Pest Management Strategic Plan for Watermelons in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia
General Production Information (http://www.nass.usda.gov/Data_and_Statistics/Quick_Stats/)
National
Delaware
Virginia
North Carolina
Maryland
New Jersey figures are not available.
Production Regions
Production on Delmarva is concentrated in western Sussex County, Delaware, and in the Maryland counties of Dorchester, Wicomico, and Caroline Counties. For North Carolina, most watermelons are grown in the Coastal Plain of eastern North Carolina or in the northeastern region of the state. In Vriginia, the largest amount of watermelon acreage, slightly less than 1,000 acres in 2002, is located in Southampton County. Other watermelon-producing areas include the Eastern Shore, Northern Neck, and Richmond/Hanover County. Each of these areas accounts for a few hundred acres annually. Production in New Jersey is in ____________________________ counties.
Traditionally, the watermelon industry concentrated on standard, seeded watermelons that are large in size (18 to 30 pounds per melon) and the smaller Ice Box types (8 to 12 pounds per melon). Since 1990, however, significant production (estimated to be as high as thirty percent of the total acreage) of seedless watermelons has occurred.
The plant is a very aggressive vining annual, warm-season crop best adapted to mean temperatures greater than 70F. It has a deep and penetrating root system, reaching six feet or deeper. Flowering in late May, June and July allows good fruit production. Bees are necessary to achieve good pollination and, hence, good yields. Variety selection is perhaps the most important management decision a producer makes. Varieties should have good yield capability, resistance to anthracnose and Fusarium wilt, desired horticultural characteristics and market acceptability.
Seeded Watermelons
Seeded watermelon varieties can be divided into two variety types: open-pollinated and hybrid melons. Within these two categories, there are Standard and Ice Box types. Seed for open-pollinate varieties is produced by self-fertilization of the flowers within one variety. Hybrids are the result of cross-fertilization of a male parent with a female parent. Hybrids have better yield, vigor and disease resistance compared to open pollinated varieties; however, the seed is more expensive.
Seedless Watermelons
Seedless watermelons are hybrids that have small, rudimentary seeds that develop and are eaten like cucumber seeds along with the fruit.
The basic production system consists of direct-seeding melons into worked ground, applying herbicides for weed control, making several cultivations, irrigating, and then harvesting when the melons are mature. This is the least costly system and lends itself to larger, extensive operations that are planting standard melons for harvest in August. To ensure seedless watermelon production success, current recommendations are to use transplants, plastic mulch, and drip-irrigation production system. Crop rotation may be recommended for disease control. Fusarium wilt is a major soil-borne fungus organism that can severely impact production. The disease organism is long-lived in the soil. If Fusarium is present, a field should not be planted to watermelon for five to eight years, unless the soil is fumigated.
Plastic Mulch and Row Covers
Plastic mulch with drip irrigation results in earlier melons (1 week) and helps increase yields (total yields may reach 80,000 pounds per acre). Other benefits from using black plastic mulch include: higher quality fruit, reduced blossom-end rot, and better placement and use of fertilizer.
The total cost to produce an acre of watermelon varies from $1,418.79 to $2,957.32 depending on the variety and mulching and irrigation practices. Please update these figures.
Worker Activities
Spring preparations
Watermelon production activities begin in March. Many North Carolina growers produce watermelon transplants in greenhouses. Worker activities include filling the transplant trays with soil-less media and sowing of seed. In many cases, the grower sows the seed, irrigates and fertilizes the transplants. In conjunction with greenhouse transplant activities, land preparation begins in March. Mold board plowing and disking are common tillage practices employed before rows are laid out in the field. Approximately 75% of plantings are made on bare ground, while about 25% utilize plasticulture management techniques. For plasticulture, approximately three to four workers are needed to lay plastic in a grower field when using one-row equipment. With three-row equipment, as many as eight workers may be needed for the application of plastic and fumigant. Telone II is commonly used as the fumigant for nematode control as well as In-line and Vapam, which can be injected directly into the drip irrigation line.
Land preparation for sowing a watermelon crop on bare ground begins in March and April. After land has been plowed and/or disked, some growers may fumigate the soil for nematode control. These tillage and fumigation operations typically only involve a tractor operator.
Planting
Field planting operations begin in mid-April and are mostly complete by late May. In plasticulture, transplant equipment typically is 1 or 3-row, while some transplants are set in the field by hand. In bareground, transplants are set with two-row equipment. Several workers are needed when mechanical equipment is used to set transplants and even a greater number of workers are needed if transplants are set by hand. Workers’ exposure occurs to plants that possibly are treated with pesticide. When watermelon fields are established by sowing seed, only one worker is needed to operate the tractor and worker exposure is negligible.
After Planting
After planting, fertilizer is applied two to three times when grown on bare ground, while fertilizer application in the drip tape is typically made weekly in the plasticulture system. Only one worker is needed to drive the tractor and apply fertilizer when applying fertilizer to watermelon grown on bare ground. A trained worker with technical expertise is needed to “fertigate” when production is by plasticulture.
Irrigation is more labor intensive when watermelon is grown on bare ground. A traveling gun is typically used to irrigate the crop as needed. About three to four workers are needed to move irrigation pipe and equipment in the field. Irrigation for watermelon grown in a plasticulture production system is managed by a worker with technical expertise. A worker or two may help maintain the drip irrigation by scouting and repairing water leaks when located.
Pesticides are applied during the production season beginning May until harvest. Fungicide and insecticide applications are usually applied together. Applications are usually made on a 7 to 14 day interval with an average of four total sprays. Herbicides are typically applied immediately after planting. Workers are potentially exposed to pesticides in a watermelon crop during hand weeding which is usually a one-time event during the season. However, the main worker exposure to pesticides is the tractor driver; the exception is during hand weeding.
Harvest
The last field activity involves harvest, which begins in late June and is completed by August. Worker exposure in a watermelon crop is greatest as fruit are handled and removed from fields. This requires much physical labor, especially in fields in which larger fruit are produced. Typically four workers are needed to cut the fruit and remove them from the vine and 8 to 10 workers to pick the fruit up and place in the truck.