Enhanced pollenizer and method for increasing seedless watermelon yield

Abstract

An enhanced, diploid pollenizer watermelon plant and method used to maximize the yield of triploid seedless watermelons per area. The enhanced pollenizer watermelon plant of the invention is either a hybrid variety, an open-pollinated variety or a synthetic variety, that exhibits the characteristics of small leaves and fruit with a brittle rind that splits when the fruit is overripe or breaks when relatively small physical forces are applied. The watermelon plant of the invention is also preferably characterized by extended flowering duration, thereby increasing the number of triploid watermelon flowers that are pollinated and set fruit. The method for producing a seedless watermelon fruit, includes the steps of providing a pollenizer diploid watermelon plant, extending the duration of flowering of the pollenizer plant while reducing the number of such plants needed to pollenize the same number of triploid watermelon plants, and maximizing dispersal of the pollenizer watermelon plant throughout the field of triploid watermelon plants.

1 - 52 . (canceled)  
   
   
       53 . A method of increasing the yield of triploid watermelon plants comprising the steps of: 
 a) obtaining a pollenizer watermelon plant for pollenizing said triploid watermelon plants, said pollenizer watermelon having the characteristics of: 
 i) reduced fruit load;  
 ii) decreased size of the leaves;  
 iii) increased flowering duration;  
   b) planting said pollenizer watermelon plant in a field of triploid watermelon plants; and    c) harvesting said triploid watermelon.    
   
   
       54 . A method of increasing the yield of triploid watermelon plants according to  claim 53 , wherein planting of said pollenizer watermelon plant is at a ratio of approximately equal to or less than 1 pollenizer watermelon plant to 2 triploid watermelon plants.  
   
   
       55 . A method of increasing the yield of triploid watermelon plants according to  claim 53 , wherein planting of said pollenizer watermelon plant is at a ratio of approximately equal to or less than 1 pollenizer watermelon plant to 4 triploid watermelon plants.  
   
   
       56 - 68 . (canceled)