Gastric cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in the world, and it remains difficult to cure in Western countries, primarily because most patients present with advanced disease. In the United States, stomach malignancy is currently the 15th most common cancer.
The condition of the tendrils near the fruit stem is another indicator of when a watermelon is ready to pick. When they are green at the attachment point, the fruit is not yet ripe, but when they start to turn brown and dry, it is harvest time.
Melons have several yield flushes requiring harvest three to four times a week during peak production, while watermelons tend to ripen evenly and the bulk of the fruit can be harvested in relatively few harvests (Figure 14). Melon and watermelon fruit are ready to harvest 45 to 60 days after flowering.