Basic Introduction to Blackwater Watermelon
The Blackwater Watermelon is a specialty of Tuanan City, Jilin Province, and a product protected under China's national geographical indication. The geographical indication production area for the Blackwater Watermelon covers the current administrative regions of 11 townships and sub-district offices in Tuanan City, Jilin Province, including Heishui Town, Anding Town, Erlong Township, Datong Township, Cheli Township, Jiaoliuhexiang Township, Dongfanghong Cattle Ranch, Yu Mizhongjiao Field, Siliuqijun Horse Ranch, Xiangyang Subdistrict Office, and Taofu Subdistrict Office.
The Blackwater Watermelon is characterized by its large size, thin skin, crisp texture, and refreshing taste. It is high-yielding and early-ripening, with a beautiful color, fragrant and sweet taste, and good storage properties. The fruit's rind is tough, the flesh is bright red, and the sugar content is 14%. The watermelon has a thin skin, ample moisture, high sugar content, and a pleasant combination of softness and crispness, earning it the reputation of “when the melon is cut, the room fills with fragrance, and one bite is unforgettable.”
The main varieties of Blackwater Watermelon include Nongyan No. 1, Leiguan No. 1, Leiguan No. 8, Huamei No. 7, and others. They are typically sown from mid-April to early July, and they grow well in loam or sandy loam soil. The ideal soil should have a total salt content of less than 0.1%, organic matter content of at least 1.5%, a pH value between 7 and 8.2, and a soil depth of over 1 meter, with good permeability.
Tuanan City has a temperate continental monsoon climate, characterized by significant temperature differences, strong seasonality, and rain occurring during warm seasons. Spring is dry with strong winds and little rainfall, summer is hot with concentrated rainfall, autumn has moderate temperatures, and winter is cold with little snow. Annual average precipitation is 377.9 millimeters, concentrated mainly in July and August. Annual average evaporation is 2083.3 millimeters, annual average sunshine hours are 3005.3, and the annual average effective accumulated temperature is 3000.5°C. The highest temperature can reach 40.2°C, while the lowest temperature can drop to -33.3°C. Soil freezes to a depth of 180 centimeters. On average, the first frost occurs on September 27th, and the last frost is on May 7th of the following year. The frost-free period is 142 days. Accumulated temperatures above 10.0°C are 2910°C, which is sufficient to meet the needs of crop growth.
Currently, the production, operation, and sales of Blackwater Watermelon have gradually become standardized, scaled-up, and industrialized, forming an integrated development model from production to sales.
Nutritional Value
1. Watermelon can cool and relieve heat, quench thirst: Watermelons contain a large amount of water. When suffering from acute fevers, thirst, and excessive sweating, eating a sweet, crisp, and juicy watermelon can significantly improve symptoms.
2. The sugars and salts in watermelon can promote diuresis and eliminate kidney inflammation. Protease converts insoluble proteins into soluble proteins, increasing nutrition for patients with nephritis.
3. Watermelon contains substances that can lower blood pressure.
4. After eating watermelon, urine output will noticeably increase, which can reduce the content of bile pigments and facilitate bowel movements, playing a role in treating jaundice.
5. Fresh watermelon juice and tender melon peel can enhance skin elasticity, making people look younger, reducing wrinkles, and adding luster to the skin.
Product Characteristics
The flesh of the Blackwater Watermelon is crisp, sweet, juicy, and refreshing, with few fibers. A single fruit can weigh between 6kg and 15kg, with a rind thickness of ≤1.0cm; the soluble solids content in the center of the flesh is ≥11%, and the soluble solids content at the edge of the flesh is ≥8.5%.
History and Folklore
According to “The Records of the Khitan,” before 872 AD, after Emperor Taizu Yelü Abaoji of the Liao Dynasty triumphed in his western campaign, he brought back watermelons grown abundantly in Xinjiang to be cultivated in Shangjing (near Heishui Town). Due to the sandy soil and large day-night temperature differences in the Heishui region, as well as low rainfall, the environment was very suitable for growing watermelons. Thus, the Xinjiang watermelons took root in Northeast China's Heishui region and have been cultivated there ever since, indicating that the cultivation of watermelons in the Heishui region has a history of more than 1000 years.
Heishui Village primarily focuses on watermelon cultivation. Of the 677 households in the village, 515 households cultivate watermelons, accounting for 76% of the total number of households. The annual sowing area reaches 9,000 mu, which is 58% of the village's total arable land. The annual watermelon yield can reach 70 million catties, generating income of 15 million yuan. Currently, there are five professional cooperatives in the village, with a total of 315 member households who have joined them. These cooperatives organize farmers each year to purchase seeds together, provide guidance on planting, and concentrate on sales. Over the years, the cultivation of Blackwater Watermelon has evolved from a single-season crop to three seasons – early, mid, and late. The trading period for watermelons lasts over 100 days. Now, watermelons come to market about one month earlier than before, and the late-season watermelons can be harvested until mid-October. To address the issue of lacking a market for trading Blackwater Watermelons, in 2003, relying on local characteristics and through attracting investment, an individual invested 3 million yuan to build a watermelon trading market covering 30,000 square meters. The market integrates dining, lodging, and trading, becoming a home for watermelon merchants from all over. During the peak sales season for watermelons, merchants from all over the country gather here. Merchants from various regions flock to this market, where the annual trading volume of Blackwater Watermelons exceeds 300 million catties, with a transaction value of over 100 million yuan. Blackwater Watermelons are sold far and wide to cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Shenzhen.
Awards and Honors for Blackwater Watermelon
With a long history, Blackwater Watermelon was once a tribute item for the Qing imperial court over a century ago. In the early 1970s, it entered Zhongnanhai as a state banquet item, earning the reputation of being “the best summer treat in Zhongnanhai”;
In 2000, Blackwater Watermelon won the “Gold Award” at the Beijing International Agriculture and Food Expo;
In 2001, it won the “Gold Award” at the Changchun Agricultural Fair, the “Shennong Cup” Excellent Variety Competition Gold Award, and also received the title of “Jilin Famous Brand Product”;
In early 2005, the “Tuanan Guandong Heishui” watermelon trademark was approved for registration by the Jilin Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce;
On March 15, 2013, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China approved the Blackwater Watermelon as a national geographical indication product.