Watermelon is synonymous with summer, a refreshing treat that perfectly complements warm days. While once a seasonal delight, watermelons, especially the seedless variety, are now a common sight in grocery stores year-round. Their seedless nature enhances convenience, making them ideal for snacks, post-workout replenishment, and versatile culinary creations.
A large, juicy slice of seedless watermelon held in someone's hand, emphasizing the convenience and appeal of seedless watermelons. Learn where seedless watermelons come from in this article.
However, the question of origin often arises: Where Do Watermelons Come From, particularly the seedless kind? It’s a question frequently asked, and often misunderstood.
The seedless watermelon is not a product of recent times; it was actually developed over half a century ago. Contrary to some assumptions, “seedless” doesn’t mean entirely devoid of seeds. What we’re talking about are mature, black seeds. The small, white seed coats you sometimes find in seedless watermelons are simply undeveloped seeds and are perfectly safe to eat. And despite old wives’ tales, swallowing watermelon seeds won’t lead to watermelons growing inside you!
So, how are these seedless wonders cultivated? The secret lies in chromosomes, the fundamental units that determine the traits of living organisms, including watermelons. Plant breeders discovered that by crossing a diploid watermelon plant (with two sets of chromosomes) with a tetraploid plant (possessing four sets of chromosomes), they could produce a fruit that yields triploid seeds (containing three sets of chromosomes). These triploid seeds are the key to growing seedless watermelons.
To put it simply, a seedless watermelon is a sterile hybrid, created through a specific cross-breeding process. This involves pollinating a female watermelon flower with 44 chromosomes with male pollen from a watermelon containing 22 chromosomes. The resulting fruit develops small, white seed coats with 33 chromosomes, rendering them sterile and unable to produce mature black seeds. This process is akin to creating a mule by breeding a horse and a donkey – a natural form of cross-breeding. Crucially, this is not genetic modification. Cross-breeding is a traditional method involving two parent plants and their offspring.
Interestingly, even seedless watermelons require pollination from seeded varieties to produce fruit. Therefore, growers often plant both seeded and seedless watermelons in the same fields. However, the popularity of seedless watermelons is undeniable. Seeded watermelons only account for about 8% of commercial harvest and retail sales, highlighting the dominance of seedless watermelons, which make up a staggering 92% of the market. Seedless watermelons have firmly established their place in the United States and continue to be a consumer favorite.
