Flying saucer melons are also known as dish melons, saucer melons, toothed melons and flat zucchini, which are both ornamental and edible.

Flying dish melon (horticultural plant)

Flying saucer melon, also known as dish melon, saucer melon, tooth edge melon, flat zucchini, is a variety of pumpkin belonging to the pumpkin family. Its fruit is not only ornamental, but also edible, so it is a rare present food and horticultural plant. The history of UFO melon cultivation in China is very short. It was first introduced and cultivated as a famous and special vegetable from Russia, South Korea, the United States and other places in the 1990s.

Morphological characteristics

The root system of UFO melon is well developed. The stem is short, trailing, semi-trailing, or dwarf. True leaves nearly pentagonal palmate, shallow to parted, alternate, green. Monoecious. Generally, female flowers are solitary and male flowers are fascicled. The flowers are yellow, axillary, and the flower diameter is about 10 ~ 12 cm.

Bottle gourd is divided into three basic colors: White, yellow and green. The fruit edge is ribbed, flat, dish-shaped or bell-shaped, so the Russians call it dish melon, dish-shaped melon, tooth-rimmed melon. Because the shape of the fruit is beautiful, the shape is like a UFO, so it is named UFO melon. Flying saucer melon is an insect-pollinated plant, mainly to watch the fruit.

Distribution range

Central and South America

Cultivation techniques

Key points of cultivation

Flying saucers like a warm environment.

The suitable growth temperature is 13 ℃-28 ℃. If the temperature is too high, it is easy to melt melons. When the temperature is lower than 10 ℃, the growth stagnates and the fruit does not expand. Like light, but can withstand a certain degree of weak light. Therefore, it is suitable for both open field cultivation and protected field cultivation.

Like wet, not resistant to drought, because of large leaves, strong transpiration, cultivation should pay special attention to water management. The air temperature should be kept at 70%, 80%. If the humidity is too high, powdery mildew is easy to occur. I like to be fat. It is suitable to be cultivated in sandy loam and loam. The suitable soil PH value is 6.5 Mel 7.0.

Raising seedlings

Use paper slips or nutrition bowls to raise seedlings. The full and disease-free seeds were soaked at 28 ℃-30 ℃ for 10 hours, and then germinated at 25 ℃-28 ℃. Keep the sprouting bag moist during the budding process and change the water twice a day. When more than 50% of the seeds sprout, sow them on a pre-prepared sowing plate. The thickness on the bottom should be at least 5 cm.

Get through the bottom water. Cover medicine, thickness 1 cm, then cover plastic film or small arch shed, heat preservation and moisturizing. It is best to keep the soil temperature above 25 ℃, which is beneficial to the emergence of seedlings. After the seedlings are unearthed, remove the mulch and cool down properly to prevent overgrowth. After the cotyledons are flattened, the seedlings are transferred to the seedling bowl (10 × 10 cm).

Sufficient light should be maintained at the seedling stage, and the light time should be kept for about 10 hours a day, which is beneficial to the differentiation of female flowers. The temperature is managed by variable temperature. That is, 23 ℃-28 ℃ in sunny day, 12 ℃-15 ℃ at night, 20 ℃-25 ℃ in cloudy day, 10 ℃-12 ℃ at night, and 10 ℃-15 ℃ temperature difference between day and night. Seedling training should be carried out 7 days before planting.

Land preparation and planting

After the frost period, when the minimum temperature stably exceeds 10 ℃, it is colonized. Border or ridge cultivation. Using border cultivation, the border spacing is 40ml 50cm, border width 120cm, plant spacing 80m 100cm, each row 2; with ridge cultivation, ridge spacing is 70cm, plant spacing is 100cm, plant row spacing can be determined according to the characteristics of the variety. Before planting, 5000 kg of rotten organic fertilizer, 30 kg of diammonium phosphate and 100 kg of calcium superphosphate were applied per mu.

Field management

After planting slow seedlings, combined with topdressing and watering the seedlings once, the water supply should be increased during the flowering and fruiting period. The period of high light and high temperature lasts in the middle of summer, watering twice a day if necessary. During the growth period, topdressing was applied for 3 times after slow seedling, full flowering stage and full fruit stage respectively. In order to avoid grass shortage, shovel and loosen the soil three times before flowering, and cut weeds in the middle tillage to promote the development of root system. It is necessary to bind the vine in time to remove the old and diseased leaves. Artificial pollination can be carried out from 6 am to 9 am to help set fruit. At the same time, we should pay attention to the prevention and control of diseases and pests. It can be used to control aphids by foliar spray of 2000 Mel 3000 times, whitefly whitefly with 2000 times, and powdery mildew with 2000 Mel 2500 times.

Potted plant

Raising seedlings: using potted plants, when the plant unfolds 1 / 2 true leaves, it can be planted.

Planting: the planting basin requires a large basin with a caliber of 40m / 50cm. It contains nutritious soil. Nutrient soil formula is: field: rotten livestock and poultry manure: sawed unsawed (or rotten horse manure) one 7:2:1. One flying saucer melon was planted in each pot, and a frame with a height of 1 meter and a thickness of 2 mi 3 cm was set up. Pour enough water for planting. Keep the soil moist during the growing period. Because flying saucer melons are light-loving plants, they should be placed in a well-ventilated and well-lit place.

Management: 3 melons per plant of dwarf type and 5 melons per plant of vine type. Keep the soil moist. The plant is tied to a vine for every 20 cm of elongation. During the growing period, aphids and powdery mildew were mainly prevented. Take off the melon when it is ripe.

Main value

Flying saucer melon not only has high ornamental value, but also has high edible value and health care value. Its tender fruits, flowers, petioles and seeds are edible. According to the determination, flying saucer melon is rich in vitamin C, B1, B2, carotene, nicotinic acid and potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other mineral elements. You can eat it cold or fried.

Eating UFO melon contributes to the secretion of bile and the reduction of glycogen (liver sugar) in the liver. therefore, it is beneficial to the treatment of obesity, atherosclerosis, liver and kidney disease and regulation of microcirculation. The fruit is rich in pectin, which can protect the gastric mucosa and intestines from harm or promote the healing of ulcer wounds. Seeds also contain ingredients that can be used as insect repellents. In addition, flying saucer melon is also a good source of honey plants.

Treatment of obesity, atherosclerosis, liver and nephropathy regulate microcirculation.

Main value

Flying saucer melon not only has high ornamental value, but also has high edible value and health care value. Its tender fruits, flowers, petioles and seeds are edible. According to the determination, flying saucer melon is rich in vitamin C, B1, B2, carotene, nicotinic acid and potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other mineral elements. You can eat it cold or fried.

Eating UFO melon contributes to the secretion of bile and the reduction of glycogen (liver sugar) in the liver. therefore, it is beneficial to the treatment of obesity, atherosclerosis, liver and kidney disease and regulation of microcirculation. The fruit is rich in pectin, which can protect the gastric mucosa and intestines from harm or promote the healing of ulcer wounds. Seeds also contain ingredients that can be used as insect repellents. In addition, flying saucer melon is also a good source of honey plants.

Treatment of obesity, atherosclerosis, liver and nephropathy regulate microcirculation.