Kern 666 Long Melon

Kern 666 is an open-pollinated long melon (kakri) for the summer season, bearing early, long cylindrical fruits with a light green to green skin and a sweet, refreshing taste.

Land and sowing window

• Season: summer. It is not a winter crop
• Soil: sandy loam to loam with good drainage; the crop tolerates heavier soils but never standing water (PAU)
• Haryana, Punjab, West UP, Rajasthan plains: mid-February to March in the open field, as soon as the frost risk is over (PAU, HAU)
• Early crop: raise seedlings in 15 × 10 cm polythene bags in January under cover and set them out in late February–early March when they have two true leaves (HAU, PAU cucurbit method) — this brings the first picking forward by 2–3 weeks
• Rule of thumb: warm soil is everything. Seed sown into cold February soil rots; wait for the days to warm or use the bag method

How to sow

• Seed rate: 1 kg per acre (PAU, HAU) — 10 packs of 100 g
• Spacing: make beds 2–2.5 m wide and sow on both sides of each bed at 60 cm between hills (PAU, HAU) — roughly 6,000 hills per acre
• Seeds per hill: at least two, 2–3 cm deep in moist soil, to be sure of a full stand (PAU); keep the stronger plant
• Pre-sowing: sow into pre-irrigated beds and irrigate again right after sowing
• Pack size: 100 g

Manure and fertiliser (per acre)

• Apply urea, DAP and other macro and micronutrients as per your soil test results
• FYM / compost: 8–10 tonnes of well-rotted manure before the beds are made (PAU gives this for cucurbits; HAU 6 tonnes)
• Nitrogen (N): 40 kg (about 90 kg urea) — one-third at sowing with the phosphorus and potash, placed in two bands 15 cm from the bed mark, and the rest one month after sowing (PAU). HAU gives a lighter 20 kg N dose — go by your soil
• Phosphorus (P₂O₅): 20 kg (about 125 kg single superphosphate), all at sowing
• Potash (K₂O): 20 kg (about 35 kg muriate of potash), all at sowing

Water, weeds and pests

• Irrigation: irrigate immediately after sowing, then every 4–5 days once the summer heat sets in (PAU) — light and frequent, never flooding the bed top. In the rains, irrigate only when needed
• Weeds: one or two hoeings in the first 3–4 weeks before the vines spread; a pendimethalin pre-emergence spray, 1.25 litre per acre right after sowing (HAU), is an option
• Pests and diseases: watch for fruit fly, powdery mildew and downy mildew. Red pumpkin beetle chews the seedlings in the first weeks. Against fruit fly, hang fruit-fly traps, pick and bury infested fruit, and pick on time. Spray only what your local agriculture officer recommends, as per label

Where it will not do well

Do not sow it in winter — Kern 666 is a summer crop.

Harvest

• First harvest: 55–60 days after sowing
• Fruit: long, cylindrical, about 110–120 g each
• Stage: pick while the fruit is tender and at marketable size (PAU) — overgrown kakri turns seedy and loses its crispness
• Frequency: every 3–4 days in the peak season (PAU); regular picking keeps the vine setting new fruit

Crop practices follow state agricultural university recommendations for North India; confirm doses for your district with your Kern dealer or KVK.

Please quote product code KERN-666 when ordering.

Agronomy helpline: 9107062062