Lexcington, Kentucky
August 29, 2007
By Carol L. Spence
Melons like it hot and dry, so
this summer is a good one for Kentucky growers. But the normal
Kentucky summer of high humidity, heavy dews and consistent
rainfall can give growers headaches when they are trying to
bring melons to maturity. For the past five years, a
University of Kentucky
horticulture professor has been looking for the right melons to
help alleviate growers’ pain.
John Strang has tested more than 100 different varieties of
specialty melons. This year’s crop at the College of
Agriculture’s Horticulture Research Farm in Lexington consisted
of 31 varieties. Strang is not breeding the melons, but testing
existing varieties for qualities that make them appealing to
both farmers and consumers.
“There’s nothing worse than buying a nice melon and getting home
and finding it doesn’t taste very good; it has low sugar content
or is starting to break down,” he said. “So what we need to do
is provide the consumer with something that really tastes good,
looks good and has some shelf life,” he said. “We have some that
look as if they have some real possibilities.”
Melons do the best in dry areas, which is why most successful
melon production in the winter and spring takes place in the
southwestern part of the country. Dry conditions increase the
fruit’s sugar content. That’s why this year’s drought has
produced some varieties with a 16 or 17 percent sugar content.
The reverse side of the coin is finding melon varieties that
farmers can grow successfully every year despite weather
conditions. Kentucky is rife with pest and disease problems that
can make or break a crop. Between cucumber beetles that spread
bacterial wilt, spider mites and fungal diseases, growers have
much to worry about during the typical moist Kentucky growing
season. Strang suggests farmers interested in producing a
specialty melon crop start with the basics -- either watermelon
or cantaloupe. They are a bit easier to grow than specialty
melons, such as the canary, honeydew, Crenshaw, casaba, Piel de
Sapo, Galia, Asian and gourmet melons.
“These melons are not for the new grower or the backyard
gardener,” he said. “There’s a lot of spraying involved. If you
plant the seed and don’t do anything until harvest except water
them and take care of the weeds, you won’t be picking any
melons.”
Many of the specialty melons are susceptible to anthracnose
disease, a fungal disease that infects leaves and results in
defoliation of the plant. Without leaves, there will be no sugar
production. Bacterial wilt, carried in the stomachs of cucumber
beetles that inoculate the vines with the bacteria, plugs up the
conductive system of the plant, causing rapid, total collapse.
Growers have to stay on top of their spraying. Strang said one
pesticide can’t control all the problems, so farmers need to be
familiar with the problems and choose appropriate spray material
for control.
With all that worry and work, why would a farmer attempt raising
such a crop? According to Strang, they will be able to demand a
good price for a premium product. The rise in roadside and
farmers’ markets, as well as the reduction in tobacco acreage,
have spurred the small farmer to look at vegetables and fruit as
a higher dollar value crop suitable for small acreage. And in
the metropolitan areas, growers are looking for niche markets,
so the specialty melons have potential for attracting consumers.
Strang said he has run into a few melons that show real
possibility. ‘Sprite’ is a small Asian melon with a white, thin
waxy rind and creamy white flesh. It has a high sugar content
that should please most consumers and seems to grow well in both
dry and wetter conditions. The ‘Napoli’ melon looks like a small
cantaloupe with very sweet green flesh. ‘Honey Yellow’ is a
small, bright yellow honeydew with a cream colored flesh. Strang
said there is considerable variation in the type of melons
individuals like, and he is looking for melons widely accepted
by consumers.
Growers interested in growing specialty melons can learn more
from the UK Department of Horticulture’s fruit and vegetable
research report, which will be released in January. Copies of
the report will be available through the local Cooperative
Extension office or on the Web,
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/strategic.html.
Information can also be gleaned by attending the Kentucky Fruit
and Vegetable Growers Conference in January at the Embassy
Suites in Lexington. Look for conference information in
Horticulture’s Fruit Facts Newsletter, available on the Web at
http://www.ca.uky.edu/fruitfacts/index.htm or through the
local extension office.
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, through its
land-grant mission, reaches across the commonwealth with
teaching, research and extension to enhance the lives of
Kentuckians. |
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