Gyeongnam Province to Sell 90,000 K-Three Melon Seeds Over the Next 3 Years

Fruition After 10 Years with 2016 Variety Protection Registration

Gyeongsangnam-do replaced imported melons with the K3 melon, a domestic variety (Photo by Gyeongnam Province)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Woo-kwon] The Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services announced on the 10th that it will conduct the third commercial licensing of the K3 melon, which has been consistently loved by consumers and growers for its high sugar content and excellent quality.

Since its variety protection registration in 2016, this third commercial licensing was initiated at the request of CJ Seeds Melon Breeding Research Institute, which confirmed the excellence of the K3 variety and sought to expand its distribution.

Under this contract, Gyeongnam Province will receive a royalty of 540,000 KRW on the condition of selling 90,000 seeds over three years.

Kim Young-hwan, CEO of CJ Seeds Melon Breeding Research Institute, expressed confidence in the distribution, stating that the K3 variety, recognized by farmers and consumers, can significantly replace the imported Picnic variety.

The province began research in 2006 to replace imported melons with domestic varieties and secure royalties, leading to the variety protection registration of the K3 melon in 2016.

The K3 melon features thick and distinct netting on the rind and excellent cold elongation. It has a high sugar content of 15 Brix, a unique aroma, and a crisp texture, capturing consumers' tastes and establishing itself as a high-quality brand. Especially, it was developed to be easily cultivated in Gyeongnam's growing environment and climate, receiving great responses from local growers.

Additionally, the K3 melon is currently cultivated on 3 hectares by 14 farms in the Uiryeong area and has already been recognized as the highest quality among melons currently shipped in quality evaluations by auctioneers and middlemen at the Garak-dong wholesale market in Seoul.

An Cheol-geun, a researcher at the Horticulture Research Division of the Agricultural Research and Extension Services, stated, "We will continue to focus on developing major vegetable and fruit varieties so that Gyeongnam's excellent varieties can be recognized by consumers, replace imported varieties, and enhance the competitiveness of our province's agriculture."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.