WATERMELON
Watermelon plants are trailing ground vines with small yellow flowers and large deeply-notched leaves. Watermelons require a long growing season and high temperatures. There are a wide variety of watermelons. The ones eaten in the United States are large and long. The ones favored in Asia are almost perfectly round and a little bit smaller than soccer balls. Most have sweet red flesh and black seeds that are sometimes roasted and eaten a snacks. Some have orange flesh.
Wild watermelons grow in the Kalahari desert on southern Africa. They are able to thrive in areas with little water and extreme heat because of their ability to control active oxygen, which causes aging and skin disorders in humans, and conserve water by closing the stomata on the surface of their leaves to prevent evaporation without withering by using an amino acid called citrulline. Bushmen use watermelon juice to wash with and treat their skins.
A mini-watermelon with s sweet flavor, thin rinds and no dark seeds was introduced in the early 2000s. Patented under the name Syngenta and sold in the United States under the brand name Purheart, the melon weight 2.3 kilograms and is perfectly spherical in shape. Japanese scientist are investigating properties of watermelon as an ingredient for cosmetics and health drinks.
Watermelon Origin and History
Watermelon originated in Africa. Domesticated watermelon seeds dated to 4000 B.C. were found in the 1980s in southern Libya. Dorian Fuller of University College London told the New York Times, “The wild watermelon is a horrible, dry little gourd that grows in wadis of the northern savannahs but it has seeds you can roast up and eat.” The watermelon we eat was not developed until Roman times.
Watermelon were cultivated around the Mediterranean region about 1000 B.C. but didn’t make their way to Europe, India, China and Asia until the Middle Ages. They brought to Central America in the 16th century perhaps by slaves. Explorers found them growing in the Mississippi valley in 1673.
Watermelon have traditionally been an important food crop in Africa. The explorer David Livingston found "vast tracts of the country literally covered with these melons," He published a reports on the fruit in 1858 and described how it was grown in semidesert region as a source of water during droughts.
Watermelons in Ancient Egypt
Archaeological and genetic evidence indicates that domesticated watermelons with sweet, red flesh were grown and eaten in ancient Egypt at least 3,500 years ago. Paintings on the walls of at least three Egyptian tombs depict striped melons that closely resemble modern watermelons. In addition, watermelon leaves were discovered on a mummy in a tomb dating to about 1500 B.C., providing physical evidence of the fruit's presence in ancient Egypt. [Source: Michael Le Page, New scientist.com, 2019]
To learn more about these ancient watermelons, researchers analyzed DNA from one of the preserved leaves. The specimen had been collected during the 19th century and stored at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where it remained undisturbed for more than a century. Although researchers recovered only a partial genome, it included two key genes that revealed important characteristics of the fruit.
One gene controls the production of cucurbitacins, the bitter compounds found in wild watermelons. The ancient Egyptian watermelon carried a mutation that disabled this gene, indicating that the fruit had sweet, non-bitter flesh. Another gene normally converts the red pigment lycopene into another compound. Because this gene was also inactive, lycopene accumulated in the fruit, producing red flesh similar to that of modern watermelons.
The partial DNA sequence could not determine the size or exact shape of the fruit. However, one of the Egyptian tomb paintings shows an elongated watermelon resembling modern cultivated varieties, suggesting that many important domestication traits had already developed by about 1500 B.C.
Genetic comparisons also showed that the ancient Egyptian watermelon was closely related to a traditional sweet, white-fleshed watermelon still grown in the Darfur region of Sudan. These findings support the view that watermelon was first domesticated in northeastern Africa, probably in present-day Sudan, before spreading northward along the Nile into Egypt, where further selection produced the sweet, red-fleshed varieties familiar today.
Genetic Studies Suggest Watermelons Originated in Sudan
Genetic research suggests that the closest wild relative of the modern watermelon is the Kordofan melon (Citrullus lanatus), which grows in the Kordofan region of Sudan. The findings indicate that the modern cultivated watermelon likely originated in northeastern Africa rather than West Africa, as some earlier theories proposed. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2021. [Source: Veronique Greenwood, New York Times, May 28, 2021]
For many years, scientists believed that the West African egusi melon, which is grown mainly for its seeds, was the closest ancestor of cultivated watermelons. However, researchers compared the genomes of seven Citrullus species and found that the Kordofan melon shares a much closer genetic relationship with modern watermelons than any other known wild relative. Like cultivated watermelons, the Kordofan melon has non-bitter flesh, although its interior is white rather than red.
