Charles Fredric Andrus
Watermelon Breeder
Charles Fredric Andrus, known as Fred by friends and associates
over the years, was born on January 21, 1906. He attended
a rural school in Mr. Carmel, Illinois, completing high
school in 1924. He studied agriculture at the State Normal
University in Illinois intending to become a teacher. Fred
transferred to George Washington University in Washington,
D.C. where he completed an A.B. degree with distinction
and honors in botany in 1931 and an M.A. in 1932. Although
working full time from 1932 to 1937, he continued taking
graduate courses in Plant Pathology and Genetics at the
University of Maryland.
Fred Andrus transferred to the U.S.D.A. Vegetable Breeding
Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina in 1938, where
he was a vegetable Plant Pathologist until 1948. He was
than reclassified as a Horticulturist and continued his
work developing disease resistant vegetables and emphasizing
improvement in important horticultural characteristics so
that the varieties released became of great value to the
vegetable industry Although he developed many fine vegetable
varieties, his introduction of 'Congo', the first anthracnose
resistant watermelon made a dramatic impact on the watermelon
industry. 'Congo' demonstrated that new watermelon varieties
to succeed in the southern states should have anthracnose
resistance.
He was asked about a gray breeding line that looked promising
in Warren Barham's North Carolina test “Why consider
gray rind watermelon when there are so many gray rind failures?”
Fred replied “I am convinced that the coat color will
not prevent the acceptance of a fine quality Fusarium and
anthracnose resistant watermelon if it produces high yields
of the size and shape wanted by shippers (long, 20-30 lb
fruit), with a relatively thin rind tough enough to hold
in shipment. He also said, “The gray rind will also
help reflect sunlight and reduce the sunscald problem common
to dark rind watermelons.” The tremendous popularity
of 'Charleston Gray', the first anthracnose and Fusarium
wilt resistant watermelon, with growers, shippers, and consumers
demonstrated Fred's unique ingenuity to recognize important
characteristics as building blocks and the ability to put
them together in the final product.
Fred Andrus developed screening techniques including production
of the inoculum, determining concentration and methods of
inoculation to effectively infect susceptible lines permitting
the identification of varying levels of resistance and the
selection of plants possessing resistance and desirable
horticultural characteristics. Fred's plant pathology training
was also of value in his ability to encourage plant pathologists'
participation in the collaborative research and testing
programs he initiated. It was encouraging for horticulturists
who were fortunate enough to have competent plant pathologists
and other discipline scientists working closely with us
to see Fred's successful efforts in stimulating collaborative
work by horticulturists, plant pathologists, entomologists,
and agronomists in all the southern states.
Watermelon cultivars and breeding lines developed by Andrus:
- 1950 - Congo
- 1952 - Ironsides
- 1952 - Fairfax
- 1953 - Dunbarton
- 1954 - Charleston Gray
- 1956 - Blackstone
- 1957 - Garrisonian
- 1963 - Graybelle
- 1969 - Summerfield
- 1962 - 59-1 (Sugar Baby type)
- 1962 - 59-6 (Sugar Baby type)
- 1962 - Tetra 1 (tetraploid)
- 1962 - Tetra 2 (tetraploid)
- 1962 - Tetra 3 (tetraploid)
- 1969 - 55-6 (wilt-resistant Congo)
Fred's modest demeanor and helpful attitude contributed
to his success in organizing germplasm exchange and cooperative
testing programs that advanced the breeding of vegetables
adapted to the southern United States. It is also recognized
by the vegetable industry that Fred's generosity and leadership
plus his personal vegetable variety contributions not only
contributed tremendously during his 42-year employment but
are having lasting influence and value to the horticulture
profession.
