November, 2003
Mini watermelons - new crop for new markets
A study by
Dr. Carol Miles, Madhu Sonde, Martin Nicholson, and Sean-Paul
Cunningham, Vancouver Research and Extension Unit, Washihgton
State University
from
Agrichemical and Environmental News
November 2003, Issue No. 211
Washington State University
Watermelon (Citrullus
lanatus) seeds and leaves have been found in tombs
in Egypt dating back thousands of years. In 1850, explorer David
Livingston found wild watermelons in the Kalahari Desert. Based
on these findings watermelon is believed to originate in Africa.
Watermelons made their way to America with traders four hundred
years ago, and the first written record of their cultivation in
this country was in Massachusetts in 1629. Today, the United
States ranks fourth in the world in watermelon production and in
2002 produced 1.86 million tons of watermelon on 15 million
acres, and the crop value was $329 million. The primary
watermelon producing states are Texas (26%), Florida (16%) and
Georgia (14%). Consumption of watermelon in the United States
totaled 3.9 billion pounds in 2000, average per capita
consumption was 15.1 pounds, and Asian and Hispanic consumers
were the strongest consumer groups. Watermelon is consumed as
plain fruit, dessert, fruit salad, snack, picnic food, plate
garnish, and as a fruit drink.
Watermelons are classified into groups according to fruit shape,
rind color or pattern, and weight. These groups are often named
after a popular variety with those characteristics (Table 1).
Until two decades ago, watermelon was only a seasonal fruit, but
today imports combined with local production ensure a year-round
supply. With a rise in interest in local production and direct
marketing, farmers in Washington are looking to diversify crop
varieties to meet these demands. Miniature watermelons, commonly
referred to as icebox watermelons, weigh from 6 to 12 pounds and
offer farmers in western Washington a means of producing high
quality watermelons locally. Mini watermelons were introduced to
the U.S. marketplace only a few years ago from Asia, and several
varieties have very recently been developed and released in the
United States. Mini watermelons are rapidly gaining popularity,
as their smaller size is ideal for small families and for
storage in home refrigerators.
TABLE 1
|
|
Classification groups of watermelons |
|
Group |
Shape |
Rind Characteristics |
Weight (lbs) |
|
Jubilee |
Oblong |
Dark stripes on a light background |
25 - 35 |
|
Charleston Gray |
Oblong |
Light green |
25 - 35 |
|
Crimson Sweet |
Round |
Striped |
20 - 30 |
|
Allsweet |
Oblong |
Dark green with light yellow stripe |
15 - 20 |
|
Royal Sweet or Mirage |
Blocky |
(N/A - Not Available) |
N/A |
|
Icebox |
Round or Oblong |
Yellow to dark green (depending on variety) |
6 - 12 |
Mini Watermelon Study
In 2002, we planted three mini watermelon varieties to test
their production potential at the Washington State University
(WSU) Vancouver Research and Extension Unit. Based on the
success of that study we planted an expanded (non-replicated)
observation study in 2003 that included nine varieties. The
study was conducted on certified organic land and was managed
accordingly. The primary objectives of this study were to:
1.
Measure yield and size of mini watermelon varieties grown
in western Washington.
2.
Investigate the potential of growing mini watermelons
with drip and overhead sprinkler irrigation systems.
3.
Evaluate local consumer response to eating qualities of
mini watermelon varieties.
This report focuses on the development of mini watermelons as a
new alternative crop for our region, emphasizing the results
from objectives 1 and 3, above. While our mini watermelons were
grown under drip and overhead sprinkler irrigation systems, a
malfunction of the drip irrigation system (explained below)
rendered a comparison of the two irrigation systems unfeasible.
We were, however, able to measure melon yields and sizes and to
conduct a consumer survey.
Mini watermelons are still new to the marketplace. They are
grown by only a handful of growers in the Pacific Northwest and
seed for the crop is only now becoming readily available in the
United States. Studies are needed to determine maturity dates,
total yield, and size and weight of melons grown in the region.
Some of the varieties grown in this study are new to the United
States and growers may need to specially request seed.
Study Methodology
Mini watermelons were planted in our Vancouver greenhouse on
March 24 and transplanted into the field on June 2.
Transplanting was delayed due to wet field conditions in
May. Other studies have shown that ideally melons should be
transplanted two to three weeks after seeding. Plots were
one row wide and 15 feet long and spacing between plants was
3 feet. Five plants of each variety were evaluated under
both drip irrigation and overhead irrigation systems. Soil
in the rows was covered with black plastic and drip tape was
laid under the plastic. In the overhead irrigation system,
plants were irrigated once a week at the rate of 1 inch per
week from June through August. In the drip irrigation
system, plants were scheduled to be irrigated twice a week
at the rate of 1 inch per week from June through August.
However, the drip system malfunctioned for the first two
weeks; plants were extremely stressed and took weeks to
recover. In some cases, the stressed plants did not recover.