The findings also help explain ancient Egyptian artwork. A painting in the tomb of Khnumhotep at Saqqara, dating to about 4,300 years ago, depicts a large, striped melon among other fruits. Because the Kordofan region lies relatively close to the Nile Valley, researchers believe the painting may represent an early cultivated watermelon or a closely related form derived from Kordofan melons. Other archaeological evidence, including an Egyptian papyrus dating to about 4,450 years ago, also depicts a watermelon-like fruit, suggesting that sweet melons were consumed in ancient Egypt.
The Kordofan melon has long attracted scientific interest. During the late 19th century, a German botanist suggested that it might be the ancestor of the modern watermelon, and Soviet researchers later proposed the same idea. Most wild species in the genus Citrullus produce bitter fruits, but the Kordofan melon has naturally sweet, non-bitter flesh, making it a likely candidate for early domestication. Researchers believe that ancient farmers selected and cultivated sweeter plants over many generations, eventually producing the large, sweet watermelons grown today.
Scientists are continuing to study the origins of watermelon by analyzing ancient melon seeds recovered from archaeological sites in Africa. They hope to determine when and where people first domesticated the species. The Kordofan melon is also valuable for modern breeding because it contains forms of disease-resistance genes that differ from those found in commercial watermelon varieties.
Wild populations of the Kordofan melon may now be threatened. Historical records from the 19th century described wild stands growing in Sudan, but political instability and conflict in the region have made field research difficult. Like many wild relatives of crop plants, these melons face pressure from habitat loss and environmental change. Conserving their genetic diversity is considered important because it may provide traits that can improve future watermelon varieties, including greater resistance to diseases and environmental stress.
Watermelon Producing Countries
World’s Top Producers of Watermelons (2020): 1) China: 60083387 tonnes; 2) Turkey: 3491554 tonnes; 3) India: 2787000 tonnes; 4) Iran: 2736283 tonnes; 5) Algeria: 2286809 tonnes; 6) Brazil: 2184907 tonnes; 7) United States: 1741579 tonnes; 8) Senegal: 1677476 tonnes; 9) Russia: 1584310 tonnes; 10) Egypt: 1491108 tonnes; 11) Vietnam: 1456088 tonnes; 12) Mexico: 1362393 tonnes; 13) Kazakhstan: 1259696 tonnes; 14) Uzbekistan: 1254443 tonnes; 15) Spain: 1234850 tonnes; 16) Afghanistan: 990318 tonnes; 17) Tajikistan: 752446 tonnes; 18) Morocco: 677345 tonnes; 19) Italy: 651860 tonnes; 20) Mali: 594283 tonnes [Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization (U.N.), fao.org]
World’s Top Producers (in terms of value) of Watermelons (2019): 1) China: Int.$14079631,000 ; 2) Turkey: Int.$898001,000 ; 3) India: Int.$578867,000 ; 4) Brazil: Int.$528564,000 ; 5) Algeria: Int.$512017,000 ; 6) Iran: Int.$447941,000 ; 7) Russia: Int.$414204,000 ; 8) United States: Int.$389897,000 ; 9) Egypt: Int.$367486,000 ; 10) Mexico: Int.$312218,000 ; 11) Kazakhstan: Int.$311125,000 ; 12) Uzbekistan: Int.$285944,000 ; 13) Vietnam: Int.$284874,000 ; 14) Spain: Int.$278434,000 ; 15) Senegal: Int.$276204,000 ; 16) Afghanistan: Int.$196511,000 ; 17) Tajikistan: Int.$162700,000 ; 18) Saudi Arabia: Int.$159558,000 ; 19) Morocco: Int.$156569,000 [An international dollar (Int.$) buys a comparable amount of goods in the cited country that a U.S. dollar would buy in the United States.]
