Watermelon's 'natural Viagra' properties lead to rise in demand
By Carol Reiter | Merced Sun-Star
They're packed with vitamins, taste yummy and are a staple at family picnics every summer.
Add the fact that Texas A&M's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center discovered that they act as a natural Viagra, and it's no wonder everybody loves watermelon.
Dan Avila, a watermelon grower from Turlock who owns fields around the county, said his family has been growing the tasty fruit since 1916. He believes watermelons are more in demand now than at any time in the past.
Avila grows both seedless and seeded varieties, but seedless are much more popular. "I wish the seedless tasted as good as the seeded, but everyone wants no seeds," Avila said.
Because of that, Avila plants eight times as many seedless watermelons as seeded. And he couldn't stop growing seeded melons if he wanted. The seedless have to be pollinated by the seeded, so seeded plants take up only about 15 percent of the field.
"It's getting harder to sell the seeded ones," Avila said.
Read the complete story at mercedsunstar.com
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