Scientific news

Watermelons used for seed consumption tend to have larger seeds, whereas watermelons used for flesh consumption often require relatively small seeds. Therefore, watermelon seed size has received extensive attention from consumers and breeders. However, the natural variation and genetic mechanism of watermelon seed size remain unclear. In the present study, 100-seed weight, seed hilum length, seed length, seed width, and seed thickness were examined in 197 watermelon accessions