The average American watermelon has about 200 to 800 seeds, and roughly 5 percent of those are still immature upon harvest. These seeds are infertile, so unlike their black cousins, you can’t use them to plant your own crop of watermelons.
Are watermelon seeds sterile?
The male pollen of a watermelon, containing 22 chromosomes, is crossed with the female watermelon flower, which has been chemically altered to contain 44 chromosomes. The result is a watermelon with 33 chromosomes, and the tiny white seed husks don’t mature into fertile seeds and therefore is sterile.
Do watermelon seeds breed true?
Seedless varieties are hybrids and are derived from a fairly complex process. Hybrids, if you remember, do not breed true from seed. You may end up with a mutt of a plant with a mix of traits. In the case of seedless watermelon, the seeds are actually sterile.
Are seeds from a seedless watermelon sterile?
Seedless watermelons are always hybrids. This fact makes seed costlier. While these seedless plants are sterile, female flowers from these sterile plants can produce fruit if they are pollinated by normal pollen from a seeded watermelon or suitable pollinizer.
Why are seedless watermelons sterile?
Seedless watermelons are triploid. They have three sets of chromosomes. This odd number results in them being sterile and not producing seeds. The way they become triploid is by mating a diploid male with a tetraploid female.
Why is seeded watermelon more expensive?
The answer is supply and demand. Seedless watermelon production has skyrocketed during the last couple of decades and has taken over much of the acreage used for growing watermelons. Normally, anything in short supply will cost more, so less seeded watermelons grown equals higher prices.
Why is seeded watermelon better?
The more genes the fruit has, the more these things are expressed. A seedless watermelon has three sets of genes, while a seeded watermelon has two — that’s why a seedless watermelon can’t actually produce mature seeds.
How do seedless watermelons exist?
When the tetraploid plant is bred back, or pollinated, by a diploid or normal plant, the resulting seed produces a triploid plant that is basically a “mule” of the plant kingdom, and it produces seedless watermelons. Seed of seedless varieties are available from most major seed companies.
Do seedless watermelons need a pollinator?
Individual plants are self-fertile, but require a pollinator to bring about pollination, even within a hermaphrodite flower. Seedless watermelon varieties are triploid and produce inviable pollen. They must be interplanted with a diploid pollenizer variety, because successful fruit set requires viable pollen .
How do you breed a seedless watermelon?
Seedless varieties are produced by crossing a tetraploid (2n=4x=44) inbred line as the female parent with a diploid (2n=2x=22) inbred line as the male parent of the hybrid. The reciprocal cross (diploid female parent) does not produce seeds. The resulting hybrid is a triploid (2n=3x=33).
What are the black seeds in watermelon?
The black seeds in a regular watermelon are just plain ol’ seeds. They’re mature, fertile seeds, so if you planted a few in the ground, they would indeed sprout into watermelon plants. While they’re thought to be too hard and therefore inedible, they are actually completely safe to consume.
Can you buy seedless watermelon to plant?
Red Winner Watermelon Plants produce sweetly flavored, 15-18-pound melons with seedless, crispy red flesh on vigorous vines. Notice: because seedless varieties must have a pollinator plant growing alongside, we have included a non-harvesting pollinizer plant inside the pot.
Can I save my watermelon seeds?
Storage and Viability
Store watermelon seeds in a cool, dark, and dry place and always put seeds in an airtight container to keep out moisture and humidity. When stored under these conditions, watermelon seeds can remain viable for 5 years.
Are watermelons injected with anything?
Do you remember watermelons being as sweet when you were a kid as they are today? Some vendors are injecting sugared water into the fruit to make it sweeter, and heavier. “They’re also injecting red dyes to make the flesh look brighter,” says nutritionist Tripti Gupta. “These colours can be toxic and cause diseases.”
Are seedless watermelons injected?
In order to create seedless watermelons, a chemical called colchicine is added to watermelon cells as they are splitting, in order to create a different kind of watermelon, known as a tetraploid, which has double the number of chromosomes: 44.
Why is my watermelon white inside?
White flesh in a watermelon can indicate that the watermelon is not yet ripe. These fruits take a long time to ripen and become red, so if you pick the watermelon too early, it will be white inside.
What’s the difference between seedless watermelon and seeded watermelon?
The Difference Between Seeded and Seedless Watermelon
The difference between the two is that while traditional, seeded watermelon contains hard black seeds, seedless watermelon has been bred to produce very soft and pliant edible seeds.
Should you eat watermelon seeds?
You don’t have to avoid eating watermelon seeds. In fact, you can use them in a number of different ways to enjoy their nutrition and flavor. For example, you can roast the watermelon seeds. Roasted watermelon seeds are packed with nutrients, and they also have healthy fatty acids, like omega-3s.
Who invented seedless watermelon?
Professor H. Kihara
The system for producing seedless watermelons was developed by Professor H. Kihara, a Japanese scientist at Kyoto University, who described his work in 1951.
Is watermelon OK for dogs?
The answer is yes, with a couple of precautions. First, seeds could cause an intestinal blockage, so make sure you remove them. It’s also a good idea to remove the rind because it can cause gastrointestinal upset.
What’s the sweetest watermelon?
Sultan. Sultan is one of the sweetest varieties you’ll find, this one measures 12.3 on the Brix scale. The fruits average 15 pounds and ripen within 95 days.