Top Producing Countries in 2008: (Production, $1000; Production, metric tons): China, 6657110 , 67203275; 2) Turkey, 291925 , 4002285; 3) Iran, 267625 , 2566660; 4) Brazil, 208040 , 1995206; 5) United States of America, 177238 , 1814500; 6) Egypt, 154938 , 1485939; 7) Mexico, 125093 , 1199711; 8) Republic of Korea, 89333 , 856755; 9) Algeria, 88069 , 844631; 10) Spain, 71395 , 721800; 11) Morocco, 67848 , 650700; 12) Greece, 66211 , 660000; 13) Russian Federation, 61253 , 1382450; 14) Kazakhstan, 60893 , 653910; 15) Uzbekistan, 47980 , 981200; 16) Iraq, 47517 , 455712; 17) Thailand, 45044 , 432000; 18) Viet Nam, 43793 , 420000; 19) Pakistan, 42958 , 411996; 20) Azerbaijan, 42262 , 407716;
Watermelon Exporting Countries
World’s Top Exporters of Watermelons (2020): 1) Spain: 844034 tonnes; 2) Mexico: 717988 tonnes; 3) Italy: 306592 tonnes; 4) Morocco: 241938 tonnes; 5) Iran: 235618 tonnes; 6) United States: 228937 tonnes; 7) Greece: 205438 tonnes; 8) Myanmar: 149517 tonnes; 9) Netherlands: 121770 tonnes; 10) Guatemala: 115023 tonnes; 11) Brazil: 107846 tonnes; 12) Turkey: 71184 tonnes; 13) Vietnam: 66263 tonnes; 14) Costa Rica: 63209 tonnes; 15) Honduras: 63170 tonnes; 16) France: 53293 tonnes; 17) Uzbekistan: 49241 tonnes; 18) China: 44901 tonnes; 19) United Arab Emirates: 41767 tonnes; 20) Malaysia: 39906 tonnes [Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization (U.N.), fao.org]
World’s Top Exporters (in value terms) of Watermelons (2020): 1) Spain: US$508858,000; 2) Mexico: US$329982,000; 3) Morocco: US$161363,000; 4) Italy: US$127905,000; 5) United States: US$126287,000; 6) Netherlands: US$104316,000; 7) Greece: US$63851,000; 8) Myanmar: US$57435,000; 9) Brazil: US$44365,000; 10) France: US$40177,000; 11) Vietnam: US$36542,000; 12) China: US$36371,000; 13) Honduras: US$34662,000; 14) Iran: US$27937,000; 15) Guatemala: US$26483,000; 16) Costa Rica: US$26286,000; 17) Turkey: US$19990,000; 18) United Arab Emirates: US$18035,000; 19) Germany: US$14892,000; 20) Malaysia: US$13215,000
Watermelon Importing Countries
World’s Top Importers of Watermelons (2020): 1) United States: 752140 tonnes; 2) Germany: 507846 tonnes; 3) Iraq: 462000 tonnes; 4) France: 239761 tonnes; 5) Canada: 232781 tonnes; 6) United Arab Emirates: 190807 tonnes; 7) Netherlands: 179381 tonnes; 8) Poland: 160326 tonnes; 9) United Kingdom: 153553 tonnes; 10) Spain: 109977 tonnes; 11) China: 97442 tonnes; 12) Czechia: 84739 tonnes; 13) Sweden: 64572 tonnes; 14) Slovakia: 56316 tonnes; 15) El Salvador: 49351 tonnes; 16) Kuwait: 44860 tonnes; 17) Romania: 44082 tonnes; 18) Portugal: 43445 tonnes; 19) Austria: 42607 tonnes; 20) Qatar: 39577 tonnes [Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization (U.N.), fao.org]
World’s Top Importers (in value terms) of Watermelons (2020): 1) United States: US$379368,000; 2) Germany: US$337449,000; 3) France: US$171163,000; 4) Netherlands: US$125176,000; 5) Canada: US$122945,000; 6) Iraq: US$106000,000; 7) United Kingdom: US$103196,000; 8) Poland: US$74143,000; 9) Spain: US$71255,000; 10) Czechia: US$37854,000; 11) Sweden: US$34416,000; 12) Austria: US$32572,000; 13) United Arab Emirates: US$31402,000; 14) Switzerland: US$29333,000; 15) Belgium: US$27633,000; 16) Denmark: US$25209,000; 17) Norway: US$24148,000; 18) Kuwait: US$22265,000; 19) Russia: US$21621,000; 20) Italy: US$21304,000. [Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization (U.N.), fao.org]
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization, Wikipedia., New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, Lonely Planet Guides, and various books and other publications.
Last updated July 2026