Form long channels 2.5 m apart. Sow 3.5 kg/ha of seed treated with Trichoderma viride 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g/kg (a fungicide option is also listed) on one side of the channel, 0.9 m between hills; thin to 2 per hill after 15 days. Irrigate before sowing, then weekly. Seedlings can also be raised in polybags or protrays and transplanted at 12 days; with drip, plant 60 cm apart on 1.2 m raised beds.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Watermelon – Season and sowing; preparation of field; irrigation; nursery, p. 101
