Seedless watermelon having small fruit

Abstract

The present invention is a novel method which results in the production of small seedless watermelon fruit having an average fruit weight of less than 12.0 pounds. The novel method involves using small tetraploid parental lines to produce small triploid hybrid seed.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A tetraploid watermelon plant, or a part thereof, wherein said tetraploid watermelon plant is capable of producing a watermelon fruit with a weight of less than 12.0 pounds, and does not have one or more negative traits selected from the group consisting of high sterility, explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat. 
     
     
         26 . The tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a length of between about 6 to about 11 inches. 
     
     
         27 . The tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a width of between about 5 to about 9 inches. 
     
     
         28 . The tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a length to width ratio (L/W ratio) of between about 1.0 to about 2.0. 
     
     
         29 . The tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said tetraploid watermelon plant includes a single gene conversion selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide resistance, bacterial resistance, fungal resistance, viral resistance, insect resistance, male fertility, enhanced nutritional quality, industrial usage, yield stability and yield enhancement. 
     
     
         30 . The tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 29 , wherein said single gene conversion is male sterility and said male sterility is cytoplasmic male sterility. 
     
     
         31 . The tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said part is selected from the group consisting of a cell, a plant protoplast, a tissue culture of cells, plant calli, a pollen, a flower, a seed, a leaf, a stem, a rind, and watermelon flesh. 
     
     
         32 . The tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said part is a seed. 
     
     
         33 . The tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said tetraploid watermelon plant is a progeny of tetraploid watermelon plant line 1671, wherein a representative sample of seed of said line 1671 has been deposited with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) under ATCC Accession No. PTA-4858. 
     
     
         34 . A progeny watermelon plant, or a part thereof, of tetraploid watermelon plant line 1671, wherein a representative sample of seed of said line 1671 has been deposited with the ATCC under ATCC Accession No. PTA-4858. 
     
     
         35 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 34 , wherein said progeny watermelon plant is capable of producing a watermelon fruit with a weight of less than 12.0 pounds. 
     
     
         36 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 34 , wherein said progeny watermelon plant does not have one or more negative traits selected from the group consisting of high sterility, explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat. 
     
     
         37 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 34 , wherein said progeny watermelon plant is tetraploid. 
     
     
         38 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 34 , wherein said progeny watermelon plant is triploid. 
     
     
         39 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 34 , wherein said progeny watermelon plant is a hybrid. 
     
     
         40 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 34 , wherein said progeny tetraploid watermelon plant includes a single gene conversion selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide resistance, bacterial resistance, fungal resistance, viral resistance, insect resistance, male fertility, enhanced nutritional quality, industrial usage, yield stability and yield enhancement and said line 1671 is a recurrent parent. 
     
     
         41 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 40 , wherein said single gene conversion is male sterility and said male sterility is cytoplasmic male sterility. 
     
     
         42 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 34 , wherein said part is selected from the group consisting of a cell, a plant protoplast, a tissue culture of cells, plant calli, a pollen, a flower, a seed, a leaf, a stem, a rind, and watermelon flesh. 
     
     
         43 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 34 , wherein said part is a seed. 
     
     
         44 . A progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or a part thereof, obtainable by crossing a first tetraploid watermelon plant of line 1671 with a second tetraploid watermelon plant, wherein a representative sample of seed of said line 1671 has been deposited with the ATCC under ATCC Accession No. PTA-4858. 
     
     
         45 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 44 , wherein said progeny tetraploid watermelon plant is capable of producing a watermelon fruit with a weight of less than 12.0 pounds. 
     
     
         46 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 44 , wherein said progeny tetraploid watermelon plant does not have one or more negative traits selected from the group consisting of high sterility, explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat. 
     
     
         47 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 44 , wherein said tetraploid watermelon plant is an F 1  progeny of said line 1671. 
     
     
         48 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 44 , wherein said second tetraploid watermelon plant comprises a single gene trait. 
     
     
         49 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 44 , wherein said progeny tetraploid watermelon plant includes a single gene conversion selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide resistance, bacterial resistance, fungal resistance, viral resistance, insect resistance, male fertility, enhanced nutritional quality, industrial usage, yield stability and yield enhancement and said first tetraploid watermelon plant is a recurrent parent. 
     
     
         50 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 49 , wherein said single gene conversion is male sterility and said male sterility is cytoplasmic male sterility. 
     
     
         51 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 44 , wherein said part is selected from the group consisting of a cell, a plant protoplast, a tissue culture of cells, plant calli, a pollen, a flower, a seed, a leaf, a stem, a rind, and watermelon flesh. 
     
     
         52 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 45 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a length of between about 6 to about 11 inches. 
     
     
         53 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 45 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a width of between about 5 to about 9 inches. 
     
     
         54 . The progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 45 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a length to width ratio (L/W ratio) of between about 1.0 to about 2.0. 
     
     
         55 . A method of producing a triploid watermelon seed comprising:
 a) crossing a tetraploid watermelon plant that produces watermelon fruit with an average fruit weight of less than 12.0 pounds, with a small fruited diploid watermelon plant, wherein said tetraploid watermelon plant does not have one or more negative traits selected from the group consisting of high sterility, explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat; and   b) harvesting the resultant triploid watermelon seed that, when grown into a plant, produces a seedless watermelon fruit.   
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein said triploid watermelon seed does not have a hard seed coat. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein a plant grown from said triploid watermelon seed is capable of producing a seedless watermelon fruit with a weight of less than 12.0 pounds. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein a plant grown from said triploid watermelon seed does not have one or more negative traits selected from the group consisting of being highly female sterile, hollow heart, thick rind and explosive rind.