What is a feed watermelon, who is it fed and how does it differ from the usual
Many common agricultural crops have "feed" counterparts, that is, varieties grown for food by animals.
From the article you will learn what fodder watermelons are and how they differ from ordinary ones.
The content of the article
What is feed watermelon
Fodder watermelon - it is a melon crop specially grown for further use as livestock feed... Contains a lot of moisture, vitamins, minerals, therefore it is primarily intended to increase the milk yield of dairy cattle. In our country, the most common fodder variety is Dishhim; it was bred in the 50s of the last century in southern Russia.
Botanical description
Fodder watermelon is an annual herb from the Pumpkin family, akin to the common table watermelon - it is believed that they have one common ancestor. All species of this plant are native to South Africa.
Interesting facts about table watermelon:
Description and characteristics
The fodder watermelon has a strong and branched root system, the central part is able to root up to 5 m deep. The stem of the plant is a liana that creeps along the ground, its length is 3-5 m. The culture is wind-resistant: the lashes have many antennae, and the leaves are strongly dissected.
By the fodder watermelon green, pubescent leaves... The flowers are yellow, female and male, the plant is cross-pollinated. The fruit is large, round or oval in shape, weighing up to 10 kg. The rind is green, thick, with light green stripes and spots. The pulp is pale, yellowish or white, sometimes even with a greenish tinge, and the seeds are rather large.
Such watermelon is rich in vitamins and minerals, contains substances useful for the growth and health of farm animals... They are fed the fresh fruits of this melon crop, as well as frozen and silage processed.
Interesting! From the fruits of fodder watermelon in some countries, sweets are industrially made - candied fruits "mango", "kiwi", "pineapple" in China.
What is different from the usual
Fodder watermelons in appearance they resemble canteens... The fruit has a spherical shape, characteristic green stripes with a pattern resembling marble.
How to distinguish by appearance
Watermelon for livestock feed larger than the usual canteen, it has a thicker crust... Such fruits can be distinguished by their flesh: in the forage it is pale, yellowish or pink, or even white with a greenish tint.
Fodder plant differs in longer lashes and stem.
The difference in taste
Feed watermelons versus canteens do not have a pronounced sweet taste... Their taste is insipid, watery, sweetness is expressed only by a slight aftertaste.
For which animals are feed watermelons used?
First of all, fodder melons are intended for feeding dairy cows and goats., since it is considered an effective milk-producing feed. They improve the vitamin content of milk and increase the appetite of animals. Such fruits will suit the taste of pigs and farm birds - ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys.
Technology and features of their cultivation
Forage watermelons are grown where there are enough sunny days... These are the regions of the North Caucasus, the Lower and Middle Volga regions, Primorsky Krai.If this type of melons and gourds are planted in areas not affected by irrigation, up to 30 tons of crops can be harvested per hectare. Irrigated land yields almost twice as much crop - up to 50 tons per hectare.
Watermelons for feed require less maintenancethan their table counterparts, so they are planted among the first among melons and gourds.
Sowing
Watermelon culture intended for animal feed grows best in river floodplains, on virgin lands, that is, where the soil is fertile. The growth of this plant is highly dependent on the presence / absence of weeds in the field. Watermelon grows well on sandy soils, but does not tolerate salt marshes and lowlands with high soil acidity.
Best predecessors - cereals and legumes. And after it, spring crops grow well. Watermelon plantations are susceptible to diseases of melons, in particular, fusarium wilting, so it is worth planting it again in the same place no earlier than in 5-6 years.
Attention! Before sowing watermelon, the soil is enriched with mineral and organic fertilizers; during the growth period and before flowering, it is also desirable to fertilize with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus fertilizers.
For planting, seeds are selected from well-ripe fruits.... First, the seeds are laid out for warming up in the sun, then treated with fungicides.
Pre-treated seeds germinate, so that the sprout is pecking out, and then planted in the soil. In this case, they sprout 9-10 after planting.
The time for planting seeds depends on the ripening period of the fodder watermelon variety... If this is an early ripening variety, then the soil should be warmed up to 12 ° C, if it is mid-ripening, then up to 14 ° C, and if it is late-ripening, then up to 16 ° C. Seeds are planted to a depth of about 10 cm. Most often, a fodder watermelon is planted in the first half of May (in the Caucasus) or in the second half (in the Volga region).
Read also:
How to understand that a watermelon has gone bad and what to do with it
Care
The yield of forage crops largely depends on clearing the field from weeds and on time applied top dressing. In the period before sprouting, the crops of watermelon are loosened with hoes.
This crop requires a lot of water - this applies to both table and feed watermelon. Therefore, after planting the seeds, the planting is watered at least once every two weeks.
Harvesting and storage
This fodder crop is harvested 50-60 days after pollination.... Fodder watermelons are harvested shortly before the first frost. If the stalk of the fruit has dried up, the bark has become coarse, a clear pattern is visible on it - the watermelon is ripe and can be removed.
For better storage of the crop, leave the stalk after removing the berries from the bush. Harvested fruits are stored almost all winter in dry storage at low (3-4 ° C) temperatures, as well as in fields sheltered from the wind by a haystack.
Attention! The harvested watermelon crop is fed to livestock in the fall, after harvest, or placed for processing in silos.
Conclusion
Fodder watermelon is a melon crop grown exclusively for feeding livestock - cows, pigs and poultry. The fruits of this plant are easy to distinguish from table watermelon even by their external features: the fodder is larger, it has a thick, rough crust, white or yellowish flesh. The taste is almost bland, with only a slight hint of sweetness.
Fodder watermelon grows in warm regions, where there are enough sunny days and abundant periodic watering is possible. This culture requires fertilized fertile soils, clearing the field of weeds, feeding before flowering and periodically loosening the soil. Crop is harvested up to 50 tons per hectare, it can be stored almost all winter.