After mangoes, if something delights the taste buds of Indians during the summer season, it is watermelons. Watermelons are not only extremely healthy but also the ideal fruit to quench your thirst.
Apart from carrying a high water content, watermelons are loaded with nutrients, antioxidants, and Vitamin A and C. However, did you know that our country grows approximately 25 commercial varieties of watermelons? Yes, you heard that right. The few states that cultivate watermelons are Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. So, let’s take a look at different varieties of watermelons that are cultivated in India:
- Watermelon Arka Muthu
This early maturing watermelon has a shorter nodal length and usually ripens in 75-80 days. This variety of watermelon comes in both, oval and round shapes and has a dark green stripy rind with dark red. Averagely, the watermelon Arka Muthu weighs around 2.5 to 3 kg with its sugar content ranging from 12 to 14 brix. The fruit yield of this type of watermelon is done in 50 to 60 tonnes/hectares. The Arka Muthu is quite suitable for precision farming and also for high-density planting. - Watermelon Arka Akash
Watermelon Arka Akash is a high-yielding variety that produces oblong melons. This hybrid variety is usually round to oval in shape, whose rind is in a light green hue with dark green stripes and its flesh is in a dark red shade that usually ripens in 90 to 95 days. Its yield is done in 75 to 80 tonnes/hectares. And its sugar content is 12 brix. - Watermelon Arka Aishwarya
This type of F1 hybrid watermelon is a high-yielding variety and is oblong in shape. The watermelon Arka Aishwarya carries a high sugar content that ranges from 12 to 13 brix. They are elongated in shape and have red flesh, which is yielded in 80 tonnes/hectares. - Watermelon Arka Manik
Weighing 4-6 kgs, watermelon Arka Manik has a light green rind with dark green stripes and has an oval shape. Its flesh is deep crimson in hue and is yielded in 60 tonnes/hectares. Arka manik is also high in its sugar content which ranges from 12 to 15 brix.
