Title: 
Headings: 
Watermelon
 
Production

Jim
 
Shrefler

Lynn
 
Brandenberger

Eric
 
Rebek

John
 
Damicone

Merritt
 
Taylor

Production
 
Requirements

Sites
 
and
 
Soils

osufacts.okstate.edu

Variety
 
Selection

Division
 
of
 
Agricultural
 
Sciences
 
and
 
Natural
 
Resources
 
•
 
Oklahoma
 
State
 
University

Gray-green
 
rind
 
and
 
round
 
shape:

Gray-green
 
rind
 
and
 
oblong
 
shape:

Green-stripe
 
rind
 
and
 
oblong
 
shape:

Green-stripe
 
rind
 
and
 
round
 
oblong
 
shape:

Green-stripe
 
rind
 
and
 
round
 
shape:

Green
 
rind
 
and
 
round
 
shape:

Hybrid
 
Triploid

Soil
 
pH
 
and
 
Fertilizer

Nitrogen

Soil
 
Preparation

Planting
  
and
 
Thinning

Cultivation
 
and
 
Chemical
 
Weed
 
Control

Irrigation

Field
 
Scouting
 
for
 
Plant
 
and
 
Pest
 
Development

HLA-6236-3

Insects

Diseases

Pesticide
 
Applications

Fruit
 
Pruning

Animal
 
Pests

Harvesting
 
and
 
Handling

Storage

Marketing
 
and
 
Economics

Fruit
 
Disorders

Related
 
Extension
 
Publications

HLA-6236-7


Content: Oklahoma
 
Cooperative
 
Extension
 
Service
HLA-6236
Watermelon
 
Production
Jim
 
Shrefler
Area
 
Extension
 
Horticulture
 
Specialist
Lynn
 
Brandenberger
Professor,
 
Food
 
Crops
Eric
 
Rebek
Extension
 
Entomologist
John
 
Damicone
Extension
 
Plant
 
Pathologist
Merritt
 
Taylor
Professor,
 
Agricultural
 
Economics
Production
 
Requirements
Watermelon
 
production
 
requires
 
a
 
long
 
and
 
warm
 
growing
 
season. Acreage
 
for
 
watermelon
 
is
 
the
 
largest
 
for
 
a
 
vegetable
 
crop
 
in
 
Oklahoma. Although
 
watermelon
 
can
 
be
 
grown
 
in
 
many
 
areas
 
of
 
the
 
state,
 
current
 
major
 
production
 
areas
 
include
 
west
 
central,
 
south-central
 
and
 
eastern
 
areas. Watermelon
 
consumption
 
has
 
increased
 
in
 
the
 
U.S.
 
in
 
recent
 
years,
 
with
 
some
 
of
 
this
 
supply
 
accounted
 
for
 
by
 
an
 
increase
 
in
 
imports. Some
 
acreage
 
decrease
 
in
 
the
 
state
 
has
 
been
 
due
 
to
 
increased
 
yields
 
and
 
decreased
 
labor
 
availability. Efforts
 
of
 
the
 
National
 
Watermelon
 
Promotion
 
Board
 
have
 
helped
 
increase
 
consumer
 
awareness
 
of
 
the
 
nutritional
 
value
 
and
 
culinary
 
uses
 
for
 
this
 
crop. Increased
 
availability
 
of
 
smaller-fruited
 
and
 
seedless
 
types,
 
as
 
well
 
as
 
the
 
development
 
of
 
techniques
 
for
 
selling
 
watermelon
 
as
 
a
 
precut
 
packaged
 
product,
 
has
 
improved
 
the
 
convenience
 
of
 
serving
 
watermelon. To
 
show
 
a
 
profit,
 
a
 
grower
 
must
 
produce
 
good
 
yields
 
of
 
high-quality
 
melons. High
 
yields
 
of
 
quality
 
melons
 
can
 
be
 
obtained
 
only
 
with
 
careful
 
management. A
 
good
 
watermelon
 
yield
 
with
 
irrigation
 
is
 
eight
 
tons
 
per
 
acre
 
in
 
Oklahoma;