Undoubtedly watermelon farming is a highly lucrative business to venture into but it is not without its own risks . Water melon farming is very sensitive to go into especially in Nigeria and other tropical part of the world, sometimes we have incessant rainfall which may be too much , every care must be taken and all valuable information must be collected and utilized because before you say jack, the whole farm is gone along with your investment money. if you are cultivating in open field and not in green house, there are 3 cogent things you need to take note and guard against to ensure a successful and profitable watermelon farming investment.

Waterlogging: watermelon is more than 80% water itself, so it needs lots of water and sunshine to grow well. However it does not thrive on a water-logged soil. The first tractor operation that you will do is ploughing, the process makes the land uneven and the soil is turned in a way that encourages waterlogging. In such cases, a second tractor operation is required i.e. harrowing to help break down the soil evenly to enable the soil to be well-drained from time to time. Proper land preparation is the first step towards a successful watermelon farming.

Insect pests: the moment your seeds starts sprouting and growing leaves, insects starts coming to feed on the leaves and sucking the juice of the fruits; which affect photosynthesis of the crops and consequently the yield is affected. You should therefore plan to begin spraying a good insecticide from germination to period of harvest at least once in a week. Taking your time to get a good quality insecticide is essential for effective control of the destructive infestation by insect because some insects develops resistance to some of this insecticide. Ensure weekly availability of labor for the spraying because missing a period may allow the insects to gain ground and slow down the crop growth process.

Fungal infection: the main fungal infection that attacks water melon is fusarium wilt. It infects watermelon mostly in cold temperatures especially if it rained a lot and there isn’t much sun to dry the water from it leaves and it is most times evident when the plants start flowering and starts fruit bearing. An infected plant looks okay in the morning and by evening it will appear withered until it dies completely and it causes the fruits to rot. The best way to control this infection is to mix a good fungicide with the insecticide you are using to spray your crops once you notice your crops has begun flowering. It does not matter the quantity of rainfall or sunshine you are getting, you should just take precautions and use fungicides when your crops starts flowering.

Good observation of crops is also important, here are some of the symptoms to look out for

black patches on the leaves
discoloration of the leaves
signs of withering especially in the afternoon

If you see any of this symptoms, do not allow the vine(s) to litter the farm ground because it might infect the other healthy crops, you can either throw it away from the farm or burn it.
There is a chance you may not get fungal infections on your farm because it is more prevalent where irrigation is used, especially if you irrigate in the evening and water stays on the leaves through the night. A cold weather is a perfect condition for the fungal attack. So therefore should you want to use irrigation, it is advisable to irrigate in the morning so the sun will dry the leaves in the afternoon.
But preferably, it is important to use fungicide once the crops start flowering whether irrigation or natural rainfall is the source of water to the farm. This preventive measure comes at little cost since you are combining it with insecticide in your spraying operations, no extra labour charge. With my experience with fusarium wilt, once the crop is infected no amount of fungicide cures it. The spraying of fungicide is more preventive than curative. Prevention is however always better than cure.
If you can take note of this factors and act on it accordingly, your chances of successful water melon farming will rise up to 95%. In just three months, you will be smiling on your way to the bank.




Source :http://smartagricng.com/3-facts-you-need-to-know-to-succeed-in-watermelon-farming/