We all love to sink our teeth into the crispy, sweet, juicy red watermelon. How it cools our body during scorching heat of summer! Nothing beats cool watermelon juice. But do you know watermelon did not originate in India? And do you know watermelon was found in ancient caves of China?
There are so many interesting things related to watermelon.
Watermelon is a pre-historic crop
Watermelon originated in Africa. The fruit has been around since the pre-historic age, which is, today, known as Botswana and Namibia.
So, watermelon fruit is ancient.
The book, “High-Tech Micropropagation”, states that historians discovered hieroglyphs of the fruit over Egyptian tombs, which were more than 4000 years old!
Seeds of watermelon have also been extracted from a cave in Hang-Zhou in China, in 3000 BC.
Nobody is yet clear how watermelon was introduced in India. Some texts say that the fruit has been in India since ancient times before it migrated to the caves of China. Some say that the fruit came to India after it was found in China.
Well, whatever is the truth, you simply bite into the juicy piece of watermelon!
Ancestor of watermelon
If crop scientists and historians are to be believed (and we must believe them), watermelon is the direct ancestor of Citrullus colocynthis, which is called bitter cucumber or bitter apple. So, the fruit’s ancestor was bitter, not sweet!
Even today, you can find many wild watermelons in Africa that are valued more for their seeds than their pulp.
Top areas of watermelon cultivation
As per reports by the National Institute of Industrial Research, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal, and Assam are the chief water melon growing states of India.
Popular varieties of water melon
The following varieties are famous for their high yields:
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ArkaManik – Features light and dark green stripes.
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Durgapur Kesar – Features dark green stipes and saffron-colored flesh.
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Arka Jyoti – Striped variety with crimson flesh.
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Special Number 1 - This is a small-sized watermelon with crimson flesh and few seeds.
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Asahi Yamato –Features pale green rind with dark pink flesh.
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Sugar Baby – Striped with black and blue colors that almost look black from a distance. Has deep pink flesh and tiny seeds.
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Madhuri 64 – This is a seedless watermelon variety with thick rind and crimson flesh.
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Durgapura Meetha – Light green rind with deep red flesh.
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Varun – Features an oblong shape with blotches of dark green on rind.
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Vimal – Features a nice round shape with black green rind and crimson flesh.
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Lekha – Features a crispy flesh.
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Black Thunder – Its rind is so dark green that it looks black from a distance.
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Arka Akash – These are oblong melons with bold green rind and red flesh.
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Arka Muthu – Available as round and oval shapes with stripes of dark green on rind and deep red flesh.
Exotic varieties you will love to eat
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Hybrid Yellow Doll – Oval-shaped watermelon, excellent for gourmet tray food presentation due to its eye-catching bright yellow flesh. It is mildly sweet.
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Hybrid Red Doll – This is an elongated watermelon featuring pale green stripes and deep red flesh with granular texture.
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Dumara – This watermelon is oval in shape and features dark green rind with white stripes. Its flesh is sweet with big seeds.
Watermelon is cultivated as a Zaid season crop in many parts of India.
