Home Fruits and vegetables Seedless watermelon is non-GMO

Seedless watermelon is non-GMO

La seedless watermelon causes some rejection to some people. They imagine it as the result of the genetic modification of plants and this produces fear. However, its origin is much more curious. Do you want to find out? Keep reading!

Chromosomes in the seedless watermelon

The title statement may shock many people. In other words, there is a widespread belief that they come from modifying the genetics of plants. Nothing is further from reality, in a very summarized way we can say that it comes from the hybridization. In this way, you create a sterile fruit. Moreover, we can compare it with the birth of the mules. They do not exist in nature and come from crossing two different species: the horseback riding and salted butter.

However, it is advisable not to mix things up. So, let's see why there is a seedless watermelon. It is usual to mix the male pollen of a diploid watermelon with the female flower of a tetraploid watermelon. What does this mean? Well, one is mixed with two sets of chromosomes with another that has four.

seedless watermelon
Seedless watermelon/Source: Pixabaynd´

The result is the triploid seedless watermelon. That is, it has only three sets of chromosomes. Thus, it is the same process as that of other sterile fruits. As examples we can highlight the tangelos (tangerine and grapefruit), the cucumber and pineberries (two kinds of strawberry with some pineapple).

Does this affect our health?

All the seedless watermelons they still are just as nutritious. However, we must emphasize that we do lose some nutrients when we eliminate them. For example: magnesium y zinc present in the seeds. However, this lack is compensated by a greater presence of water, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium or potassium in the places previously occupied by the seeds.

The species we cultivate change. We have been selecting them for centuries to obtain the best specimens. Did you know that originally the carrot was home? In this case, the seedless watermelon was created to eat with less difficulty. What do you think the fruits of the future will be like? Where are we going?

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