New rainbow mini watermelons become big hit in Sanya

At the watermelon demonstration base of the National Nanfan Research Institute (Sanya) of CAAS, the institute teamed up with local businesses to plant five acres (2.023 hectares) of rainbow mini watermelons.

Since they debuted on markets in mid-February, these watermelons have quickly become a big hit thanks to their unique flavor — selling over 37,000 pounds in just two weeks and giving people a fresh new choice for enjoying watermelons.

One journalist visited the demonstration base and picked a plump rainbow mini watermelon on Feb 27. When it was sliced open, its green rind revealed a beautifully blended red and yellow interior.

A bite into it offered a refreshingly sweet taste. This new variety of watermelon — which challenges the traditional "green rind, red flesh" look — was developed over several years at the institute in Hainan and officially launched in 2024.

Xu Zhihong, lead researcher of the tropical fruit team at the institute and a science and technology expert in Hainan, said the new watermelon variety had distinct advantages over the regular ones.

It features a thin rind and soft flesh that melts in one's mouth, offering a clean, sweet taste with a smooth texture and no pulp residue, according to Xu.

What's more, it is grown using vertical trellis cultivation techniques and primarily organic fertilizers, resulting in a fuller shape and richer nutritional content, she added.

"The market response to this variety has been great," said Xu Zhe, the head of Hainan Sanya Fuzhe Agricultural Technology Development Co Ltd, as he packed the produce.

Currently, the market price for a rainbow mini watermelon is about 16 yuan ($2.32) per kilo, which is much higher than the price of regular watermelons.

Since its launch, it's been selling extremely well and Xu said he plans to expand the cultivation scale of this variety in the future.