8424 watermelon explained

The 8424 watermelon, also known as the Zaojia watermelon, is a herbaceous plant in the Cucurbitaceae family.

Description

A 8424 stem typically grows for 70 to 76 days, and the fruit itself ripens after 30 days. Its skin is 1cm (00inches) thick and the fruit weighs 3kg (07lb) on average. Seeds are typically planted in late December, and the fruit is picked in early May. Due to the conditions, the fruit is commonly cultivated inside greenhouses.^[1]

History

The fruit was first bred in 1984 by Wu Mingzhu. It was the 24th batch of that year, giving it its name.^[2] Shanghai's Nanhui and Qingpu districts began mass-planting the fruit in 1988.^{[3] [4]}

8424 won multiple national awards.^[5] Prior to 2020, the fruit remained a local product to the Yangtze Delta. In recent years, the fruit has spread across the country, such as in Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, and Xinjiang.^{[6] [7]} Over 300 thousand 8424s were sold online in 2020 alone, and sales continue to rise as production expands.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Tianyou . Wang . Jianhua . Cao . 早佳(8424)西瓜特性及其大棚高效栽培 . 现代园艺 . 2011 . 10 . 16-18 . 10.14051/j.cnki.xdyy.2011.10.024 . 2022-07-15 . . zh-hans . 1006-4958 . 2022-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220716004403/https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFD2011&filename=JXYA201110010 . dead .
2. Lin Depei . Huang Zaixin . Cao You . 戈壁滩上的一颗明珠──记瓜类育种女专家吴明 . 学会 . 1994 . 3 . 45-46 . 2022-07-15 . . zh-hans . 2022-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220716004403/https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFD9495&filename=XHYK403.025 . live .
3. News: 浦东品牌瓜果南汇8424西瓜持续热销 . 2022-07-15 . . 2016-05-12 . zh-hans . 2022-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220716004407/http://xmwb.xinmin.cn/lab/html/2016-05/12/content_35_1.htm . live .
4. Web site: Qingpu's 8424 watermelon hits local market . 2024-11-25 . SHINE . en.
5. News: Ren Zhong . 上海秋天有本地产8424西瓜了，这种上海人最喜欢的西瓜，还有段秘史…… . 2022-07-15 . Shangguan News . 2020-09-17 . zh-hans . 2022-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220716004403/https://www.jfdaily.com/staticsg/res/html/web/newsDetail.html?id=290871 . live .
6. News: Zhang Weina . Fan Anni . 满大街8424“孰真孰假”武汉人吃瓜犯了愁 . 2022-07-16 . Wuhan Evening News . . 2019-07-15 . zh-hans . 2022-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220716004402/http://m.xinhuanet.com/hb/2019-07/22/c_1124783698.htm . live .
7. News: Guo Yin . 疫情让销售受影响？南汇8424西瓜上市这样破题 . 2022-07-16 . . 2020-04-26 . zh-hans . 2022-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220716004404/http://www.why.com.cn/wx/article/2020/04/26/15878934631364688907.html . live .
8. Web site: Nanhui area's famous 8424 melons ripen early . 2024-11-25 . SHINE . en.