Common watermelon disorders, symptoms, causes and suggested control strategies
Growing watermelon for profit seems like the right thing to do. However, you need to equip yourself with the right information and skills in order to be successful in watermelon farming in Kenya.
Due to the growth in population, the acreage of the fertile farmlands in the Kenyan highlands is dwindling due to land subdivisions.
Over 70% of the land in Kenya is arid and semi-arid. This poses a challenge when it comes to growing crops. But this also presents a golden opportunity for growing watermelons.
Watermelon plants thrive in the heat of the drylands. Add some water and you will get huge watermelons within 65 to 90 days after sowing. This also means you can do 2 or 3 seasons on watermelons each year.
In Kenya, watermelon grows well in Machakos, Kajiado, Makueni, Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa, and Taita Taveta counties of Kenya.
These regions have the hot climates and low altitudes required for growing the best quality watermelons. In these areas, you will find successful watermelon farmers, growing watermelon on land ranging from one acre to hundreds of acres.
Below we highlight common watermelon disorders, symptoms, causes and suggested control strategies.
1. Bottleneck /Misshapen Fruit
Symptom
Constricted growth at the stem end of the fruit.
Causes:
โขPoor pollination
โขMoisture stress
โขLow Temperature
Control
โขAvoid chemical spraying in morning hours
โขProper Irrigation
โขPlace1 -2 bee hives to increase bee activity
2. Blossomโend rot
Symptoms
โขSmall light brown spots at blossom end of immature fruits
โขLater stage spot can enlarge rapidly to form dark water soaked lesion.
Causes:
โขCalcium deficiency and moisture stress
โขExcessive Nitrogenous fertilizer
Control measures
โขApply lime if soil pH is low
โขReduce excess Nitrogenous during fruiting stage
โขCalcium foliar spray at vegetative, flowering and fruit setting
โขUniform and sufficient supply of moisture
3. Fruit cracking
Causes
โขCool temperatures during fruit filling stage
โขExcess Nitrogenous low Boron
โขHeavy infrequent watering at fruit maturity stage
Control measures
โขReduce excess N
โขMaintain adequate soil moisture
โขApply boron before fruit setting or foliar spray
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