Breeding of the New Watermelon Hybrid "Fengle Heiyoumei"

Fengle Heiyoumei is a new watermelon variety bred by Hefei Fengle Seed Co. Ltd. It uses inbred line FL04181 as female parent and inbred line FL04263 as male parent. The female line is derived from ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) induced mutant of Fengle No.6. The male line is developed from multi-parent cross and pedigree selection. The hybrid fruit matures 110 days from sowing and 35 days from flowering. The fruit is oblong shape with very dark skin. The flesh is red, fine, crisp and sweet. The center soluble solid content is more than 12%. It produces vigorous plant and set fruit easily. The average fruit weighs 8-10 kg. The 667 m2 yield is about 3 800 kg.