It is a technique patented by Dr. O.J Eigsti who founded the old American Seedless Watermelon Corporation. Seedless watermelons did not really take off until the patent ran out a couple of years ago. The basics is that the chemical Colchicine is used to double the plants chromosones. Cross breeding these doctored plants results in a sterile (thus seedless) plant. Different chemicals are used to induce species crossbreeding like the C.maxima-C.moschata squash from Sakata. That patent is still in force.

thanks farmerdilla.... but if the plants produced from these plants are sterile, how are viable seeds retrieved to grow more 'seedless' watermelons? Sorry if I'm still clueless/ignorant about this!!

To me it seems like seedless have different texture then seeded watermelons...is this true (almost more "grit" to the seeded)? I don't know what it is, but i prefer SEEDLESS to SEEDED watermelons right now, at least store bought.

I think you have to have several plants to grow seedless.

Are there any larger seeded type that produce few seeds?

The triploiding (that thing that the colchicine does for instance) inhibits meiosis (2 parents coming together with 1/2 chromosomes to produce an embryo/seed) by basically creating a genetic mess that can't make sexual reproduction.

Seedless watermelons are produced by crossing a tetraploid (4 sets of chromosomes) with a normal diploid (2 sets) fruit. The result is a usually-sterile triploid seed.

You'll see seed coats if you grow them long enough, but many/most will be empty shells.

The reason taste is behind in these seedless varieties are you just can't grab a nice Carolina Cross, treat it, then breed it with a Sugarbaby or similar. The parents plants have to be receptive to chromosome mutating agents with an ability to either create or cross with the mutated tetraploid parent.

It's still a pretty young industry. They know how it works and what to do, but it's a matter of finding plant combos that work.

I prefer the seeded ones still, too.

I prefer the best of the seeded ones to seedless. I am trialing 5 seedless varieties this year. They have some pretty stiff competition in a really good Raspa, Sangria, Rojo Grande, Orangeglo,and Carmen.

Wayne-

Next year i'm going to grow some of those you list. I want an Orange and a good yellow... The price at the store on the yellow watermelons is pretty stiff...a $1/lb! Adds up!

Seedless is pretty cool. I wonder in the future what other fruit they'll get to go seedless.

Much easier with fruit than with vegetables like melons. Fruits are normally vegetatively propagated and the plants bear multiple years, so seeds are not involved. Grapes are prime example. With hybrid vegetables you have to create a new batch of seeds each year. Lot of labor involved. In the case of the seedless watermelons you have a very complicated process, which accounts for the high cost of the seed.

vieja:

Think of it this way, maybe a simplification but works for me. When as explained above you cross a 4 chromosome by a 2 you have an offspring with 3 chromosomes, 2 from one parent and 1 from the other. Now when that offspring tries to reproduce you are trying to divide 3 in half. You can't give 1 1/2 chromosome to each offspring. As a result the seeds are sterile.

My understanding is if you grow a large field of seedless watermelons you will end up with three types of melons. The normal fruit of the diploid pollinator, the seedless fruit, and a small number of fruit that is different than the other two. This melon contains the seeds for next years seedless planting.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

"My understanding is if you grow a large field of seedless watermelons you will end up with three types of melons. The normal fruit of the diploid pollinator, the seedless fruit, and a small number of fruit that is different than the other two. This melon contains the seeds for next years seedless planting."

Unfortunately, not true. You have to use the breeding lines to create new seeds each year. That is the same with regular hybrids, except that extra steps must be taken to set up the breeding lines.

thanks ... I THINK now I understand!! : the seeds that will grow THE seedless watermelons have to be treated so the melons that develop are seedless? And the same process must be done each time seedless watermelon seeds are made available?

I don't know if it has to do with the soil but the very BEST tasting watermelon I have ever had were grown in SC.

Gumby,
I'm from SC and would you believe that most of the melons
that we get in the grocery stores come from Florida. LOL
Most of our melons, along with our peaches, are shipped out
of state, and we grow more peaches than Georgia. In order to get a melon or peach grown in SC, you have to go to a local farmer's market or grow them yourself.

It might just be me but I truly think that seeded taste better than seedless. Unfortunately that is all they have anymore in the stores here.

Around here i've seen watermelons from about everywhere. Early they were from Florida and Texas, then i started seeing Missouri, saw some from Kentucky, some from Georgia...now i'm seeing them from Indiana and i would guess soon from Iowa.

It takes a combination of the right climate and the right soil to produce an oustanding watermellon. The best I've had were from East Central Texas.
Everybody looks at me like I'm nuts when I eat watermelon. I think the seeds are as tasty as the pulp so I crunch them right up instead of spitting them out.

hoodat:like you, I have always eaten watermelon.. the seeds & all! kingfarm: I agree- the seed watermelons to me taste the best & to me a watermelon has to have red flesh... none of the yellow!

I don't know how much the region they are grown in matters, but what I do know is that I have grown about the best I have ever eaten. I amend my clay/silt/ loam with sand and local peatmoss and have added leaf compost, horse manure, and fertilized plus sheet composted.

I think that the variety is important too.

I remember really good watermelons (& strawberries) in Wisconsin right along the Mississippi River in that sandy soil. We have volcanic sandy soil here in NM where I live now so that should grow some good ones also!