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The mysterious explosion of watermelons in China

Tonka

Well-known member
http://www.abc.es/20110517/ciencia/abci-sandias-chinas-explosion-forchlorfenuron-201105171556.html
Spanish to English translation

The mysterious explosion of watermelons in China
Forchlorfenuron fertilizer abuse has ruined tens of crops in Jiangsu province

Day 17/05/2011 - 6:00 p.m.

EFE
It is believed that these watermelons explode a chemical accelerator called Forchlorfenuron


More than watermelon fields seemed battlefields. Chinese farmers Jangsu province believed to have found a way to make fruit grow faster and therefore more profits, with the use of fertilizer Forchlorfenuron.

But instead, they have found more than 45 hectares of their fields completely destroyed in what has proved to be an e Xplosion of watermelons in the making. Only in the city of Dalu, 67% of cultivated watermelons have exploded while being collected, according to published news agency "Xinhua".

An investigation by the authorities of the area has confirmed that these foods contain a high amount of Forchlorfenuron , which accelerates the growth of watermelons. Besides this, farmers will have added calcium instant he did that at the time of being manipulated and exploited by surprise watermelons.

But not only farmers who had abused these chemicals have been the explosion of its watermelons. Other farmers who did not use have also reported this startling fact. The expert Xu Jinhua, the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has said it is normal that a small percentage of watermelons explode, but "it is strange that happens in many cases."

The Forchlorfenuron is legal in China and used in other countries such as grapes and kiwi fruit.
 
Re: The mysterious explosion of watermelons in China

. . . The Forchlorfenuron is legal in China and used in other countries such as grapes and kiwi fruit.

Being legal and being safe are two very different issues.

Link to the pesticide fact sheet on forchlorfenuron (EPA - USA): http://www.epa.gov/opprd001/factsheets/forchlorfenuron.pdf

The Agency?s major concern is forchlorfenuron?s persistence and its possible chronic effects to terrestrial organisms. It is highly persistent in the environment with laboratory half-lives ranging from 226-578 days in terrestrial environments and stable in aquatic environments. While forchlorfenuron rapidly photo degrades in sensitized water, the Agency does not believe that this route of dissipation is significant in the environment. Suspended sediment and shading prevent photodegradation.
 
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