The varieties of Melons

There are many varieties of melons cultivated all over the world: they differ according to the shape (ovoid or roundish), colour and taste.
Melons are mainly divided in two groups: summer melons and winter melons.

Summer melons usually have a yellow-orange flesh and are divided in netted melons (round and elongated, they usually have a thin skin, covered by a dense net, and a sweet flesh) and cantaloupe melons (large melons, with a smooth surface and a ribbed skin; the flesh is particularly tasty) while winter melons have a white or greenish flesh, little flavoured but sweet.

The most popular summer varieties of melons, netted or cantaloupe, on the world fruit and vegetable market are:

• ANISH: variety of melons, whose fruits are large and round; the skin is thick, wrinkled and divided in slices, while the flesh is sugary. This melon has an excellent shelf-life and is very suitable to forced cultivations.
• BAGGIO: medium-late variety of melons with a staggering ripening period. The fruits are ovoid, medium-large, with a dense netting and thick ribs that form dense slices. The flesh is intense orange, firm and sugary. As it keeps well after the harvest, it is appreciated a lot in the import/export market.
• BOHEME:variety of melons with quite large fruits (they can weigh up to 1.5-2 Kg), the skin is thick, wrinkled and divided in slices, while the flesh is crisp and extremely sugary. Thanks to the characteristics of this melon and to the long shelf-life, this variety is particularly suitable to be traded and exported.
• BRIGANTE: variety of melons, whose fruits are ovoid, quite large and have a wrinkled skin divided in slices. The flesh is firm, sweet and orange. This melon keeps well after being harvested. This variety is suitable to be cultivated in tunnels, greenhouses and in open fields and is traded above all in Italy.
• CANTALOUPE: the fruits are round, with a smooth skin, slightly wrinkled, green-grey with thick ribs. The flesh is orange or salmon-orange, very flavoured. The fruits are medium, but do not keep well. Among the varieties of this group there are the Cantaloupe Charentais with an orange, very flavoured flesh and the Cantaloupe Prescott with large slices, better to prepare appetizers.
• CAPITOL: variety of melons whose fruits have a yellow skin. It is popular for the orgnoleptic qualities of fruits that make them vey tasty.
• DALTON: late summer variety of melons whose fruits are roundish, with a netted, green skin with ribs that create slices. The flesh of this melon has an excellent flavour and keeps well.
• ESADOR F1: variety of melons with a medium vigorous, early plant, suitable to be cultivated in tunnels, in greenhouses and in open fields. The fruits are round-ovoid and medium, the skin is wrinkled and divided in slices, while the flesh is firm, crisp and orange. The characteristics of the flesh, together with the fact that it keeps well, make this variety particularly suitable to be traded and exported.
• GIORGIO RZ (34-704 RZ): variety of melons just developed from the group "western shipper". Fruits are round-ovoid, with a netted surface, without ribs; the flesh is firm, orange and has a good sugary taste. This melon is appreciated a lot by consumers and by the distribution net, because it keeps well after being harvested and is resistant to handlng. The production of this variety of melons takes place only n open fields. The plant is vigorous and extremely productive.
• GIUSTO: variety of melons from the group Long Shelf Life. The fruits are round, with a netted, green skin. The flesh is crisp, orange and sugary.
• HARPER: variety of melons belonging to an American group. The fruits are round with a netted, yellow skin. The flesh is orange, melting, with a strong aftertaste and very sugary.
• HONEY MOON: variety of melons whose fruits are round, with a smooth skin and a firm, orange flesh with a quite small hollow.
• MACIGNO: variety of melons whose fruits are ovoid, with a dense, thick net present on all the surface. When ripe, the fruits are yellow and very beautiful. The flesh is firm, orange, with and extremely intense flavour and keeps well.
• MELONE ANANASSO (PINEAPPLE MELON): variety of melons with small fruits, whose flesh is reddish and very flavoured.
• MELONE BARI F1 3715: variety of melons with round-ovoid fruits, whose skin is netted and with thick, green ribs that create slices.
• CHARENTAIS F1: variety of melons with an early and medium vigorous plant, but with a quite high production. The fruits are smooth, medium and very sweet.
• EMINENZA: variety of melons whose fruits are roundish, medium, with a wrinkled skin divided in slices. The flesh of this variety is firm but juicy, orange and with an excellent flavour due to the perfect harmony of sugars and aroma. This melon keeps well and the plant is early, suitable to be cultivated in tunnels and in greenhouses.
• YELLOW MELON: variety of melons whose fruits have a yellow flesh, a whitish skin, more smooth compared to that of the other varieties.
• MAGNIFICENZA: variety of melons whose fruits are roundish and have a netted skin divided in slices, while the flesh is orange and has an excellent taste. This variety is suitable to be cultivate in greenhouses (late and fall cultivations) and in open fields.
• PEPITO F1: variety of melons with a vigorous and resistant plant, whose fruits are medium-large, round-ovoid with a netted skin divided in slices and an orange flesh.
• OR DELIZIA F1 3700: variety of melons with a plant that adapts to the different types of cultvations. The fruits are medium-large, round-ovoid with a netted skin divided in slices and an orange flesh.
• SUMMER DREAM F1 3720: variety of melons with a vigorous and rustic, medium-late plant, suitable to be cultivated in small tunnes and in open fields. The fruits have a smooth skin, without any ribs, with an intense orange flesh and a flavoured taste.
• MELORANGE: variety of melons whose fruits are roundish with medium netting and a light green skin and intense blue-green ribs. The flesh of this melon is firm,quite tasty and sugary, intense orange because of a high level of carotene. This variety of melons is particularly suitable for fourth range products, because of its organoleptic characteristic and the fact that keeps well.
• RETATO DEGLI ORTOLANI: variety of melons with ovoid, elongated fruits, whose skin is thick and has a netting similar to stripes.
• TAZIO: variety of melons whose fruits are round and have a quite thin skin, while the flesh is orange and the internal hollow is quite small.

 The most popular winter varieties of melons on the world fruit and vegetable market are:

• GIGANTE DI NAPOLI: variety of melons whose fruits are large, with a thin, green skin. The flesh of this fruit is white and very sweet.
• HELIOS (OR YELLOW MELON): The yellow melon is also known with the name "Melone d'inverno", because it can be stored for a long time, sometimes until January. Even though known and consumed as a fruit, actually it is a vegetable of the Cucurbitacee family. The fruits are medium, the skin is quite hard and intense yellow, quite smooth, usually free of ribs. The flesh is white-yellowish (for this reason also called White melon), fleshy, very rich in water, quite flavoured and sugary, with yellow seeds.
• MERAVIGLIA DI TRAPANI: variety of melons with a productive plant with a rich foliage, the fruits are roundish, large (2 kg and more) with a wrinkled, yellow skin and a white, very sugary flesh.
• TENDRAL F1: variety of melons whose fruits are ovoid-elongated, medium-large, with a dark green, very wrinkled skin.
• ZECCHINO: variety of melons whose fruits are ovoid-elongated, medium-large, with a firm, white, very sugary flesh and a very small internal hollow.
• MORETTINO: variety of melons whose fruits are ovoid, with a dark green skin, while the flesh is also green but tending to white next to the centre.

Nowadays, worldwide there are many companies that produce melons, certified companies for the production of melons, producers of melons, companies that produce organic melons, companies that deal with the trade of melons (packaging of fruit and vegetable products and fourth range products), retailers of melons, importers of melons, exporters of melons and wholesalers of melons.