Bush Triploid Watermelon Plants for Higher Yield Density
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing triploid hybrid watermelon plants with a bush growth habit and high-quality seedless fruit are inefficient, as they require extensive chromosome doubling and stabilization, leading to compatibility issues and higher production costs, and existing triploid plants with normal growth habits occupy more space, limiting density and yield per hectare.
Innovation Solution
Development of triploid hybrid watermelon plants with a bush growth habit, characterized by a recessive 'bush' allele, which allows for higher plant density and increased yield per hectare without affecting leaf size or fruit size, using inbred diploid and tetraploid bush plants as parental lines to produce seedless fruits with improved fruit quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional non-bush triploid watermelon hybrids with normal growth habit are used, then the plants can produce high-quality seedless fruit, but they occupy more space with long vines (above 200-300 cm), limiting planting density and yield per hectare
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the growth habit parameter from normal vine type to bush type by introducing the recessive bush gene (b) into the triploid hybrid. This genetic parameter change results in significantly shorter vines (equal to or below 150 cm, preferably below 140 cm, especially below 100 cm) and shorter internode length, allowing higher planting density and increased fruit yield per hectare while maintaining fruit quality
2Ease of manufacture
If extensive chromosome doubling and stabilization methods are used to produce triploid hybrid plants, then triploid seeds can be obtained, but the process becomes inefficient with higher production costs and compatibility issues
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by developing stable inbred diploid bush watermelon plants (bb) and inbred tetraploid bush watermelon plants (bbbb) with the bush growth habit before producing the triploid hybrid. This preliminary stabilization of parental lines with desired traits simplifies the overall production process, reduces compatibility issues, and lowers production costs compared to traditional methods that require extensive chromosome doubling and stabilization
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The application relates to the field of plant breeding, in particular watermelon breeding. Provided are bush type, triploid watermelon plants (and seeds from which these plants can be grown) and seedless watermelon fruits produced by these plants. Also provided are bush type pollenizer plants and bush type tetraploid plants and methods for producing triploid hybrids having a bush growth type, as well as methods for producing seedless watermelon fruits of high quality.