Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon

Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon

Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon is a geographical indication protected product.

Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon is a geographical indication certification trademark.

Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　As the first certification trademark in the vegetable category in Guangdong Province, the “Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon” was approved by the National Trademark Office in November 2006 through evaluation by the District Agricultural Technology Extension Center. After a year of promotion in 2007, out-of-province winter melon buyers had begun to recognize the importance of the trademark and proactively requested the District Agricultural Technology Center to provide access to the trademark for the benefit of winter melon sales. We have reason to believe that in the future, the “Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon” will become even more widely recognized and loved by people, thereby increasing farmers’ income.

　　Current Production Status of Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon The “Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon” originated from a crossbreed between a native Sanshui variety and a Dongguan, Guangdong variety in the 1970s, boasting a history of over 30 years. It is the most distinctive agricultural product in Sanshui District, Foshan City. Through years of cultivation, a complete set of production technical regulations has been established for the entire process from sowing and seedling cultivation to final product. Strict standards have also been set for soil, fertilizers, and more, resulting in the current “Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon” which features dark green skin, thick white flesh, dense texture, excellent quality, and good storability and transportability. It is highly favored by consumers.

　　I. General Situation

　　The Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon is a traditional agricultural brand product in Sanshui District and currently the most produced agricultural product in the area. The district has achieved centralized, specialized, and large-scale production of black-skinned winter melons.

　　II. Historical Background

　　Since the early 1990s, Sanshui District carried out its first agricultural structural adjustment, vigorously developing animal husbandry, aquaculture, and vegetable farming. As the preferred crop for developing the vegetable industry, the planting area of traditional black-skinned winter melons grew at a rate of about 10,000 mu per year, reaching 60,000 mu across the district by 1998. Since then, the area has remained stable at this scale.

　　III. Production Scale

　　The planting area remains stable at around 60,000 mu per year, including approximately 40,000–50,000 mu in spring planting and 10,000–20,000 mu in summer (autumn) planting, with a total output of about 230,000–250,000 tons. Currently, two contiguous winter melon production bases (belts) have formed in a strip distribution pattern: one along Baiyi–Jinben and another along Nanbian–Leping–Lubao–Datang. Towns such as Datang, Leping, Lubao, and Baiyi each plant nearly 10,000 mu annually.

　　IV. Processing and Sales Situation

　　To expand the winter melon sales market, Sanshui District has seen the emergence of a large number of specialized winter melon distributors in recent years. These distributors sell products from Sanshui District and surrounding areas to markets in East China, North China, Northwest China, and Northeast China. Some are sold to cities within the province such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, while others are exported to Japan, Southeast Asia, Russia, and Hong Kong and Macau. Baiyi Town has even become a regional wholesale center for winter melons in the Pearl River Delta.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Originally produced in Sanshui, located in central Guangdong Province, northwest Foshan, and the northwestern tip of the Pearl River Delta. It borders Huadu District of Guangzhou City to the east, Nanhai District of Foshan City to the southeast, Sihui City of Zhaoqing City to the northwest, Qingcheng District and Qingxin County of Qingyuan City to the north, and Gaoyao City of Zhaoqing City and Gaoming District of Foshan City across the Xijiang River to the southwest. The geographical protection scope of Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon covers the entire Sanshui region, including six towns (streets): Baiyi Town, Xinan Subdistrict, Leping Town, Lubao Town, Datang Town, and Nanshan Town. The geographical coordinates are between 112°46′–113°02′ east longitude and 22°58′–23°34′ north latitude. The area spans 2,667 hectares with a total output of 300,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: The Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon is long and cylindrical, measuring 50–60 cm in length and about 25 cm in shoulder width. It has dark green skin covered with white down, a well-proportioned shape, hard skin, and thick flesh. The flesh is white, dense, fragrant, with minimal pulp, and weighs about 15 kg per melon. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: The Sanshui Black-Skinned Winter Melon is rich in nutrients. Testing shows that it contains 1.47–1.77% total sugar, 0.36–0.46% protein, 4.69–6.89 mg magnesium, 0.0517–0.0905 mg zinc, 23.1–24.4 mg vitamin C per 100 g of edible portion, as well as trace amounts of selenium. 3. Safety Requirements: The quality of the production environment meets the requirements for pollution-free vegetable production areas, and the product quality complies with the standards for pollution-free melon vegetables.