Seeded Watermelon over Seedless Ones Everytime

Here we are once again. Another wonderful and joyous watermelon season. One of my favorite times of year.  Ever since I was a child, summers meant enjoying a nice big, juicy watermelon every so often. I used to get annoyed with the seeds but as I gain more maturity and information I have learned that the seeds in the watermelon have so many health benefits. Before we get into that, let's share the some facts about seeded and seedless watermelon.

According to The Kitchn , "Seeded Watermelon is what we know as a traditional watermelon. It’s extra large and oblong with a thick green rind, pink flesh, and black seeds. The seeds are fertile, which means that they would grow into a watermelon plant if planted. For a long time, this was the only kind of watermelon that existed. 

Seedless watermelons were created over 50 years ago. To make this kind of fruit possible, male pollen for watermelons, which has 22 chromosomes per cell, is crossed with female watermelon flowers that have been chemically altered to have 44 chromosomes per cell instead of 22. Some report that no genetic modification is involved in this process. Instead, the resulting watermelon is a triploid, meaning it has 33 chromosomes instead of 22. This makes it a sterile hybrid of traditional watermelon, which means it’s incapable of producing mature, and therefore, fertile, black seeds. So any seeds the fruit tries to produce remain immature hollow shells, which are the white seeds that are so common in seedless watermelons."

So I have a few question...

How do these sterile hybrids affect us on a cellular level?

Are seedless watermelon genetically modified? 

According to Home Guides "The process of creating a seedless watermelon is straightforward. First, the fruit grows from a plant or a flower. Then, each flower produces pollen, which scientists mechanically transmit to another flower. Scientists cut the male flower at the stem and rub the pollen-producing section against the female flower. When pollinated, it creates a watermelon, which contains the seeds of the seedless variety. So, yes, in this sense, seedless watermelons are genetically modified through a careful process of select breeding. However, the process of selective breeding is not the USDA’s definition of GMO, but the genes are manipulated to create a desired trait, which is seedlessness."

Another fact that I found interesting is that drugs were once used to create seedless watermelons. 

Home Guides also states "Seedless watermelons were first grown using a drug called colchicine. These first hybrid watermelons, produced by Japanese scientists Kihara and Nishiyama in 1939, made use of the chemical to help induce the production of seedless fruit. The U.S. Vegetable Breeding Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, developed three breeding lines of the watermelon. When the seedless watermelons grow, they have a characteristic larger blossom scar when compared with the diploid (seeded) variety." 

There are so many benefits of eating and growing seeded watermelon. According to Home Stratosphere "Watermelons are healthy for you, whether seeded or seedless; the red flesh contains a good source of potassium, water, and antioxidants that help prevent certain diseases. It is good to note that watermelon seeds are very nutritious if you want to chew and eat them. They contain high amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and B vitamins. They are also good sources of amino acids and essential fatty acids. This is only relevant if you swallow them after chewing; they will not be digested if they are swallowed whole." I love chewing on watermelon seeds now. 

According to these three articles eating seedless watermelon can also provide health benefits. Many important nutrients are lost by eating the seedless watermelon and not consuming the seeds. That is why for me, it is seeded over seedless every time. 

Some more reasons why I love seeded watermelon