ha. Melon has to be harvested at the correct stage of the fruit maturity. Dark green skin, yellow coloured spot where the fruits touches the ground and watery sound when tapping are the indicators of

proper Value In fruit Economics Availability May -June Crop : Melon & Canterloup Activity

stage Added boiled &

of

maturity. Products a snack Marketing

salads;

seeds

and

salted

as

Responsibility Station MI Officer S.G.Piyadasa

Indicators TimeFrame 08 Yrs (2002-2010) 03 Yrs (2002-2005)

Collection and evaluation of germplasm

Varities Aralaganwila I.K.Warshamana.