Is there a significant taste difference between red and yellow flesh watermelons ? Does one tend to be sweeter than the other ? Is there any other valuable trait that would be correlated with flesh color ?
Watermelon flesh color is controlled by several genes to produce scarlet red, coral red, orange, salmon yellow, canary yellow, or white. Canary yellow (C) is dominant to other colored flesh (c). Coral red flesh (Y) is dominant to salmon yellow (y). Orange flesh (y-o) is a member of multiple allelic system at that locus, where Y (coral red flesh) is dominant to both y-o (orange flesh) and y (salmon yellow), and y-o (orange flesh) is dominant to y (salmon yellow). In a separate study, two loci with epistatic interaction controlled white, yellow, and red flesh. Yellow flesh (B) is dominant to red flesh.
Last year, I was able to harvest Blactail Mountain (it was my best producer), Sugar Baby, Cream of Saskatchewan and a few Sweet Siberian.
Andrew Barney wrote: p.s. It is interesting that Blacktail Mountain was your best producer. It has consistently been my worst. Failed miserably at least three times i tried it. Even Joseph has commented that it has not done well for him, so neither of us recommend it to people. But hey, if it did well for you then great! I like Yellow Doll for a Canary yellow and Sweet Dakota Rose for a red. But i like my grex/landrace better because it has both in it with other possible great combinations adapted to my garden.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:I constantly struggle as a plant breeder with the question: "Should I be breeding what people want? Or what they really need?"
People want little squash. That might weigh a pound, so that by the time they cook it they can feed the whole family. Problem is, that a squash plant is going to produce one fruit... Doesn't matter to the plant if that fruit is 20 pounds, or if it's one pound. Each plant takes the same labor, fertilizer, growing season, space etc... But productivity is 20 times better in one variety than the other. So which variety should I be breeding? Which should I be taking to market?
I'm leaning more all the time towards growing what people need, and to heck with their wants. Really? People can't cut a 5# squash in pieces and make several meals out of it?
Western Montana gardener and botanist in zone 6a according to 2012 zone update.
Gardening on lakebed sediments with 7 inch silty clay loam topsoil, 7 inch clay accumulation layer underneath, have added sand in places.
There were millions of the little blood suckers. But thanks to this tiny ad, I wasn't bitten once.
Willow Feeder Movie Kickstarter is happening now!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/willow-feeders
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