Enhanced pollenizer and method for increasing seedless watermelon yield

• US 20050050597A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syngenta Seeds, LLC (China National Chemical Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Syngenta Participations AG (China National Chemical Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhang, Xingping, Williams, Thomas Vare
• Granted Patent: US 7,528,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/308
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 1/1215 Flower development or morphology, e.g. flowering promoting factor [FPF]
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 5/08 Fruits
• 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 small leaves and fruit with a brittle rind that splits when the fruit is overripe or breaks when relatively small physical forces are applied. In one embodiment, 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 pollinate 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 watermelon plant comprising, at maturity:

a) a fruit, the rind of which breaks under a pressure of not more than about 1,800 g when a fruit tester with a 2 mm tip is used or under a pressure of not more than about 2,300 g when a fruit tester with a 3 mm tip is used; and

b) a 5^th leaf from the smallest new leaf on a vine having a surface area of not more than about 50 cm².

2. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 1, wherein the rind of said fruit breaks under a pressure in the range of about 400 g to about 1,800 g when a fruit tester with a 2 mm tip is used.

3. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 1, wherein the rind of said fruit breaks under a pressure in the range of about 1,000 g to about 2,300 g when a fruit tester with a 3 mm tip is used.

4. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 1, wherein said 5^th leaf has a surface area in the range of about 15 cm² to about 50 cm².

5. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 13, wherein said leaf is characterized by deep, non-overlapping leaf lobes.

6. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 1, further comprising heavily branched vines.

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

8. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 1, wherein said plant is an inbred, a hybrid or a dihaploid.

9. ) Pollen of the plant of claim 1.

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

11. ) Fruit of the plant of claim 1.

12. ) Seed of the plant of claim 1.

13. ) Progeny of plants as claimed in claim 1, wherein said progeny retain the characteristics set forth in claim 1.

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

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

b) inter-planting diploid pollenizer watermelon plant according to claim 1 within said rows of triploid watermelon plants after every 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, or 10^th triploid plants;

c) allowing pollination of said triploid watermelon plants by pollen of said diploid watermelon plant to obtain triploid, seedless watermelon fruit; and

d) harvesting said triploid, seedless watermelon fruit.

40. ) 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 according to claim 1, wherein the rows of diploid watermelon plants are approximately one-third to two-thirds the width of the triploid rows;

c) allowing pollination of said triploid watermelon plants by pollen of said diploid watermelon plant to obtain triploid, seedless watermelon fruit.

41. ) The method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 40, wherein the rows of diploid watermelon plants are approximately one-half to two-thirds the width of the triploid rows.

42. ) The method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 40, wherein the rows of diploid watermelon plants are approximately one-third to one-half the width of the triploid rows.

43. ) The method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 40, further comprising the step of planting said rows of diploid watermelon plants after every two triploid rows.

44. ) The method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 40, further comprising the step of planting said rows of diploid watermelon plants after every three triploid rows.

45. ) The method for producing triploid, seedless watermelon fruit according to claim 40, further comprising the step of planting said rows of diploid watermelon plants after every four triploid rows.

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

a) inter-planting a seed or a plant of a watermelon plant according to claim 1 and a seed or plant of a triploid watermelon plant in a field; and

b) allowing pollination of said triploid watermelon plants by pollen of said diploid watermelon plant to obtain triploid, seedless watermelon fruit.

56. ) The method according to claim 55, further comprising harvesting said triploid, seedless watermelon fruit.

57. ) A method of producing seeds of a watermelon plant comprising the steps of:

a) growing a watermelon plant according to claim 1;

b) allowing self-pollination of said plant; and

c) harvesting seeds from said plant.

58. ) The method according to claim 57, further comprises washing and drying said seed.

59. ) A method of vegetative propagating a watermelon plant comprising the steps of:

a) collecting shoot tissue of a plant of a watermelon plant according to claim 1;

b) cultivating said tissue to obtain proliferated shoots; and

c) rooting said proliferated shoots to obtain rooted plantlets.

60. ) The method according to claim 59, further comprising growing plants from said rooted plantlets.

61. ) The method according to claim 60, further comprising harvesting seeds from said plants.

14. ) A watermelon plant comprising, at maturity:

a) fruits, the rind of which breaking under an average pressure of not more than about 1,300 g when a fruit tester with a 2 mm tip is used or under an average pressure of not more than about 2,000 g when a fruit tester with a 3 mm tip is used; and

b)5^th leaves from the smallest new leaf on a vine having an average leaf surface area under about 40 cm².

15. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 14, wherein the average pressure to break the rind of said fruits is in the range of about 700 g to about 1,300 g when a fruit tester with a 2 mm tip is used.

16. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 14, wherein the average pressure to break the rind of said fruits is in the range of about 1,400 g to about 2,000 g when a fruit tester with a 3 mm tip is used.

17. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 14, wherein the average surface area of said 5^th leaves is in the range of about 20 cm² to about 40 cm².

18. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 14, wherein said leaves are characterized by deep, non-overlapping leaf lobes.

19. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 14, further comprising heavily branched vines.

20. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 14, wherein the weight of said fruits in the range of about 2 lbs to about 7 lbs.

21. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 14, wherein said plant is an inbred, a hybrid or a dihaploid.

22. ) Pollen of the plant of claim 14.

23. ) An ovule of the plant of claim 14.

24. ) Fruit of the plant of claim 14.

25. ) Seed of the plant of claim 14.

26. ) Progeny of plants as claimed in claim 14, wherein said progeny retain the characteristics set forth in claim 14.

27. ) A watermelon plant comprising the characteristics of:

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

,

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

.

28. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 27, wherein the leaf surface area of a leaf of said plant is about 3 times to about 14 times smaller than the leaf surface area of a leaf of watermelon variety Sangria™

.

29. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 27, wherein the rind of a fruit of said plant is about 2 times to about 4 times more brittle than the rind of a fruit of variety Sangria™

.

30. ) diploid watermelon plant according to claim 27, wherein leaves said plant are characterized by deep, non-overlapping leaf lobes.

31. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 27, further comprising heavily branched vines.

32. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 27, wherein said fruit weighs in the range of about 2 to about 7 lbs.

33. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 27, wherein said plant is an inbred, a hybrid or a dihaploid.

34. ) Pollen of the plant of claim 27.

35. ) An ovule of the plant of claim 27.

36. ) Fruit of the plant of claim 27.

37. ) Seed of the plant of claim 27.

38. ) Progeny of plants as claimed in claim 27, wherein said progeny retain the characteristics set forth in claim 27.

46. ) A method of increasing the yield of triploid watermelon plants comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining a pollenizer watermelon plant for pollinating 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;

c) allowing pollination of said triploid watermelon plants by pollen of said diploid watermelon plant to obtain triploid, seedless watermelon fruit; and

d) harvesting said triploid, seedless watermelon fruit.

47. ) The method of increasing the yield of triploid watermelon plants according to claim 46, 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.

48. ) The method of increasing the yield of triploid watermelon plants according to claim 46, 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.

49. ) A method for producing diploid pollenizer watermelon plants comprising:

a) crossing a first watermelon plant having small leaves with a second watermelon plant producing fruit with brittle rind; and

b) selecting a diploid pollenizer watermelon plants having small leaves and producing fruit with brittle rind,

wherein the surface area of a 5^th leaf from the smallest new leaf on a vine of said watermelon plant selected in step b) is not more than about 50 cm², and the rind of a fruit said watermelon plant selected in step b) breaks under a pressure of not more than about 1,800 g when a fruit tester with a 2 mm tip is used or under a pressure of not more than about 2,300 g when a fruit tester with a 3 mm tip is used.

50. ) The method according to claim 49, wherein the leaves of said first watermelon plant have deep, non-overlapping leaf lobes.

51. ) The method according to claim 49, said first watermelon plant further comprises, at maturity, heavily branched vines.

52. ) The watermelon plant according to claim 49, wherein the weight of a fruit of said second watermelon plant in the range of about 2 kg to about 3 kg.

53. ) A diploid watermelon for pollinating triploid plants obtained by the method of claim 49.

54. ) A method for producing diploid pollenizer watermelon plants comprising the steps of developing a diploid pollenizer watermelon plant by increasing the brittleness of the fruit of said pollenizer watermelon plant.

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

a) inter-planting in a field a first triploid watermelon plant and a second watermelon plant capable of producing a fruit, the rind of which breaks under a pressure of not more than about 1,800 g when a fruit tester with a 2 mm tip is used or under a pressure of not more than about 2,300 g when a fruit tester with a 3 mm tip is used; and

b) allowing pollination of said first triploid watermelon plant by pollen of said second watermelon plant to obtain triploid, seedless watermelon fruit.

63. ) The method according to claim 62, further comprising harvesting said triploid, seedless watermelon fruit.

64. ) The method according to claim 62, wherein the weight of said fruit of said second watermelon plant is in the range of about 2 lbs to about 7 lbs.

65. ) The method according to claim 62, wherein the leaves of said second watermelon plant are characterized by deep, non-overlapping leaf lobes.

66. ) The method according to claim 62, wherein said second watermelon plant further comprises heavily branched vines.

67. ) The method according to claim 62, wherein said second watermelon plant is an inbred, a hybrid or a dihaploid.