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 fertile tetraploid watermelon plant, or a part thereof, wherein said tetraploid watermelon plant is capable of producing a watermelon fruit when grown under standard cultural practices with a weight of less than 12.0 pounds, and does not have one or more negative traits selected from the group consisting of explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat, and wherein the rind color of said watermelon fruit is light green or medium green. 
     
     
         26 . The fertile tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a length of between 6 to 11 inches. 
     
     
         27 . The fertile tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a width of between 5 to 9 inches. 
     
     
         28 . The fertile 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 1.0 to 2.0. 
     
     
         29 . The fertile 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 fertile 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. 
     
     
         31 . The fertile 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. 
     
     
         32 . 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, and said progeny 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 explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat, and wherein the rind color of said watermelon fruit is selected from the group consisting of striped, mottle stripe, dark mottle stripe, tiger stripe, gray, light green, and medium green. 
     
     
         33 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 32 , wherein said progeny watermelon plant is tetraploid. 
     
     
         34 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 32 , wherein said progeny watermelon plant is triploid. 
     
     
         35 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 32 , wherein said progeny watermelon plant is a hybrid. 
     
     
         36 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 32 , 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. 
     
     
         37 . The progeny watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 32 , 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. 
     
     
         38 . A fertile 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, and said fertile progeny 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 explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat, and wherein the rind color of said watermelon fruit is selected from the group consisting of striped, mottle stripe, dark mottle stripe, tiger stripe, gray, light green, and medium green. 
     
     
         39 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 38 , wherein said tetraploid watermelon plant is an F 1  progeny of said line 1671. 
     
     
         40 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 38 , wherein said second tetraploid watermelon plant comprises a single gene trait. 
     
     
         41 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 38 , 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. 
     
     
         42 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 41 , wherein said single gene conversion is male sterility and said male sterility is cytoplasmic male sterility. 
     
     
         43 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 38 , 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. 
     
     
         44 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 38 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a length of between 6 to 11 inches. 
     
     
         45 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 38 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a width of between 5 to 9 inches. 
     
     
         46 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 38 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a length to width ratio (L/W ratio) of between 1.0 to 2.0. 
     
     
         47 . A method of producing a triploid watermelon seed comprising:
 a) crossing a fertile 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 explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat, and wherein the rind color of said watermelon fruit is selected from the group consisting of gray, light green, and medium green; and   b) harvesting the resultant triploid watermelon seed that, when grown into a plant, produces a seedless watermelon fruit.   
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein said triploid watermelon seed does not have a hard seed coat. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 47 , 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. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 47 , 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. 
     
     
         51 . A fertile 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 explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat, the rind color of said watermelon fruit is selected from the group consisting of gray, light green, and medium green, said tetraploid watermelon plant shares a genetic constitution with watermelon plant line 1671, said line 1671 having a representative sample of seed deposited with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) under ATCC Accession No. PTA-4858, said genetic constitution provides for the production of a watermelon fruit with a weight of less than 12.0 pounds, and lack of one or more negative traits selected from the group consisting of explosive rind, hollow heart, gray rind, and producing a triploid hybrid seed with a hard seed coat. 
     
     
         52 . The fertile tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 51 , wherein said watermelon fruit has a length to width ratio (L/W ratio) of between 1.0 to 2.0. 
     
     
         53 . The fertile tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 51 , 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. 
     
     
         54 . The fertile tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 51 , 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. 
     
     
         55 . The fertile tetraploid watermelon plant, or the part thereof, of  claim 25 , wherein said rind is striped, mottle striped, dark mottle striped, or tiger striped. 
     
     
         56 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or a part thereof, of  claim 38 , wherein said rind is striped, mottle striped, dark mottle striped, or tiger striped. 
     
     
         57 . The fertile progeny tetraploid watermelon plant, or a part thereof, of  claim 51 , wherein said rind is striped, mottle striped, dark mottle striped, or tiger striped.