Over four thousand years ago, these football sized fruit, watermelon, began appearing in Ancient Egypt and spread to ancient countries like Persia, Arabia and India. One thing that promoted the mass cultivation of this crop in these areas was the arid climate.
Currently, watermelon is the third most cultivated crop in the world. The only other crops are potatoes and tomatoes.
The fruit has too many health benefits such as prevention of heart related conditions and correcting metabolic deficiencies.
Watermelon is loaded with nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, and Vitamins A, B and C. It also contains lycopene, an antioxidant that protects the skin from ultraviolet rays. Hence, you can use watermelon to prevent sunburn. The lycopene content can also help to reduce cancer risk.
Watermelon farming is quite popular in Northern Nigeria and the majority of the watermelon fruit consumed in the South comes from the Northern part of the country, but experience and research have shown that it can also do well in Southern Nigeria.
It thrives in hot and dry climates. Usually, the start of the rainy season or towards the end of this season is the ideal planting period. The reason for this is because of the low humidity levels associated with this period.
Generally, watermelon can be planted all year round in the North as long as there is adequate water supply through irrigation.
In the Southern part of Nigeria, especially the South-East, one can plant watermelon in March, the early planting season or in mid- season that is in late June or early July. Then, there is the late planting season in September or October. The mid- season planting is highly dependent on the rain.
Also, the ideal soil for planting is sandy or loamy soil. The farm should also have adequate exposure to sunlight. If the soil is not really fertile, it can be planted in heaps of compost.
Additionally, watermelon requires a lot of space. Although they do not climb, it can be trailed on strong trellis. This increases their exposure to sunlight and also save space using this method.
Watermelon can be planted on flat land or on ridges and the planting hole should be about thirty centimeter in depth.
The soil used should be well drained because the watermelon plant does not do well in a waterlogged environment.
Also, one can make the plants more resistant to pests and diseases by drying the seeds under the sun for a week before planting and should add humus to the soil prior to planting. It takes three months for watermelon to mature in readiness for harvest. This means one can plant up to three times in a year.
The current market demand for watermelon is astronomical.
TONY OKAFOR
