Farmers pollinate watermelons in greenhouses in spring

Guo guides workers as they perform manual pollination. [Photo by Li Dandan for chinadaily.com.cn]

In Nanwangdian town, Dingtao district, Heze city, Shandong province, 1,600 hectares of early spring watermelons have recently entered their peak pollination period.

Farmer Guo Qingwang is seizing this golden opportunity for pollinating watermelon seedlings, providing detailed guidance to workers on manual pollination. He explains each step meticulously, from selecting stamen to essential pollination techniques, ensuring technical support for increased production and a bountiful watermelon harvest.

"We manually pollinate our watermelons using cross-pollination methods. In fact, there is a certain art to select the flowers. We choose the ones that have bloomed that day, as they have a higher success rate and are usually sweeter," said Guo.

Guo has planted a total of six early spring watermelon greenhouses this year, all of which have now entered the critical stage of pollination and fruit setting management. The first batch of watermelons is expected to be ready for harvest on April 10. (Edited by Huang Junyao)