"84" does mean 1984, but "24" is not February 4. In Nanhui village in Pudong area, watermelons were planted before liberation, including local thick-skinned watermelons and Pinghu watermelons. In the 1960s and 1970s, under the planned arrangement, watermelons were mainly supplied locally, and the planting area moved to the eastern coast of Nanhui year by year. Because of the sandy soil along the coast and the large temperature difference between day and night, the watermelon planted has high yield and good quality, but the yield and market volume are very limited. 1984 is a memorable year in the history of watermelon planting. Professor Wu Mingzhu, then an academician of China Academy of Engineering and a breeding expert at Hami melon Research Center of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has cultivated the best 24th group of improved varieties from dozens of experimental combinations. Because it is an early-maturing variety, it is named Zaojia "8424" watermelon. The growth period of this variety is 90 days, from flowering to maturity is about 30 days, which is suitable for double-film cultivation in small and medium-sized sheds. Single fruit weighs 3-6 kg, and the skin is thin and juicy, fresh and sweet. What excites Nanhui watermelon farmers in particular is that the "8424" watermelon planted here has been tested to have higher sugar content and sweeter taste than other regions, and it has become the main variety of Nanhui watermelon in one fell swoop and was named "Nanhui 8424" watermelon.