How do they grow seedless watermelons?
In his article on melons in the February 2008 issue of Burke’s Backyard magazine, botanist Peter Valder explained how this is done: “Ordinary watermelons have two sets of chromosomes in each of their cells, but by using chemical techniques plant breeders have produced kinds with four sets of chromosomes. If you cross-pollinate these two kinds you get seeds which give rise to plants with three sets. Such plants are sterile and can produce no viable pollen and no seeds (or just a few soft, white, empty ones). However to get them to produce fruits you must have the ordinary kind growing nearby so that its viable pollen can be used to pollinate the flowers of the sterile kind.
