Common name: Watermelon

Scientific name: Citrullus lanatus

Family: Cucurbitaceae

Reproduction:

Seedless watermelons can’t reproduce on their own, so breeders use

genetics to produce them. Normally, watermelons are diploid, with two sets of 11
chromosomes. To produce a seedless watermelon, a plant is first treated with
colchicine, a substance that allows chromosomes to duplicate, but prevents the
copies from being distributed properly to dividing cells. A tetraploid plant is
created, which is then crossed with a diploid to produce triploid offspring. These
seeds grow into plants much like normal watermelon plants, producing flowers,
which produce the fruit.
Triploids cannot reproduce sexually because during cell division the
chromosome pairs cannot line up precisely in the middle of the cell, due to the
odd number of copies. Farmers must grow diploid plants nearby to supply
pollen, which gets carried by bees to the female triploid flowers. Sometimes a few
seeds develop naturally.

Where it is found:

Watermelon is originally from southern Africa and was first cultivated in

Egypt.
Watermelon is available year-round due to imports from Mexico.
Domestic melons are available from May through October, with May through
August as peak season.
Watermelons are grown in 44 of the continental United States. Most
watermelons are grown in California and Arizona, but Florida, Texas and Georgia
are also leading producer states. Oklahoma’s long growing season also makes it
good place for growing watermelons.
Watermelons are sensitive to frost; they require a four-month frost-free
period and thrive in warm temperatures, ideally in full sunlight between 70 and
80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and not below 45 or 50 degrees at night.
The plants are less susceptible to diseases in drier, warmer climates, though they
can be grown in moister, cooler climates as well. As a rule of thumb, the warmer
the climate, the sweeter the watermelons will be.

Economic impact:

In 2008, the watermelon industry added $44 million to Oklahoma’s

economy, and adds $34.5 million annually to Texas’ agriculture industry.
Nutritional value:

Contains a lot of Vitamin A, C, and B6 (energy), lycopene (an antioxidant,

and also prevents certain types of cancer), thiamin, magnesium and potassium.
Contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight.
The amino acid citrulline in watermelon is a known stimulator of nitric
oxide. Nitric oxide is thought to relax and expand blood vessels, much like Viagra.

Fun facts!

There are more than 1200 varieties of watermelon ranging in size from less
than a pound to more than two hundred pounds, with flesh that is red, orange,
yellow or white.

Watermelon rinds, usually a light green or white color, are also edible and
contain many hidden nutrients that most people avoid eating due to its
unappealing flavor. They are stir-fried, stewed or more often pickled.
Watermelon juice can also be made into wine.

There are debates on whether watermelon is a fruit or vegetable.

In Japan, farmers found a way to grow cubic watermelons, by growing the

fruits in glass boxes and letting them naturally assume the shape of the
receptacle. The square shape is designed to make the melons easier to stack and
store, but the square watermelons are often more than double the price of normal
ones. Pyramid shaped watermelons have also been developed and any polyhedral
shape may potentially also be used.