Basic Introduction to Xiaoliangshan Watermelon
Newmin City is known as the “Watermelon Hometown,” and the watermelons produced in Liangshan Town and surrounding towns are particularly famous, referred to as “Xiaoliangshan Watermelon.” The total planting area reaches 250,000 mu (approx. 16,667 hectares), and farmers' annual per capita income from growing watermelons exceeds 3,000 RMB. “Of course, the large-scale cultivation of watermelon is primarily related to natural conditions. The soil here has good aeration, low rainfall, and a large temperature difference between day and night, which is very beneficial for the accumulation of sugar in the fruit.”
Geographical Scope
Xiaoliangshan Watermelon is produced in Liangshan Town, Lutun Township, and Yaobao Township in Newmin City. Newmin City is located on the Liaohe Plain, in the central part of Liaoning Province, with geographical coordinates ranging from 122°27′ to 123°20′ East Longitude and 41°42′ to 42°17′ North Latitude, with an average elevation of 31 meters. The main production area of Xiaoliangshan Watermelon is located in the west of Newmin City, bordered by the Raoyang River to the west, Dahanqizhen and Liuhegou Town to the south, the Liuhe River to the east, and Zhouduozi Township to the north. The total production area is 32,627 hectares, with an annual total output of 12.2 million tons.
Production Technology Requirements
(1) Location Selection: Liangshan Town, Lutun Township, and Yaobao Township in Newmin City. The environmental quality of the production area must comply with the requirements of the “Criteria for Pollution-Free Food Watermelon Production Area Environment” (NY5110-2002). At the same time, plots with good drainage and irrigation facilities should be selected.
(2) Variety Selection: Varieties that are resistant to diseases and pests, have a high rate of fruit setting, and have excellent external and internal quality should be used. When using full coverage or semi-coverage cultivation, varieties that are tolerant to low temperatures, weak light, and high humidity should be chosen. When using grafting cultivation, pumpkin varieties that are immune to watermelon wilt disease should be selected.
(3) Management During Production: The entire production process of Xiaoliangshan Watermelon in Newmin must follow the “Technical Regulations for Pollution-Free Food Watermelon Production” (NY/T5111-2002).
(4) Harvesting and Post-Harvest Processing: For mid-late maturing varieties sold locally, harvesting should occur when the fruit is fully mature. For early maturing varieties and mid-late maturing varieties intended for out-of-area sales, harvesting can be done slightly earlier. The best time for harvesting is between 10 am and 2 pm. During harvest, use scissors to cut the stem at its base, leaving a short green stem attached to each fruit.
(5) Record-Keeping Requirements: Throughout the production process of Xiaoliangshan Watermelon in Newmin, a field production record must be established, fully documented, and properly preserved for future reference.
Product Characteristics
(1) External Sensory Features: The shape of Xiaoliangshan Watermelon from Newmin includes round, oval, and long oval shapes. The rind is light green or dark green, covered with dark green stripes.
(2) Internal Quality Indicators: Xiaoliangshan Watermelon from Newmin has a thin rind, sweet flesh, and ample moisture. The flesh is red or pale red, with a sugar content of over 12%.
(3) Safety Requirements: Xiaoliangshan Watermelon from Newmin complies with the standards of the “Pollution-Free Food Melon” (NY5109-2005).
Historical and Cultural Background
(1) Soil and Topography: The soils in Newmin City can generally be divided into five categories: meadow soil, paddy soil, brown soil, marsh soil, and wind-blown sand soil, with meadow soil being the most prevalent, accounting for 86% of the city's total area, followed by paddy soil, which accounts for 6.7% of the city's total area. The pH value of the soil ranges from 6.86 to 7.68. The fertility of the soil is moderate. Newmin City has a northeast-high, southwest-low terrain, with the exception of some hills in the northeastern part, the majority of the area is a plain formed by the Liaohe River alluvium.
(2) Hydrology: The major rivers within Newmin City include the Liaohe River, Liuhe River, Raoyang River, Yangximu River, Xiushui River, and Puhui River, with a total length of 239.1 km. Groundwater resources are abundant, with two major water systems, the Liaohe and Liuhe Rivers, where the water table is about 1.5 meters below ground level, and the water quality below 70 meters is good, providing excellent irrigation conditions for Xiaoliangshan Watermelon in Newmin.
(3) Climate: Newmin City has distinct seasons and a temperate, semi-humid continental monsoon climate.
The winter is cold and dry, with predominantly northerly and northwesterly winds; the summer is hot and rainy, with predominantly southerly and southwesterly winds; spring and autumn experience rapid changes in temperature. The prevailing wind direction is southwesterly, with an average wind speed of 4.1 m/s and a maximum wind speed of 20 m/s. The annual average temperature is 8.2°C, the annual average rainfall is 417.7 mm, the frost-free period averages 160 days, and the annual average sunshine hours are 2753.2 hours, with active accumulated temperatures reaching 3348°C. In Newmin City, crops have ample sunlight during the growing season, moderate rainfall, and sufficient heat to meet the growth needs of Xiaoliangshan Watermelon.
(4) Historical and Cultural Background: Newmin City has a long history of watermelon cultivation, especially in Liangshan Town. As far back as the Guangxu era, there was watermelon cultivation in the Xiaoliangshan area of Newmin, with sandy soil plots planted with thick-skinned, large-seeded varieties. Every year during the ripening season, nearby villages and passersby would buy watermelons from the melon huts to quench their thirst and cool off, but few were marketed outside the region. According to a survey conducted in 1951, the watermelon planting area in the Newmin region totaled 516.4 hectares, with fluctuations in subsequent years. The varieties gradually transitioned from thick-skinned, large-seeded types to thin-skinned, small-seeded types. Although there were no significant changes in cultivation techniques, the volume of commercial production increased year after year, mostly consumed locally. During the Cultural Revolution, the cultivation of Xiaoliangshan Watermelon in Newmin was considered one of the “trivial pursuits” and suffered destruction, with only 272.4 hectares remaining in 1976. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, with the reform of the rural economic system and adjustment of agricultural planting structures, the cultivation of Xiaoliangshan Watermelon in Newmin developed rapidly. By 1985, the city's watermelon planting area had exceeded 1,300 hectares, with a total output of 187.4 million kilograms. In 1986, Liangshan Town alone planted nearly 1,000 hectares of watermelon, producing 175.8 million kilograms, accounting for 70% of the city's total watermelon output, becoming a watermelon production base and earning the title of “Watermelon Hometown.” With the development of the commodity economy, the cultivation techniques for Xiaoliangshan Watermelon in Newmin also underwent continuous reform. In 1981, a small-scale mulching cultivation trial was successfully conducted in Feijiagangzi Village, Liangshan Town. In 1982, this method was expanded to 35 acres, with an average yield of 2,000 kg per mu, a 166% increase compared to the 750 kg per mu yield from open-field cultivation. By 1984, mulching cultivation accounted for