Several methods for judging the ripeness of watermelon
1, accumulated temperature method. Watermelon needs a certain amount of accumulated temperature from flowering to maturity. Generally, early-maturing varieties need 700--800°C from flowering to maturity, and late-maturing varieties need to be about 1000°C. Therefore, the number of fruit development days for each variety is basically fixed under the conditions of normal sowing in spring and normal climate. Early-maturing varieties require 28- to 30-days, such as Jingxin No. 1, medium-maturing varieties need 30--33 days, such as Shubao, late-maturing varieties need about 35--40 days, such as extra large new Hongbao, so use the timing to identify the fruit When ripe, it is the most reliable for melon farmers. The specific approach is: When the watermelon blossoms, after each artificial pollination, that is, the tag, to the fruit maturity harvest on time, so you can confirm its maturity. However, the temperature of the same fruit cultivars and fruit development period has a great influence on fruit maturation. If the fruit setting is high (ie close to the root) and the temperature is high during fruit development, the number of days of flowering and harvesting should be shortened. , then extend. After solid pollination, the daily temperature and sunshine hours should also be recorded in order to accurately determine the maturity of the watermelon. Before a large number of pollination melons in the same period can also taste one or two to test their maturity. 2, fruit traits observation method. After the fruit is mature, the peel is generally hard, smooth and shiny, and the peel pattern is clear, showing the inherently ripe melon skin color of this species. Fruit umbilical (Corolla abscission) and fruit pedicle (fruit stalk bearing place) parts inward contraction, depression, the fruit part of the ground turned yellow rough, fruit handle bristles sparse yellowing is not significant, that is, cooked melon. In addition, with the fruit with the same section or the previous section withered, it can also be used as a sign of fruit ripening, but there are changes due to the strength of the plant. For instance, in the ripening of a watermelon, the first and second loquats grow vigorously during the period of melon harvest. Although the fruits are ripe, the tendrils do not necessarily wither; the third loquat grows and the leaves tend to decline, and the tendrils have withered. The fruit may not be mature. Therefore, it should be combined with other conditions to make a comprehensive judgment. 3, shellfish listening method. The mature fruit touches the squash with a smooth feel, and the fingers of the ripening melon produce a dull sound. The voice of the immature melon is a real sound of the pipa, and if the pronunciation is “噗噗, it is too ripe. melon. It should be noted that when the rain is high in the result period, the sound heard by the cuddly melon is real, but the melon is familiar. In addition, some tight-skinned varieties, after the fruit matures, the finger-shots are still the real sounds of the “噔噔†should be treated differently. 4, the proportion of law. The proportion of general mature watermelon is between 0.90--0.95, larger than this figure indicates that it is not mature, and less than 0.90 is ripe for the watermelon. As the watermelon matures, the cellular vacuoles increase, the mesial layer of the pulp cells begins to dissociate, the cell gaps fill with air, and the gaps in the placental tissue at the seeds increase, so the specific gravity decreases. With a hand touch melon feel light, hand pat melon noodles, palms feel a little shiver for hot melon. If continuous results are required, after ripening and watering in the squashing period, mature fruits sometimes appear to regenerate within 3 to 4 days after topdressing. This kind of returning guarana must be extended for 4–5 days. In order to obtain better economic benefits, when it needs to be listed in advance, it can be treated with ethephon (dichloroethyl phosphate). The method of treatment is, when the fruit size is long enough, when it is not mature (ie 26--28 days after flowering), 200 mg/kg ethephon solution is applied along the melon surface around the evening and the solution can be added. A small amount of soap powder to increase adhesion, two days after the harvest can be listed. The processed fruit can be supplied to the market 3 to 5 days earlier than natural ripening, and the quality is not only not reduced, but also increased. For those who cannot be accurately judged, they will continue to accumulate experience in production practice, pondering the traits of the common melon variety, the old melon, combined with seasonal temperatures, sunshine conditions, and comprehensive judgments using various means such as “seeing, hearing, and careâ€. Constantly increasing the "feel" of judging ripe melon can only be done skillfully and masterfully. China Agricultural Network Editor