Watermelon and Cantaloupe Varieties Wenjing Guan Horticultural Specialist Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center

2/15/2019

Seed Companies: A safer and healthier melon supply chain in the Bejo Seeds Known‐You Seed U.S. Clifton Nunhems/Bayer Lead by Texas A&M Harris Moran Sakata Hazera Seedway HighMark Seminis Hollar Syngenta Enza Zaden Origene K&B development United Genetics US Agriseeds High tunnel melon project PI: Petrus Langenhoven, Purdue University SWPAC Daniel S. Egel, Dennis Nowaskie, Curtis Marchino Barbara Joyner Angie Southwest Indiana Melon Thompson Bill Davis and Vegetable Growers Association Alex Plummer Thomas D. H. Haseman Summer helpers

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Timeline

Planting seeds in mid April Transplanting in mid May

Watermelon harvest mid July to mid Aug. Cantaloupe harvest early July to early Aug.

Water and fertility management

Fertilizer Rate  Soil type: sandy loam, less than (lb/acre) 1% organic matter Urea (46‐0‐0) 250 Potash (0‐0‐60) 100  All fertilizers were applied Diammonium phosphate (18‐ 100 preplant, broadcast 46‐0) Boron 14.3% 7  Targeted for 1‐inch water Pelletized lime 200 per week K‐Mag granular (0‐0‐22) 100 Month Average Precipitation Zinc 10% LS 10 (inch) May 5.93 June 4.19 July 4.64 August 3.41

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Pest management

Large size triploid watermelons

 30‐40 varieties from around 10 companies each year  Variety trial spacing; 4’ in‐row spacing; 8’ bed spacing.

 Pollenizer 1:2 ratio. SP6 , SP7

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 Randomized complete block design, 3 replications, 12 plants per variety per replication  Fruit were weighted individually  Fruit quality: 4 fruit per replication, 12 fruit per variety

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Red Amber

• Developed by Enza Zaden. Evaluated in 2017 and 2018. • Medium green rind • Yield: 4th/38 in 2018, 1st/37 in 2017 • Average fruit size 16.6 lb and 16.1 lb. Most in 45 count Year < 9 lb 9‐13.5 lb 13.6‐17.5 lb 17.6‐21.4 lb > 21.5 lb (60 count) (45 count) (36 count) (30 count) 2018 0 20 43 22 13 2017 2 23 41 23 11 • Good canopy

Bottle Rocket

• Developed by Seminis. Evaluated in 2017 and 2018 • Medium to dark green rind • Yield: 2th/38 in 2018, 7st/37 in 2017 • Average fruit size 17.4 lb (2018), 15.8 lb (2017) Year < 9 lb 9‐13.5 lb 13.6‐17.5 lb 17.6‐21.4 lb > 21.5 lb (60 count) (45 count) (36 count) (30 count) 2018 0 12 40 32 15 2017 0 29 37 24 9 • Relative high yield in early harvest • Good tolerance to Hollow heart

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Tailgate

• Developed by Seminis. Evaluated in 2018 • Medium to dark green rind • Yield: 1th/38 in 2018 • Average fruit size 18.5 lb (2018) Year < 9 lb 9‐13.5 lb 13.6‐17.5 lb 17.6‐21.4 lb > 21.5 lb (60 count) (45 count) (36 count) (30 count) 2018 0 6 37 37 20 • Good tolerance to Hollow heart, good canopy • Good quality

Traveler

• Developed by Harris Moran, Evaluated in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 • Yield: 3rd/38 (2018), 7th/46 (2016) • Medium to dark rind • Average fruit weight ranged from 12.9 – 15.1 lb, most in 60 and 45 count Year Avg. < 9 lb 9‐13.5 lb 13.6‐17.5 lb 17.6‐21.4 lb > 21.5 lb fruit (lb) (60 count) (45 count) (36 count) (30 count) 2018 15.1 0 34 42 18 5 2016 14.6 10 44 36 9 0 • Low yield in first harvest • Good canopy • High yield and less wilt in 2015 under Fusarium wilt

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Excursion

• Developed by Syngenta. Evaluated in 2016, 2017, 2018 • Light to medium green rind • Yield: 7th/38 (2018), 28th/37 (2017), 3rd/46 (2016) • Consistent large fruit, average fruit weight 17.4‐17.7 lb Year Avg. < 9 lb 9‐13.5 lb 13.6‐17.5 lb 17.6‐21.4 lb > 21.5 lb fruit (lb) (60 count) (45 count) (36 count) (30 count) 2018 17.6 0 14 32 30 24 2017 17.4 0 18 31 37 14 2016 17.7 6 12 24 38 20 • Early ripening variety, consistent in three years

Exclamation

• Developed by Syngenta. Evaluated in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 • Medium green rind • Yield: 25th/38 (2018), 10th/37 (2017), 8th/46 (2016) • Average fruit weight 16.3‐16.8 lb