As a result, harvest was delayed in the drip system rows
and, in many cases, yield was depressed. Thus in this report
we will only present yield data for the overhead irrigation
system as we feel this more closely reflects potential yield
of the varieties.
Size and Yield
Mini watermelon harvest began on August 5, sixty-four days
after transplanting, and continued until October 13. In
general, varieties that produced the greatest number of mini
watermelons also generally produced the greatest total yield
(Table 2). Orchid Sweet and Sugar Baby were the largest mini
watermelons in the study while Fun Belle and Yellow Doll
were the smallest. Dark Belle and Smile produced the
greatest number of mini watermelons and were high yielding,
while New Queen produced the fewest number of mini
watermelons and was low yielding (Figures 1 and 2). Mini
watermelon varieties differed in shape: Red Delicious and
Dark Belle were oblong while all others were round.
Varieties also varied in skin and flesh color: Fun Belle was
yellow-skinned and red-fleshed; Yellow Doll, New Queen, and
Orchid Sweet and were green-skinned and yellow-fleshed; all
other varieties were green-skinned and red-fleshed. It was
difficult to consistently determine when some varieties in
this study reached maturity. Growers will need to test fruit
periodically throughout the harvest season to make sure
fruit are fully mature and have good eating quality. |
|
ORCHID SWEET |
|
 |
 |
|
SUGAR BABY |
|
 |
 |
|
GARDEN BABY |
|
 |
 |
|
YELLOW DOLL |
|
 |
 |
|
TABLE 2
|
|
Total number of fruit harvested, total weight of fruit
harvested, and average weight, length and width per fruit
of 9 mini watermelon varieties. |
|
Variety |
Total No. Fruit Hrv. |
Total Wt. (kg/lbs) |
Avg. Wt. Per Fruit (kg/lbs) |
Avg. Fruit Length (cm/in) |
Avg. Fruit Width (cm/in) |
|
Garden Baby |
12 |
28.50/62.99 |
2.66/5.88 |
18.10/7.06 |
17.46/6.81 |
|
New Queen |
10 |
24.66/54.50 |
2.71/5.99 |
19.50/7.61 |
15.83/6.17 |
|
Orchid Sweet |
12 |
43.70/96.58 |
3.60/7.96 |
15.62/6.09 |
16.31/6.36 |
|
Smile |
18 |
41.34/91.36 |
2.88/6.36 |
19.63/7.66 |
16.75/6.53 |
|
Sugar Baby |
12 |
33.53/74.10 |
2.99/6.61 |
18.28/7.13 |
18.03/7.03 |
|
Yellow Doll |
16 |
26.30/58.12 |
1.77/3.91 |
13.66/5.33 |
12.04/4.70 |
|
Red Delicious |
16 |
29.18/64.49 |
1.94/4.29 |
19.41/7.57 |
14.09/5.50 |
|
Dark Belle |
21 |
46.22/102.15 |
2.83/6.25 |
22.71/8.86 |
12.40/4.84 |
|
Fun Belle |
16 |
24.74/54.68 |
1.48/3.27 |
15.53/6.06 |
14.18/5.53 |
|
Average |
14.5 |
33.17/73.31 |
2.58/5.70 |
18.07/7.05 |
15.51/6.05 |
FIGURE 1
|
FIGURE 2
|
|
Number of fruit harvested from 5 plants of 9 mini watermelon
varieties tested at WSU Vancouver Research and Extension
Unit in 2003. |
Yield (kg) of mini watermelon fruit harvested from 5 plants
of 9 mini watermelon varieties tested at WSU Vancouver
Research and Extension Unit in 2003. |
|
 |
 |
Consumer Response
Mini watermelons were test-marketed through Joe’s Place, a farm
store in Vancouver. Customers were asked to fill out and return
a market questionnaire. All customers paid full price for each
mini watermelon they purchased and those customers who returned
a completed questionnaire received a $2 coupon for their next
purchase at the farm store. Through this market survey, 280 mini
watermelons were purchased and 56 questionnaires were returned.
FIGURE 3
|
|
Mini watermelon display at Joe’s Place farm store in
Vancouver. |
|
 |
A photo of each mini watermelon was displayed and each
watermelon was labeled so that customers could understand the
characteristics of the variety they purchased (Figure 3, above).
Mini watermelons were priced at the market price in nearby
metropolitan Portland (59˘ per pound); each mini watermelon cost
on average $1.80 or approximately half the cost of a regular
(full-sized) watermelon. Customers were asked to rate on a scale
of 1 to 5 (1=Not important and 5=Very important) whether size,
color, price, organic production, and novelty played an
important part in their decision to purchase mini watermelons.
Customers indicated on average that novelty and color were not
important in their purchasing decision while price, organic
production, and size were more important (Table 3).
