Little melons in big China

Friends, family, and colleagues,

On Sunday, we had the chance to tour the facility at JAAS. The facility is located in the heart of Nanjing, China. The entire facility employs about 2300 people, 500 of which are scientists with 1400 support staff and the remainder being administration. Within the Academy, we are stationed in the Institute of Vegetable Crops (IVC). Within the institute, we are working with the Cucurbit breeding research group. Cucurbits include any species found in the family "Cucurbitaceae". Some famous family members include the watermelon, pumpkin, cantaloupe, muskmelon, gourd, squash, luffa, and of course, cucumber. The research group includes 7 lab members, 5 of which are scientists. Their major crops are watermelon (西瓜) and muskmelon (甜瓜). Their objectives include breeding for resistance to gummy stem blight (my pathogen), Fusarium wilt, and powdery mildew. They also seek to preserve the high quality of flavor within each new variety.

Dr. Paret and Dr. Li are looking at a resistance screening for gummy stem blight on muskmelon.

Dr. Paret (left) and Dr. Li (right) discussing all the work they are going to make me do while I'm over here.

Yesterday, we had the chance to visit Henxi, a major watermelon production area in the province. The area produces around 1300 hectares or about 3200 acres in American measurements. The area was about 90 minutes drive from the research center. We met up with some extension agents in the area and walked through one guy's operation. The crazy thing is that he rotates with Barley and Rice, so each one of those houses is taken down every year.

Watermelon production in Hengxi

One interesting note about watermelon production in China is that most fresh market production is grown under "protected agriculture". That is, they are grown in hoop houses. This is important since it prevents rain from splashing on the plants. You may not think that is a big deal, but since the pathogen I work on is spread through splashing, removing that factor significantly reduces the spread of disease. As a result, the amount of fungicides used is much lower than would be used in an open system. This system is not without drawbacks. In order to get any fruit early in the season, you need pollenation. If your whole production is a semi-closed system, you can't exactly get bees in (Not to mention a closed house full of bees seems like something out of a horror movie). Most regular season growers will use bees to pollinate, but early plantings are always pollinated by hand.

Skeleton structure of the protective structure

Dr. Paret and one of the extension agents

Contrast that with the United States, where watermelon production is in an open system. Plants are usually planted with a mechanical transplanter, pollinated by bees, sprayed weekly, and only handled by human hands at harvest. The yields are similar, about 3 fruit per plant. However, the vines are rarely trained in this system, rather, they are allowed to grow beyond the plastic mulch, which creates a thick canopy, allowing for weed control.

The major factor between an intensive operation like China and an efficient one like the US is labor. In the US, even migrant labor is expensive compared to Chinese labor. The costs to erect a structure, train the vines, potentially pollinate, then harvest would be too great for an American system. This is part of the reason why we have these issues to deal with in the US.

Tomorrow, we're visiting Zhejiang University to meet with another plant pathology department. I will keep you all posted!

Mason