Induction of parthenocarpy in watermelon ( <i>Citrullus lanatus</i> ) cultivars by gamma irradiation
2009
Moussa, H. R. | Salem, A. A. E.
It was found that diploid seedless watermelon can be produced by pollination with partially functional pollen which was irradiated with gamma rays at doses of 600 and 800 Gray (Gy). The diploid seedless fruit was very similar to normal fruit in days to maturity from pollination and rate of fruit set. The number of empty seeds in the diploid seedless fruit varied for the cultivars used in this study. No correlation was found between the number of empty seeds in seedless fruit and the number of normal seeds in normal fruit. Also, the results indicated that seedless watermelon cultivars have a significant increase in total sugar and carotenoids (lycopene and β-carotene) content, providing an important source of phytonutrients in the diet. The pollen tube of pollen irradiated with gamma radiation penetrated normally into the synergid and sperm cells were discharged. Subsequently, the egg nucleus and sperm nucleus became attached to each other in the egg cell and a globular embryo was formed. However, the embryo failed to differentiate into organ tissues and degenerated. It was suggested that seedless fruit induced by gamma rays had a beneficial effect in increasing the quantity and quality of watermelon yield via increases in the carotenoid, total sugar content and fruit weight. Also, in some cultivars there was a tendency for the thickness of the rind to decrease.
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