Less water, more melon
An increasing number of California watermelons have been rejected by supermarkets and other buyers because of the melons’ inconsistent quality.
To show California watermelon growers the added expense of using grafted plants would pay off, University of California Extension set up test plots of the grafted plants, which are more vigorous and produce consistently marketable melons that could be picked up to seven or eight times during an extended harvest season.
As a result, growers reported that their successfully grafted fields produced 15% to 25% more watermelons than nongrafted fields per acre, while using 30% fewer plants and applying the same amount of water and fertilizers.
Link to full statement on website: http://landgrantimpacts.tamu.edu/impacts/show/5804