Dongting No.1 Seedless Watermelon

Dongting No.1 Seedless Watermelon

　　   Dongting No.1 Seedless Watermelon, also known as "Xiang Watermelon No.11," is a new variety of watermelon successfully developed through years of selective breeding and research by the Yueyang City Agricultural Science Institute. It has a high sugar content, excellent quality, strong market competitiveness, and is highly favored by consumers. The main economic characteristics of Dongting No.1 Seedless Watermelon are: high yield and uniformly large fruit size. Each fruit weighs around 5 kilograms, with some reaching over 10 kilograms. The fruit-setting index is 1.36–1.7, with an average yield of about 3,500 kilograms per mu, and high yields can reach up to 5,000 kilograms. The quality is excellent, with bright red flesh, tender and refreshing texture, minimal fiber, high edible rate, high sugar content, and great flavor. In normal years, the central soluble solids content can exceed 12%, while the rind area is around 8%–9%. There are few small and sparse white seeds, and no discolored seeds. It has strong stress resistance, high resistance to anthracnose, blight, and fusarium wilt, and is highly tolerant to heat and humidity with broad adaptability. Dongting No.1 Seedless Watermelon "was approved by the Hunan Crop Variety Approval Committee in February 1996 and officially named 'Xiang Watermelon No.11.' In April 1997, it won the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress in Yueyang City, followed by the Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress in Hunan Province in July 1998, and the Gold Award at the First Hunan Provincial Agricultural Products Expo in November 1999. It has since been trialed and promoted in 28 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, including Wangkui in Heilongjiang, Xinjiang, Gansu, Lanzhou, Langfang in Hebei, Zhengzhou and Mengjin in Henan, Changle in Shandong, Yuanmou in Yunnan, Xinghua in Jiangsu, Fuzhou and Dingdu in Jiangxi, Jingzhou and Huanggang in Hubei, Nanning in Guangxi, Sanya in Hainan, as well as Changsha, Yueyang, Changde, Loudi, Lingling, and Huaihua in the province. The promotion area has exceeded 300,000 mu, earning widespread acclaim from both producers and consumers, generating significant social and economic benefits, and demonstrating broad development prospects." In terms of promotion and sales, "the wholesale and retail prices of Dongting No.1 Seedless Watermelon are 0.2–0.3 yuan per kilogram higher than other seedless watermelon varieties, and even during peak production periods, there have never been any sales difficulties." "Since 1992, Huanggao Village in Yunxi District, Yueyang City, has been planting Dongting No.1 Seedless Watermelon. To this day, the village has become widely known as the 'Watermelon Village,' with numerous 'Watermelon Buildings' erected. Villagers say: 'The flowers of science have bloomed all over Huanggao Village, and Dongting melons have fulfilled our dream of a moderately prosperous life.'"