Cantaloupe, also known as Huo Ginseng fruit, is fleshy and succulent, tastes fresh and sweet like jelly

Cantaloupe

Cucumis meluliferus, also known as cucumber fruit, cantaloupe melon, African horn melon, African melon, Mars fruit, sea cucumber fruit, golden hedgehog, chihuanuo fruit (Kiwano melon), horned melon, jelly melon, Huotian peach, etc., is a cucumber annual trailing herb, the skin is very hard, uneven.

The meat is delicate and multi-seeded, gelatinous like cucumbers and sweet in taste.

Native to the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, it is now cultivated in New Zealand, the United States, Australia, Chile, Germany, Zimbabwe and other countries.

The strange-looking cantaloupe is a favorite fruit of many people. It is generally translated as "African melon" in Chinese, and some call it "Huotian peach".

In the place of origin, because its roots can reach underground aquifers, it used to be an important source of vitamins and water for the local people.

Morphological characteristics

Cantaloupe, trailing herb, shallow root system; 5-angled stems, tomentose stems and leaves; leaves elliptic, alternate; grape-like tendrils, climbing; yellow flowers, monoecious

When the fruit is ripe, the skin is golden, the epidermis is hard and uneven, and there are tumor thorns on the surface, and the fruit looks like an olive with thorns; the flesh is emerald green in color, and the seeds are embedded in the pulp in a gelatinous shape.

The meat is delicate, juicy, like jelly, refreshing and sweet, similar to the mixture of cucumber and zucchini or banana, lemon and cucumber.

Growing environment

Cantaloupe is not strict on soil texture, and both sandy soil and clayey soil can be planted. The requirements of planting technology and climatic conditions are close to those of cucumber and towel gourd, so it is a kind of novel and special fruit that can be planted well.

Cantaloupe grows in dry climate, has strong disease resistance, is not cold-resistant, and is prone to disease in high humidity and rainy environment.

Geographical distribution

Cantaloupe is native to the Kalahari Desert (the desert plateau of southern Africa) and is also grown in California and New Zealand today.

In 2010, cantaloupe was introduced to China from Africa, and its adaptability is strong. It can be planted wherever cucumbers, zucchini and vegetables can be grown.

The survey found that at present, the cultivation of cantaloupe is mainly distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other provinces, especially in Poyang, Jiangxi Province.

In recent years, it has appeared in the domestic market, and planting has been introduced in some parts of the country, and the products are welcomed by the majority of consumers, and its sales price is as high as 810 yuan per unit, and the fruit yield of 667 m2 is up to 8 000. The economic benefit is remarkable.

Key points of cultivation

Open field, greenhouse, greenhouse cultivation; greenhouse and greenhouse cultivation need medium pollination. This plant is monoecious, and the male flowers generally bloom a few days before the female flowers.

Standing cultivation generally planted 600-700plants / mu, from sowing to harvest about three and a half months-4 months, the seed germination temperature should be controlled at 20-35 ℃, the seeds germinated in the seedling tray, and transplanting when growing to two leaves.

When cultivated in open field, the transplanting temperature in spring should be more than 15 ℃. It can be planted in early autumn in greenhouse.

Water twice a week before the first flowering stage to replenish 40% of water evaporation and 80% of water evaporation after the first flowering stage

Planting technology

Sowing time

Because of the different mulching and heat preservation conditions, the sowing time is different in the seedling stage.

Take the provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River as an example under the condition of coverage:

Heat preservation measures sowing time, planting time, listing time

Open-air planting in mid-April, mid-May, mid-late September

Single layer cover in early March, late April and late August

Double-layer cover in mid-late February, mid-April, mid-July

Three layers cover early and middle February, late March to early April, late June to early July.

Seed treatment

Before sowing, it is necessary to carry out simple disinfection treatment, low temperature or variable temperature treatment, trace element soaking and so on.

Soaking seeds to accelerate germination

After treatment, the seeds were placed under the condition of 28-30 ℃ to accelerate germination and germinate in about 24 hours. the seeds should be washed 2-3 times to remove the substances that inhibit germination and promote gas exchange.

Seedling bed

Seedbed soil formula: 30% cooked pig and cow dung, 20% aged furnace ash, 10% mature dung, 40% peat soil. Another formula is 50% cooked animal manure, 10% aged furnace ash, 20% mature dung, 20% peat ash, and 4 kg calcium superphosphate, 1 kg plant ash and 1 kg ammonium nitrate per square meter of the mixed nutrient soil.

Seedling stage management

Sow the seeds that have been germinated in the sandbox, first pour through the bottom water and sow them with 1 cm of sand, cover the agricultural film or weave cloth to keep warm, keep the temperature in the sandbox at 28-30 ℃, and emerge one after another after 24 hours. When 80% of the seeds are unearthed, properly cool down to prevent overgrowth, 20-25 ℃ during the day and 16-17 ℃ at night.

Another method is to directly sow the budding seeds in the seedling bed soil made of peat soil and soil in the heat preservation shed, and transplant directly when the seedlings grow to 10-20 cm, and the temperature control is the same as the above method.

