Israeli breeder Zeraim Gedera has developed and is about to launch new varieties of personal watermelons.
The new varieties vary from Tiger Stripe to Crimson Sweet to dark (Sugar Baby) types with different background colours and sized from 1kg to 4kg.
According to Zeraim, the shape of the "personal" watermelons varies from round to oval, and the plant is compact, meaning a high yield with 4-5 fruits concentrated close to the plant with good leaf cover.
The personal, “canteloupe size” watermelons requires a different agro-technical approach to achieve continuous growth for selective fruit picking. "Packaging, sales and marketing of the products will be different, as the fruit will be packed in boxes of 6-8 fruits, sold by the unit," said Gadi Liebovich, Zeraim’s breeding manager, cucurbits.
The products are an example of the company’s commitment to its vision of vertically integrated marketing. “These personal size watermelon varieties are being developed with the final consumer, the farmer and all supply chain partners in mind,” Liebovich said.
The small watermelons in different size categories and rind patterns are suitable for a variety of market segments, the company said.
