Watermelon Research Articles
Tetraploid Production in Watermelon
Fred McCuistion and Todd C. Wehner
Unpublished
Purpose
There is much interest in seedless watermelons in the consumer
market. Unfortunately, there are few tetraploids available for
the production of new seedless triploids. We are developing tetraploids
for use by the industry in production of new hybrid varieties.
Personnel
- Fred McCuistion, research associate
- Todd C. Wehner, professor
Objectives
- Collect all available diploid and tetraploid varieties
- Develop new tetraploid lines
- Improve methods for tetraploid line development
- Test all tetraploids for value in triploid hybrid production
Results
Over 100 watermelon diploids and tetraploids have been collected
with the help of plant breeders in public and private institutions.
The diploids will be increased and made available to those interested
in using them in breeding and research projects.
So far, we have produced 40 tetraploid lines from 17 original
varieties which are being tested for fruit quality and seed fertility.
Future work
We know of 300 watermelon varieties, and are working to collect
seeds and pedigree information on them. Additional tetraploids
are being produced in the greenhouse for testing in the field.
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