Transfer seedlings in time

The best time for transplanting cucurbit melon seedlings to the nutrient bowl should be carried out at the normal time of full development of cotyledons, that is, on the 4th day after cotyledon opening and about 8th day after sowing, which is the best time to transfer seedlings. At this time, the nutrients stored in the seeds have been basically consumed and begin to rely on the roots to absorb nutrients for plant growth. If the transplant is too late, the seedling raising period is prolonged, the cotyledons are prone to lack of fertilizer after full flattening, and the seedlings are prone to aging. This is a long-term phenomenon in today's production. At the same time, the times of raising seedlings should not be too much, and it is appropriate to take one time, and the seeds can also be directly seeded in the seedling bowl without moving seedlings to reduce root injury.

Seedling stage management

When the first real leaf of cantaloupe is unfolded and enters the seedling stage, the soil should maintain a certain humidity and a high low temperature (15-20 ℃). According to the nutritional status, 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be used as external fertilizer or carbon dioxide gas topdressing, which should be carried out one hour after sunrise in the morning, and the temperature can be rapidly raised to 28-30 ℃.

Pest control

Disease control: cantaloupe varieties have strong disease resistance, adopt comprehensive control measures based on ecological control, increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, combined with the use of biological pesticides and fungicides.

The main diseases are downy mildew, Fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, virus and so on. Downy mildew can be sprayed with 70% mancozeb 500 times or 55% enylmorpholine 1000 times.

When Fusarium wilt occurs sporadically, it can be sprayed with 1 500 times solution of chlorpromazil. 20% powdery mildew can be sprayed with 1500 times liquid.

20% Kangrun (20% morpholine guanidine ethyl copper wettable powder) 5000 times liquid spray can be used for the prevention and control of virus disease, while preventing aphids and avoiding contact infection during pruning.

When you encounter high temperature after rain, you should spray 25% of the vault (25% tebuconazole) 3000 times or 70% mancozeb 800 times.

Pest control: the main pests are Bemisia Tabaci, aphids and so on. Bemisia Tabaci can be sprayed with 20% acetamixine EC 1000 times, 1.8% avermectin 3000 times or 5% Yitaibao 2000 times.

Aphids were sprayed with 50% imidacloprid water dispersible granules 1 000 to 1 500 times, matrine 600 times or 3% acetamiprid EC 1 500 times. To control other night moth pests, 1 000 times solution of methylaminoavermectin benzoate can be sprayed.

Main value

nutritive value

The seeds of cantaloupe are covered with gelatin and the pericarp is rich in vitamin C and plant fiber.

The fruit of Caojiao melon has high nutritional value, which is rich in iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium and other nutrient elements, in which the content of iron is four times that of cherry. It also contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, vitamin C, anthocyanins, carotene and water-soluble dietary fiber. It has the functions of anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, beauty and skin care, cleaning intestinal tract, detoxification, slimming, promoting digestion, strengthening physique, improving body immunity, improving sleep, calming mind and tonifying brain, fitness and promoting blood circulation. In addition, cantaloupe is a rare sugar-free fruit, which is very suitable for the elderly and people with diabetes.

Eating method

After cleaning and peeling off the skin, the cantaloupe can be sliced or cut into small cubes to eat, or beat into fruit juice. You can also cut it in half and use a spoon to dig out the mashed fruit to eat.

When eating cantaloupe, you can cut the top and insert a straw to suck it directly, or you can add honey to mix. It is a rare natural drink with perfect flavor.

Cooking

Cantaloupe can be made into a great salad dressing, or it can be eaten instead of vinegar.

Adding a few drops of lime juice, lemon juice and a little sugar to the melon juice will have a special effect on suppressing dry mouth and taste like orange liqueur (liqueur, that is, sweet and aromatic spirits).

The paste of cantaloupe can be added to sauce, soup, salad, sherbet and yogurt.

The practice of honey ginseng fruit:

Ingredients: Huo ginseng fruit 1 honey right amount

Practice

1. Rinse the fruit with clean water first

two。 Cut in half, you can see seeds like cucumber petals.

3. Take out the seeds with a spoon and fill them in a small bowl or cup.

4. Add honey and mix well. When eating, you can eat with a straw.

Tips:

1. Do not add honey will be a little sour, in addition to honey can also add sour plum powder to eat unique flavor!

two。 When the children in the family eat, please watch out for the seeds of the ginseng fruit.

Decoration value

Cantaloupe is suitable for decoration because its fruit is like a prickly olive. But in Zimbabwe, cantaloupe is mainly used for fruit snacks and salads, but less for decoration.

Legend of cantaloupe

A long time ago, aliens came to Earth and brought with them a strange kind of fruit. After eating the fruit, they threw down the residue, some of which were left in the deserts of southern Africa, and over time began to sprout, and then the ivy blossomed and bear fruit.

This strange-looking fruit, because of the harsh environment, for self-protection, has long evolved into a tough shell with thorns (very similar to sea cucumbers). Birds and animals will stay away from it and dare not come near it. The Chinese are named "Huo Shenguo" after its appearance.