Multicellular living organisms and unmodified parts thereof and – Plant – seedling – plant seed – or plant part – per se – Higher plant – seedling – plant seed – or plant part
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-26
2002-03-12
Fox, David T. (Department: 1638)
Multicellular living organisms and unmodified parts thereof and
Plant, seedling, plant seed, or plant part, per se
Higher plant, seedling, plant seed, or plant part
C800S260000, C800S271000, C800S274000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06355865
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a pollenizer watermelon plant, for use in the production of seedless watermelon.
The pollenizer plant is characterized by at least two of the following features: (a) distinguishable fruit phenotype; (b) high number of male flowers; (c) continued flowering; (d) early flowering; and/or (e) modified plant morphology and growth habit.
The invention particularly relates to plants having the characteristics of plants grown from the seed deposited at the ATCC under ATCC accession number 203961. The invention further relates to plants obtainable by propagation of, and/or breeding with a watermelon plant grown from the seed deposited at the ATCC under ATCC accession number 203961.
All documents cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fruit of standard seeded watermelon varieties may contain as many as 1,000 seeds in each fruit. Hybrid seedless (triploid) watermelons have been grown for over 40 years in the United States. However, it was not until recently that improved varieties, aggressive marketing, and increased consumer demand created a rapidly expanding market for seedless watermelons.
The seedless condition in watermelon actually results from a cross between two plants of incompatible chromosome complements. The normal chromosome number in most living organisms is referred to as “2N”. Seedless watermelons are produced on sterile triploid (“3N”) plants, which result from crossing a normal seeded diploid (2N) plant with a tetraploid (“4N”). Tetraploid parental lines are usually developed by treating diploid plants with colchicine, which induces a doubling of the chromosome number.
To produce a harvest of seedless watermelons, the triploid plants must be interplanted with a pollenizer variety (“2N”). As the pollen from the triploid plants is sterile and unable to stimulate fruit set, pollen from fertile diploid plants must be provided. In the U.S., growers generally use Allsweet type hybrids as a pollen source as these provide themselves marketable fruit. The commercial seedless (triploid) plants and the pollenizer variety are normally seeded in separate flats and transplanted after about 4 weeks to the field. Close interplanting between triploid plants and pollenizers is required to enable bees to transfer sufficient pollen to the triploid plants, as inadequate pollination results in seedless fruit that are triangular in shape and of poor quality. Most growers place the pollenizer plants in every third row (to aid in harvesting) or every third plant in the row. This will lead to a field wherein two thirds of the fruit is seedless and one-third of the fruit is seeded. Usually, the pollenizer variety is selected to produce fruit that is distinguishable from the seedless variety, to avoid mixing of the seeded and seedless fruit after harvest.
Inter-planting of plants producing seeded with plants producing seedless fruit in the same field has significant agronomical drawbacks. First, the two different types of plants grow at different rates and the timing of water and fertilizer application for the two varieties often is not synchronized. Maturity dates also vary so that multiple harvests must be used. More importantly, the difference in development can cause problems as it is crucial that pollen from the diploid pollenizer is available when the female blossoms on the triploid plant are open and ready for pollination. This is complicated by the fact that diploid plants producing seeded fruit stop flowering once they have set fruit, so that pollen is no longer available for seedless fruit development.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a pollenizer watermelon plant, for use in the pollination of triploid watermelon plants in the production of seedless watermelon. The pollenizer plant of the invention is characterized by at least two, preferably three, more preferably four, most preferably five of the following features:
a) distinguishable fruit phenotype;
b) high number of male flowers;
c) continued flowering;
d) early flowering; and/or
e) modified plant morphology and growth habit.
The invention particularly relates to a pollenizer plant characterized by at least two, preferably three, more preferably four, most preferably five of the following features: fruit produced on the plant weighs less than 5 lbs. each and/or is less than 15 cm in diameter; at least 20 male flowers are grown per plant per day during triploid flowering period; fruit set does not halt flowering, male flowers open at least 10 minutes earlier than commercial triploid plants; a diameter of the vine that is 65% or less of the diameter of a commercial diploid plant and/or a prostrate growth habit.
These features may be present in the pollenizer plant of the invention, in any and all possible combinations; any two, three, four or five of the features may be present in any possible combination. For example, the plant may have a distinguishable fruit phenotype together with a high number of male flowers, and/or continued flowering, and/or early flowering, and/or modified plant morphology and growth habit; all other combinations of two, three, four or five of the features are possible and are meant to be included in the invention.
The invention preferably relates to a pollenizer plant characterized by a distinguishable fruit phenotype, a high number of male flowers and continued flowering.
The invention particularly relates to the seed deposited at ATCC under ATCC accession number 203961, a plant which is grown from this seed, and cells or tissues from a plant grown from this seed. The invention further relates to plants obtainable by propagation of, and/or breeding with a watermelon plant grown from the seed deposited at the ATCC under ATCC accession number 203961.
The invention further relates to plant parts and seeds of such pollenizer plants described above.
The invention furthermore relates to a method for producing seedless watermelon, which comprises interplanting seeds or plants of a triploid watermelon line with seeds or plants of the pollenizer line of the invention, and allowing the pollen of these pollenizer plants to pollinate the triploid watermelon plants, so as to stimulate fruitset thereon.
Preferably, seeds or plants of a triploid watermelon line are interplanted with seeds or plants of the pollenizer line of the invention, in specific patterns in the field, whereby these pollenizer plants grow in close proximity to the triploid watermelon plants.
The invention furthermore relates to a method for producing seedless watermelon, whereby seeds of a triploid watermelon line are blended with seeds of the pollenizer fine of the invention prior to sowing.
The invention further relates to a system for producing seedless watermelon which comprises:
seeds capable of growing into triploid watermelon plants, or the plants grown therefrom, and,
seeds capable of growing into the pollenizer plants characterized as described above, or the plants grown therefrom.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Seedless fruit as used herein refers to fruit containing few (less than 5% of seeded fruit which contains at least 500 seeds) or no normal seeds. It is possible that the fruit from the first fruit settings of a seedless plant will contain some (up to 20/fruit) seeds. Also, some varieties designated as “seedless” may contain rudimentary, edible seeds or seed coats. Plants that carry seedless or seeded fruit will also be referred to as seedless or seeded plants, respectively.
As used herein diploid (“2N”), triploid (“3N”) and tetraploid (“4N”) refers to the number of chromosomes in all or in at least the majority of cells in the plant. For the cultivation of seedless watermelon referred to herein, triploid plants are used as female parent plants (for fruit set), while diploid plants are used as the male parent plants (providing pollen).
As used herein, the term “comprising” means “including”.
The term “pollenizer” or “pollenizer plant” refers to a plant that is used to provide pollen for fruit set on suitable female paren
Fox David T.
Sunseeds, Inc.
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