Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a tropical fruit and belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. It is a special kind of fruit, referred as ‘pepo’ a berry that has a thick rind (exocarp) and flesh (mesocarp and endocarp). Africa is the original home of watermelon but it is likely that the fruit had existed since pre-historic period in regions such as Namibia, Botswana and in the deserts of Kalahari. The ancestors of the watermelon, Tsamma melon, are still available in the Kalahari Desert. According to the book, “High-Tech Micropropagation,” remnants of the fruit were found as hieroglyphs in Egyptian tombs over 4,000 years ago. During the end of 10th century, watermelons had found their way to China, which is now the world’s top producer of watermelons. When and how watermelon arrived in India is not precisely known but as of today, India produces approximately 400,000 metric tonnes of watermelon every year. The total global production of....
Watermelon An ancient watery fruit
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a tropical fruit and belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. It is a special kind of fruit, referred as ‘pepo’ a berry that has a thick rind (exocarp) and flesh (mesocarp and endocarp). Africa is the original home of watermelon but it is likely that the fruit had existed since pre-historic period in regions such a