Year Avg. < 9 lb 9‐13.5 lb 13.6‐17.5 lb 17.6‐21.4 lb > 21.5 lb fruit (lb) (60 count) (45 count) (36 count) (30 count) 2018 16.8 0 20 37 25 18 2017 16.3 2 17 45 30 5 2016 16.3 02543229

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Embasy

• Developed by Nunhems, Evaluated in 2016, 2017, 2018 • Medium to dark green rind • Moderate high yield: 11th/38 in 2018, 9st/37 in 2017, 11th/46 in 2016 • Average fruit weight 14.6 – 16.7, majority in 45 count Warrior

• Developed by Nunhems, evaluated in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 • Light to medium green rind. • Yield: 18th/38 (2018), 5th /37 (2017), 12th/46 (2016) • Fruit size: 14.7‐16.9 lb, most in 45 count category

Yellow and orange‐fleshed watermelon varieties tend to have the most severe hollowheart symptoms.

Treasure Chest Orange Crisp Amarillo

Baby Doll Orangeglo Sorbet Swirl

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Personal‐size triploid watermelons

Year Variety Number  2’ in‐row spacing, 6’ bed spacing 2018 10  Pollenizers in one row of every three rows 2017 4 of personal‐size triploid watermelon 2016 4 Pollenizer

Extazy

Year Weight Num. of fruit Avg. weight per acre per acre (lb) 2018 64,416 7,222 8.1 2017 66,167 7,865 8.4 2016 70,334 8,224 8.5 Average 66,972 7,770 8.3

Percentages of fruit in weight categories Year ˂ 6 lb 6‐8 lb 8‐10 lb 10‐12 lb ˃ 12 lb 2018 6 30 38 16 9 2017 7 39 40 10 4 2016 5 37 39 13 5

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Year Lb/a Num. /a Avg. weight Ocelot (lb) 2018 43,339 6,012 7.2 2016 32,595 4,594 7.2

Year Lb/a Num. /a Avg. weight Serval (lb) 2016 45,368 7,033 6.44

Year Lb/a Num. /a Avg. weight Ladybelle (lb) 2018 60,897 8,319 7.3 2017 51,745 7,613 6.8

Year Lb/a Num. /a Avg. weight MiniBee (lb) 2017 58,077 8,268 7.0

Cantaloupes Eastern‐type Cantaloupe Varieties Aphrodite Athena

Astound Accolade

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Variety comparison from 2016‐2018

Marketable yield (lb/acre) Average fruit weight (lb) 50000 8 a 7 40000 6 c bb 30000 5 4 20000 3 10000 2 1 0 0 Aphrodite Athena Accolade Astound Aphrodite Athena Accolade Astound

Sugar content Firmness (lbs‐force) 12 6 aa 10 5 b 8 4 c 6 3 4 2 2 1 0 0 Aphrodite Athena Accolade Astound Aphrodite Athena Accolade Astound

Eastern cantaloupes may not be the best quality melons

Melon sugar content in 2018 trial (°Brix) 14 Red Aroma 13

10 Sheba

7 Miracle 6 F39 Prity Sheba Dainty OC 164 HD 150 Athena Miracle Flourish Da Vinci Astound Accolade Fondness Aphrodite Red Aroma Infinite Gold USAM 14836 USAM 14837 USAM 16141 Golden Aroma Honeydew 252

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Harvest index has been an obstacle for growing other melon types in large scale

Yield reliability is another obstacle for growing other melon types in large scale 2018 cantaloupe variety trial bacterial wilt severity HD 150 (AUDPC) 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 F39 Prity Sheba Dainty OC 164 HD 150 Athena Miracle Flourish Da Vinci Astound Accolade Fondness Aphrodite Red Aroma Infinite Gold USAM 14836 USAM 14837 USAM 16141 Golden Aroma Honeydew 252

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Marketable Yield (lbs/acre)

41,324 39,24539,57639,949

34,248 32,339 31,888 31,831

28,438 26,237 26,565 24,794 25,415

21,589 20,031 19,578 18,471 18,66718,141 15,209 12,404

But opportunities exist …… local market Specialty melon variety trials conducted in Florida in open‐field

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High Tunnel melon variety trials, CONTINUE in 2019 Trials were conducted in West Lafayette and Vincennes, IN. PI: Petrus Langenhoven

Melons were grown vertically on netting Four to six fruit were harvested from each plant Variety Type Lilliput Cantaloupe Inspire Cantaloupe Sugar Cube Cantaloupe French Orange French Charentais Tasty Bites Anana × Charentais Escorial French Charentais Savor French Charentais Artemis French Charentais

https://ag.purdue.edu/arge/swpap/Pages/SWPAPPDF Presentstions.aspx