A New Early Maturity Watermelon Cultivar “Jinkang No. 5”

Jinkang No. 5 is a new F1 hybrid watermelon with early maturity and good quality. It is developed by crossing inbred line 99-02 as a female parent and Z83-1 as a male parent. The plants are strong. The whole growing period is about 100 days from sowing and the fruit development period is about 28 days from flowing. The fruit is oblong in shape and the skin is green with pencil lines. The fresh is bright red, crisp, sweet and tasty. The soluble solid at the center of flesh is 11.2%. The average fruit weights 5.5 kg and 667 m2 yield is about 4 000 kg. The plant has good tolerance to stress. The variety is suitable for early watermelon production in Shanxi province and areas with similar climates.