Method of producing seedless watermelon

Abstract

The present invention is a novel method which improves the economical production of seedless watermelon fruit. The novel method involves using short vine pollinators in the production field to pollinate the triploid hybrids.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of producing triploid watermelon fruit comprising: 
 a) planting triploid plants and diploid short vine pollinator plants in one or more rows;    b) allowing said plants to mature and develop fruit; and    c) harvesting said fruit.    
     
     
         2 . Watermelon fruit produced by the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said diploid short vine pollinator plants produce marketable fruit.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said diploid short vine pollinator plant is planted in a ratio of diploid to triploid plants of between about 1:1 to about 1:10.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said diploid plant is planted in a ratio of about one diploid plant to about two triploid plants.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said diploid plant is planted in a ratio of about one diploid plant to about three triploid plants.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said diploid and triploid plants are planted in the same row in the field.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said diploid plants are planted in separate rows from said triploid plants.  
     
     
         9 . A method of producing triploid watermelon fruit comprising: 
 a) planting triploid seeds and diploid short vine pollinator seeds in one or more rows to produce plants;    b) allowing said plants to mature and develop fruit; and    c) harvesting said fruit.    
     
     
         10 . Watermelon fruit produced by the method of  claim 9 .  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said diploid short vine pollinator plants produce marketable fruit.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said diploid short vine pollinator plant is planted in a ratio of diploid to triploid plants of between about 1:1 to about 1:10.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said diploid plant is planted in a ratio of about one diploid plant to about two triploid plants.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said diploid plant is planted in a ratio of about one diploid plant to about three triploid plants.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said diploid and triploid plants are planted in the same row in the field.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said diploid plants are planted in separate rows from said triploid plants.  
     
     
         17 . A diploid short vine pollinator line designated 6741, a sample of said seed having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-4027.  
     
     
         18 . A watermelon plant, or parts thereof, produced by growing the seed of  claim 17 .  
     
     
         19 . Pollen of the plant of  claim 18 .  
     
     
         20 . An ovule of the plant of  claim 18 .  
     
     
         21 . A tissue culture of regenerable cells of a watermelon plant of line 6741, wherein the tissue regenerates plants capable of expressing essentially all the morphological and physiological characteristics of the line 6741.  
     
     
         22 . A tissue culture according to  claim 21 , the cells or protoplasts being from a tissue selected from the group consisting of leaves, pollen, embryos, roots, flowers, and rind.  
     
     
         23 . A watermelon plant regenerated from the tissue culture of  claim 21 , capable of expressing all the morphological and physiological characteristics of line 6741.  
     
     
         24 . A method for producing a hybrid watermelon seed comprising crossing a first parent watermelon plant with a second parent watermelon plant and harvesting the resultant hybrid watermelon seed, wherein said first or second parent watermelon plant is the watermelon plant of  claim 18 .  
     
     
         25 . A hybrid watermelon seed produced by the method of  claim 24 .  
     
     
         26 . A hybrid watermelon plant, or parts thereof, produced by growing said hybrid watermelon seed of  claim 25 .  
     
     
         27 . Watermelon seed produced by growing said hybrid watermelon plant of  claim 26 .  
     
     
         28 . The watermelon plant, or parts thereof, of  claim 18 , wherein the plant or parts thereof have been transformed so that its genetic material contains one or more transgenes operably linked to one or more regulatory elements.  
     
     
         29 . The watermelon plant of  claim 28 , wherein the gene confers a characteristic selected from the group consisting of: herbicide resistance, insect resistance, and resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease.