[ti:Malaysian Farmers Use Music, Touch to Grow Prized Muskmelons] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A Malaysian farm says it has perfected its methods [00:05.64]to successfully grow Japanese muskmelons, [00:10.48]one of the world’s costliest fruits. [00:15.68]Farmers at Malaysia’s Mono Premium Melon company [00:20.72]said they had discovered the right mix of nutrients [00:25.80]and treatments to grow the top quality melons. [00:31.80]One of the methods involves workers [00:35.08]rubbing the melons with a soft cloth. [00:39.16]The farmers believe that doing this [00:42.44]can improve the taste of the fruit. [00:46.48]They also play classical music around the plants, [00:51.44]which is thought to increase growth. [00:55.76]Seh Cheng Siang is the director and co-founder of the farm, [01:01.68]in Putrajaya, south of Kuala Lumpur. [01:06.80]"Every single Japanese melon that you see in our farm [01:11.64]is almost like an art piece," Seh told Reuters news agency. [01:18.80]Since the last century, farmers in Japan [01:23.20]have been perfecting the art of growing the fruit. [01:27.72]Japanese muskmelons are prized [01:31.68]for their tastiness and exact, rounded shape. [01:36.84]In Japan, the costly melons are sold [01:40.56]in high-end stores as luxury products. [01:45.88]The farmers said they aim to grow melons [01:49.36]with the same level of quality as those sold in Japan. [01:54.84]But the process is more difficult in Malaysia [01:59.16]because of the country’s hot and humid climate. [02:04.56]Japan enjoys more moderate climate conditions than Malaysia. [02:11.28]"We have to make sure that nutrition, [02:14.32]the watering and the fertilizer [02:17.36]are done very consistently and precisely," Seh said. [02:24.20]He added that his company had tried [02:27.48]growing more than 10 kinds of Japanese melon [02:31.00]before settling on the right one. [02:34.60]The Malaysian farmers get their seeds from Japan [02:38.84]and also travel to Japanese farms [02:42.20]to learn the correct growing methods. [02:46.16]The farmers say they had to do a lot of experimentation [02:50.56]to find out exactly which ingredients [02:54.32]provided the best nutrition to the muskmelon plants. [03:00.24]The company’s efforts have been successful so far. [03:04.48]The famers reported that the first crop of [03:08.68]200 selected muskmelons had quickly sold out. [03:14.00]Most of the sales happened online. [03:18.72]The melons are sold for 186 ringgit each, [03:23.84]which is about 40 U.S. dollars. [03:27.52]That price is about one-third lower [03:31.16]than what muskmelons sell for in Japan. [03:36.32]Elaine Chow attended a recent sales event [03:40.32]at the company’s farm and said she was very pleased [03:44.92]to find the local muskmelons. [03:49.20]"It's pretty interesting to know that as a Malaysian, [03:53.64]we can actually grow Japanese-grade melons in Malaysia," she said. [04:00.72]I’m Bryan Lynn.[00:00.04]A Malaysian farm says it has perfected its methods [00:05.64]to successfully grow Japanese muskmelons, [00:10.48]one of the world’s costliest fruits. [00:15.68]Farmers at Malaysia’s Mono Premium Melon company [00:20.72]said they had discovered the right mix of nutrients [00:25.80]and treatments to grow the top quality melons. [00:31.80]One of the methods involves workers [00:35.08]rubbing the melons with a soft cloth. [00:39.16]The farmers believe that doing this [00:42.44]can improve the taste of the fruit. [00:46.48]They also play classical music around the plants, [00:51.44]which is thought to increase growth. [00:55.76]Seh Cheng Siang is the director and co-founder of the farm, [01:01.68]in Putrajaya, south of Kuala Lumpur. [01:06.80]"Every single Japanese melon that you see in our farm [01:11.64]is almost like an art piece," Seh told Reuters news agency. [01:18.80]Since the last century, farmers in Japan [01:23.20]have been perfecting the art of growing the fruit. [01:27.72]Japanese muskmelons are prized [01:31.68]for their tastiness and exact, rounded shape. [01:36.84]In Japan, the costly melons are sold [01:40.56]in high-end stores as luxury products. [01:45.88]The farmers said they aim to grow melons [01:49.36]with the same level of quality as those sold in Japan. [01:54.84]But the process is more difficult in Malaysia [01:59.16]because of the country’s hot and humid climate. [02:04.56]Japan enjoys more moderate climate conditions than Malaysia. [02:11.28]"We have to make sure that nutrition, [02:14.32]the watering and the fertilizer [02:17.36]are done very consistently and precisely," Seh said. [02:24.20]He added that his company had tried [02:27.48]growing more than 10 kinds of Japanese melon [02:31.00]before settling on the right one. [02:34.60]The Malaysian farmers get their seeds from Japan [02:38.84]and also travel to Japanese farms [02:42.20]to learn the correct growing methods. [02:46.16]The farmers say they had to do a lot of experimentation [02:50.56]to find out exactly which ingredients [02:54.32]provided the best nutrition to the muskmelon plants. [03:00.24]The company’s efforts have been successful so far. [03:04.48]The famers reported that the first crop of [03:08.68]200 selected muskmelons had quickly sold out. [03:14.00]Most of the sales happened online. [03:18.72]The melons are sold for 186 ringgit each, [03:23.84]which is about 40 U.S. dollars. [03:27.52]That price is about one-third lower [03:31.16]than what muskmelons sell for in Japan. [03:36.32]Elaine Chow attended a recent sales event [03:40.32]at the company’s farm and said she was very pleased [03:44.92]to find the local muskmelons. [03:49.20]"It's pretty interesting to know that as a Malaysian, [03:53.64]we can actually grow Japanese-grade melons in Malaysia," she said. [04:00.72]I’m Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM