Look Out, Exploding Fruit!

Chemicals have caused thousands of oversized watermelons in China to burst open.

China is facing an explosive problem. Thousands of watermelons pumped with a chemical that quickens and increases growth have burst open, affecting 115 acres of farmland.

The chemical was used late in the season, which made the melons more likely to burst. Heavy rains only added to the problem. Soon, 20 farmers near Danyang City, China, found their fields littered with exploded melons.

“On May 7, I came out and counted 80 [burst watermelons], but by the afternoon it was 100,” farmer Liu Mingsuo told China Central Television. “Two days later, I didn't bother to count anymore.” The ruined crops were fed to fish and pigs.

Chinese farmers often double as migrant workers, or workers who travel to other farms to help harvest crops. They sometimes do not have enough time to work on their own farms. So they rely on special chemicals that make fruits and vegetables grow faster and larger.