Enhanced pollenizer and method for increasing seedless watermelon yield

• US 20030172412A1
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tom Vare Williams, Xingping Zhang
• Original Assignee: Syngenta Participations AG (China National Chemical Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhang, Xingping, Williams, Tom Vare
• Granted Patent: US 6,759,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/308
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 1/121 Plant growth habits
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 5/08 Fruits
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 6/342 Citrullus lanatus [watermelon]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/10 in agriculture

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 lacy vine, small leaves, prolific male flowers, small 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 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.

Claims

1. ) A diploid watermelon plant for pollinating triploid plants comprising, at maturity, heavily branching lacy vines with small leaves having a surface area approximately in the range of 25-40 cm² and characterized by deep, non-overlapping leaf lobes, said plant bearing small, brittle fruit.

2. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 1, wherein said fruit weighs approximately in the range of 2 to 7 lbs

3. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 1, wherein said said fruit breaks under a pressure approximately in the range of 7-11 lbs/in².

4. ) Pollen of the plant of claim 1.

5. ) An ovule of the plant of claim 1.

6. ) Fruit of the plant of claim 1.

7. ) Seed of the plant of claim 1.

8. ) Progeny of plants as claimed in claim 1 obtained in generative or vegetative manner, wherein said progeny retain the characteristics set forth in claim 1.

9. ) A diploid watermelon plant for pollinating triploid plants producing seedless watermelon fruit comprising the characteristics of:

a) smaller fruit and leaf size compared to the watermelon variety Sangria™

,

b) deep, non-overlapping lobes, and

c) wherein said fruit rind is more brittle than the rind of the variety Sangria™

.

10. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 9, wherein said fruit weighs approximately in the range of 2 to 7 lbs

11. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 9, wherein said said fruit breaks under a pressure approximately in the range of 7-11 lbs/in².

12. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 9, wherein said leaves have a surface area approximately in the range of 25-40 cm².

13. ) Pollen of the plant of claim 9

14. ) An ovule of the plant of claim 9

15. ) Fruit of the plant of claim 9.

16. ) Seed of the plant of claim 9.

17. ) Progeny of plants as claimed in claim 9 obtained in generative or vegetative manner, wherein said progeny retain the characteristics set forth in claim 9.

18. ) A method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit comprising the steps of:

a) planting a field with rows of evenly spaced triploid watermelon plants;

b) inter-planting diploid pollenizer watermelon plant within said rows of evenly spaced triploid watermelon plants after every 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, or 10th triploid plants;

c) harvesting said triploid, seedless watermelon fruit.

19. ) A method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit comprising the steps of:

a) planting a field with rows of triploid watermelon plants;

b) planting said field with rows of diploid watermelon plants, wherein the rows of diploid watermelon plants are approximately one-third to one-half the width of the triploid rows.

20. ) A method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 19, wherein the diploid watermelon plants are approximately one-half to two-thirds the width of the triploid rows.

21. ) A method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 19, further comprising the step of planting said rows of diploid watermelon plants after every two triploid rows.

22. ) A method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 19, further comprising the step of planting said rows of diploid watermelon plants after every three triploid rows.

23. ) A method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 19, further comprising the step of planting said rows of diploid watermelon plants after every four triploid rows.

24. ) A method of increasing the yield of triploid, seedless watermelon plants comprising the steps of:

a) developing a pollenizer watermelon plant for pollenizing said triploid, seedless watermelon plants by;

i) reducing fruit load of said pollenizer watermelon plant;

ii) decreasing the size of the leaves of said pollenizer watermelon plant;

iii) increasing the flowering duration of said pollenizer watermelon plant;

b) planting said pollenizer watermelon plant in a field of triploid watermelon plants; and

c) harvesting said triploid watermelon.

25. ) A method of increasing the yield of seedless watermelon plants according to claim 24, 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, seedless watermelon plants.

26. ) A method of increasing the yield of seedless watermelon plants according to claim 24, 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, seedless watermelon plants.

27. ) A method of increasing the yield of seedless watermelon plants according to claim 24, wherein said pollenizer watermelon is not harvested for human consumption.