Customers were also asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (1=Very
poor and 5=Excellent) the flavor, texture, juiciness, and
overall eating quality of the mini watermelons. Customers
indicated that on average all eating quality aspects of the mini
watermelons were very good, however some varieties were rated
higher than others (Table 4). Red Delicious, Dark Belle, Smile,
and Fun Belle were rated the highest in this study while Sugar
Baby and Orchid Sweet were rated the lowest. All customers
indicated that the mini watermelons they purchased were either
very easy or easy to store in their refrigerator. Also 60% of
surveyed customers indicated they would purchase the same
variety again. All customers who purchased Red Delicious and 86%
of customers who purchased Fun Belle indicated they would
purchase these varieties again, while 75% of customers indicated
they would not purchase Orchid Sweet or Sugar Baby again.
TABLE 3
|
|
Customers used a scale of 1 to 5 (1=Not important and
5=Very important) to rate the importance of size, color,
price, organic production, and novelty in the decision to
purchase mini watermelons in a market survey in Vancouver,
Washington, in 2003. |
|
Variety |
Sample No.1 |
Size |
Color |
Price |
Organic Production |
Novelty |
|
Dark Belle |
10 |
3.38 |
3.33 |
3.13 |
3.25 |
2.63 |
|
Fun Belle |
7 |
2.67 |
2.33 |
3.67 |
3.5 |
3.17 |
|
Garden Baby |
5 |
3.75 |
2 |
2.67 |
3.67 |
2.75 |
|
New Queen |
3 |
2.33 |
1.33 |
3.33 |
2.33 |
3 |
|
Orchid Sweet |
4 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
3.75 |
3.75 |
3 |
|
Red Delicious |
10 |
3.1 |
2.44 |
3.22 |
3.56 |
2.33 |
|
Sugar Baby |
9 |
2.43 |
2.71 |
3.57 |
3.13 |
2.38 |
|
Smile |
7 |
2.83 |
3.33 |
3.4 |
2.33 |
1.83 |
|
Yellow Doll |
1 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
|
Average |
6 |
3.1 |
2.9 |
3.3 |
3.2 |
2.5 |
|
1Sample
number refers to the number of customers who completed a
questionnaire. |
TABLE 4
|
|
Customers rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (1=Very poor and
5=Excellent) the flavor, texture, juiciness and overall
quality of the mini watermelons they tested. |
|
Variety |
Sample No.1 |
Flavor |
Texture |
Juiciness |
Overall Quality |
Overall Average |
|
Dark Belle |
10 |
3.4 |
4.1 |
4.3 |
3.5 |
3.83 |
|
Fun Belle |
7 |
3.86 |
3.14 |
4.14 |
3.57 |
3.68 |
|
Garden Baby |
5 |
2.75 |
3.5 |
4 |
2.75 |
3.25 |
|
New Queen |
3 |
2.67 |
4.33 |
4.67 |
2.67 |
3.59 |
|
Orchid Sweet |
4 |
2.25 |
3 |
3 |
2.5 |
2.69 |
|
Red Delicious |
10 |
3.9 |
3.6 |
4.2 |
3.9 |
3.9 |
|
Sugar Baby |
9 |
2 |
3.13 |
3 |
2.25 |
2.6 |
|
Smile |
7 |
4.25 |
3.5 |
4 |
3.4 |
3.79 |
|
Yellow Doll |
1 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
3.25 |
|
Average |
6 |
3.3 |
3.5 |
3.9 |
3.2 |
3.48 |
|
1Sample
number refers to the number of customers who completed a
questionnaire. |
|
RED DELICIOUS |
|
 |
 |
|
DARK BELLE |
|
 |
 |
|
SMILE |
|
 |
 |
|
FUN BELLE |
|
 |
 |
|
Conclusions
Mini watermelons can be successfully grown in the field
in western Washington and customer surveys indicated
that mini watermelons have good eating quality and are
easy to store. Of the 9 varieties we tested, Red
Delicious, Dark Belle, Smile, and Fun Belle were rated
the best quality by customers. Fun Belle was the
smallest mini watermelon in the study while Dark Belle
and Smile produced the greatest number of mini
watermelons and were high-yielding in terms of weight. A
comparison of drip with overhead irrigation systems
remains to be studied. We propose to do that in 2004
when we repeat this study as a replicated field trial.
Dr. Carol Miles, Madhu Sonde, Martin Nicholson, and
Sean-Paul Cunningham conduct research from the WSU
Vancouver Research and Extension Unit. They can be
reached at (360) 576-6030 or
milesc@wsu.edu. Additional information on their work
is available at Internet URL
http://agsyst.wsu.edu.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors wish to thank the Department of Ecology for
funding this study. The complete objectives of the study
were to measure and demonstrate irrigation efficiency of
drip systems as compared to overhead systems; compare
weed control needs under the two irrigation systems; and
provide growers with crop production information to help
them diversify farm production.
|
|
REFERENCES
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Commercial watermelon production. Bulletin 996. Cooperative
Extension Services, University of Georgia.
http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/B996-w.htm.
ERS-USDA. 2003. U.S. Watermelon Industry. Economic Research
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http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/sdp/view.asp?f=specialty/89029/.
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http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Vegetables/vegpdf/Watermel.pdf.
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http://www.watermelon.org/index.asp?a=dsp&htype=health&pid=5.
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