An enhanced, diploid pollenizer watermelon plant and method used to
maximize the yield of triploid seedless watermelons per area. The
enhanced pollenizer watermelon plant of the invention is either a hybrid
variety, an open-pollinated variety or a synthetic variety, that exhibits
the characteristics of small leaves and fruit with a brittle rind that
splits when the fruit is overripe or breaks when relatively small
physical forces are applied. The watermelon plant of the invention is
also preferably characterized by extended flowering duration, thereby
increasing the number of triploid watermelon flowers that are pollinated
and set fruit. The method for producing a seedless watermelon fruit,
includes the steps of providing a pollenizer diploid watermelon plant,
extending the duration of flowering of the pollenizer plant while
reducing the number of such plants needed to pollenize the same number of
triploid watermelon plants, and maximizing dispersal of the pollenizer
watermelon plant throughout the field of triploid watermelon plants.