Is seedless watermelon genetically modified? Read this and you will understand

      The whole watermelon is a treasure; even the rind can be used as medicine, and the rind's diuretic effect is more pronounced than that of the flesh. In addition, watermelon seeds also have considerable medicinal value, with effects such as clearing the lungs, moistening the intestines, harmonizing the stomach and quenching thirst. Seedless watermelons are common, and many people want to know whether seedless watermelons are genetically modified. Today the editor will explain it for everyone.

  Pictured: watermelon

  Are seedless watermelons genetically modified? In fact, many people think seedless watermelons are genetically modified foods, but they are actually a hybrid triploid watermelon and have nothing to do with genetic modification, so everyone can eat them with peace of mind. However, because watermelon is rather cooling, do not eat too much of it.

  Are seedless watermelons genetically modified?

  Seedless watermelons are not genetically modified agricultural products, but triploid watermelons produced by crossing tetraploid watermelons with diploid watermelons. Because the chromosome number is odd, they themselves have no reproductive capacity and have no seeds. It is just like the bananas we commonly eat: the original banana had seeds, and after human selection and breeding, bananas with an odd number of chromosomes began to be grown. This type of agricultural product is completely safe to eat.

  In the cell nucleus of every plant, the number of chromosomes is relatively constant, and it is generally an even number. This kind of plant is called a diploid plant. During sexual reproduction, the chromosomes pair up in twos, and seeds form normally. A watermelon has 22 chromosomes, forming 11 pairs, so it can "continue the family line." By dripping colchicine solution on watermelon seedlings, the chromosomes of diploid watermelons are deliberately doubled, changing from 22 to 44. Because the chromosome number is in pairs, seeds can still form, and scientists call it a tetraploid watermelon.

  Triploid watermelons are produced by crossing a tetraploid watermelon as the female parent with a diploid watermelon as the male parent. The resulting watermelon has neither 22 nor 44 chromosomes, but 33. Because the chromosome number of this melon is not in pairs, it has no reproductive capacity. After pollination with pollen provided by a diploid watermelon, the fruit it produces has no seeds, thus becoming a seedless watermelon. Plant hormones are not harmful to the human body.