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Old 27-07-2003, 06:43 AM
Jay Casey
 
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Default Who invented seedless watermelon (and when)?

I just learned that the information on Purdue U site is indeed correct.
Another Korean pointed me to a Korean site that clarified it.
For a long time, Koreans thought Dr. Wu Jang Choon invented seedless
watermelon, when in fact, he was the first Korean to demonstrated it in
Korea.
He never claimed to be the inventor. He was merely demonstrating the power
of the genetics. However, this revered Korean scientist was falsely
credited (by and amongst Koreans) for decades after his death in 1959.
It is indeed a Japanese scientist who invented it. Thanks for your info.


"Steve Coyle" wrote in message
om...
Howdy folks,
In regards to this post:

"Jay Casey" wrote in message

m...
Japanese scientists?
Someone told me that it was a Korean scientist named Dr. Wu or Dr. Woo.

I
was hoping if someone could confirm it.
It ended up with more supposedly inventors.
Thanks for detailed info, though.

I spent a little time and found the article from Perdue I had read
about seedless watermelons. It gives the lineage of the folks working
on the seedless watermelon aside, from Kihara and Nishiyama, this
gentleman O.J. Eigsti did an intensive breeding program and seems like
an interesting character, I'd like to read more about.
Doesn't surprise me about the Japanese, I imagine getting
watermelon seeds out of a tatami mat could be quite a problem in the
kitchen.
The Perdue site also talks about green melons from the mideast and
the problems with yellow watermelons. In addition it has results from
field trials (In Indiana ) of a number of seedless watermelons.
It's at:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/p...93/v2-547.html

Take care,
Steve Coyle
www.austingardencenter.com