Are Seedless Watermelons Genetically Modified? A Full Breakdown of the Key Points in the Breeding Process

Watermelon is one of the fruits commonly eaten in summer, with large flesh, plenty of juice and a sweet taste, and it tastes even better after being chilled. When people buy watermelons, there is always a vendor who urges you to buy seedless watermelons, saying they taste better and that without seeds you do not have to spit them out. So are seedless watermelons genetically modified? What are the key points in the breeding process?

1. Are seedless watermelons genetically modified?

Seedless watermelons are not genetically modified. The theoretical basis of genetic modification technology comes from molecular biology, which was derived from evolutionary theory. The source of the gene fragment can be the target gene extracted from the genome of a specific organism as needed, or it can be an artificially synthesized DNA fragment with a specified sequence. The DNA fragment is transferred into a specific organism, recombined with its own genome, and then subjected to several generations of artificial selection from the recombinant, thereby obtaining individuals with stable expression of specific hereditary traits. This technology can give the recombinant organism new traits that people desire and breed new varieties.

2. What is the breeding process of seedless watermelons?

1. Sow at a suitably late time, crack the shell and speed up germination

Compared with the temperature required for the growth and development of ordinary watermelons, the temperature required for the growth and development of seedless watermelons is higher than that for ordinary watermelons. The seed coat of seedless watermelon seeds is thicker and not plump, and the embryo develops poorly, so it does not germinate easily, and manual help in cracking the shell is needed to increase the germination rate.

2. Sufficient base fertilizer, heavy application of topdressing

Compared with ordinary watermelons, seedless watermelons have the dual advantages of polyploidy and hybrid varieties, and have huge yield-increasing potential. Therefore, generally speaking, the base fertilizer for seedless watermelons is increased by 1/4 compared with ordinary watermelons, and the topdressing is increased by 1/3. As we know, to produce good fruit, water and fertilizer management is very important; only when the stems and leaves grow fully can larger fruit be produced. Lack of water and fertilizer not only leads to low yield, but the fruit is also small, affecting the economic benefits of farmers.

3. Arrange pollinator plants

Although seedless watermelons have multiple female flowers opening, self-pollination with this variety is highly abortive, so they need to receive pollen from ordinary watermelons in order to set fruit. Therefore, when cultivating them, a certain amount of ordinary watermelons should be interplanted as pollinator plants. Generally speaking, for every 3-4 rows of seedless watermelons planted, 1 row of ordinary watermelons is interplanted. After pollination, the appearance of the watermelon fruit and the color of the rind are clearly different from those of seedless watermelons, so that they can be distinguished.

4. Properly sparse planting and vine training

Sparse planting: seedless watermelons have well-developed root systems and vigorous stem and vine growth, so when planting, the spacing between plants should be appropriately larger, which is good for the roots to extend outward and for the plants to absorb nutrient elements from the soil. Vine training: training watermelon vines can strengthen ventilation and light penetration in the melon field, increase the photosynthesis of the plants, raise the photosynthetic area, ensure the quality of the watermelon fruit, and produce fruit that is both large and sweet. Generally, three-vine pruning is adopted, aiming for multiple fruits per plant.

5. Keep fruit at high nodes, relay fruit setting

After seedless watermelon plants send out vines, they grow luxuriantly. Under conditions of sufficient water and fertilizer, in order to prevent the plant branches from growing excessively, we can adopt relay-style fruit setting at this time. Generally, the melon set on the 3rd-4th female flower is large, sweet, juicy and good in traits. For excessively growing plants, we can pinch the vine flat at 3-5 nodes from the growing point to promote the transport of nutrients into the melon and provide sufficient nutrition for the fruit.

6. Harvest appropriately early

Seedless watermelons harvested appropriately early have a soft and pleasant texture, plenty of juice, good quality and good commercial value. Watermelons harvested late are prone to hollowing and flesh deterioration, with decreased quality, affecting the economic benefits of farmers.