0 What is watermelon

Texas ranks second in U.S. production of watermelons with 40,000 to 60,000 acres with wide range of harvest and shipment dates. Commercial production uses plastic mulch and drip irrigation. Harvests start in early May in the LRGV, in June in the WG, July in East Texas, July through August in the Rolling Plains area, late summer/fall in the Cross Timbers/DeLeon area and in September and October in the Southern High Plains. Grower/shippers contract and manage sales into large metro areas and out-of-state shipments. Roadside market melons come from smaller acreages and part-time farmers. Industry commodity groups are Texas/Oklahoma Watermelon Association and National Watermelon Promotion Board. Luling, Texas, a small town just south of Austin, holds the world’s largest festival dedicated to the watermelon. Insect pests include aphids, cucumber beetle, squash bug, white fly, and leaf miner. Weeds include annual broadleaf, and annual and perennial grasses. Diseases include gummy stem blight, anthracnose, powdery and downy mildews, wilt, Cercospora leaf spot, Alternaria leaf blight, leaf mosaic, virus complex, and bacterial fruit blotch. See watermelon crop profile or crop brief for more details on pests and pesticide use