b'and ready-to-eat offerings that require the fruit to behave well after processing.And then there is format itself. Smaller sizes, mini categories, and con-sumer-friendly weight ranges are not nov-eltythey are answers to how households shop today. Breeding for size is not just about big or small; its about uniform-ity, pack-out, retail display, and eating occasions.COLOURS: INNOVATION, NICHE, AND THE DOMINANCE OF REDIf seedless is the macro-trend, colour is a more nuanced one. The watermelon uni-verse now includes scarlet reds and crim-son reds alongside orange, canary yellow and salmon yellow. But are breeders truly pursuing these coloursand what does it do to breeding priorities?Sarria Villada says diversifying flesh and skin colours is one of the key pillars of innovation. He notes that his programme has introduced seedless yellow-flesh vari-eties and one of the worlds first seedless orange-flesh varieties, recognised with an Innovation Award at Fruit Attraction 2024.Francisco Xavier Lopez Fernandez,Juan Antonio Fernndez is the Semillas Fito watermelon breeder and Francisco Xavier Lopez Fernandez global crop coordinator at Semillas Fito,is the global crop coordinator at Semillas Fito.offers a contrasting framing: yellow and orange remain niche markets. For most of the market, deep red colour that remainsficienthas a strong future, if quality stays stable even after long shipping dominatesconsistent.the agenda, concentrating the vast majority of effort. He adds that because many breed- THE MODERN TARGET LIST, ing programmes focused on red for years,SUMMARISEDred varieties are far ahead in agronomic andAcross all answers, watermelon breeding quality features compared with other colours. targets now fall into a few major clusters:This tensioninnovation versusGrower performance: yield, marketable volumeis familiar in breeding. Nichepercentage, uniformity, stability across traits can be exciting and brand-building,environments, predictable behaviour, and but the bulk of investment often stays whereearlier maturity where it provides advan-the bulk of demand lives. Even amongtage.breeders who pursue colour diversification, Fruit quality: sweetness and flavour, fleshit has to sit alongside the essentials: yield,colour, texture, firmness, and internal consistency, transportability and flavour. consistency.Supply chain traits: long-distance trans-THE CULTURAL ROLE OFportability, shelf life, and resilience to WATERMELON, AND WHY IThandling and retail conditions.MATTERS TO BREEDERS Consumer convenience: seedless systems, Maestre adds an angle that moves beyondmicroseed options, and new formats like pure product specs. In many regions, heEmilio Sarria Villada (middle) is the breedingminis and portion sizes.notes, watermelon is more than a fruit: itmanager watermelon, squash and beans at I nnovation and differentiation: colour is tradition and celebration, and in someRijk Zwaan. diversification and premium eating expe-contexts even a source of survival becauserienceswithout sacrificing reliability.it stores water. He also points out water- And this might be one reason the cropPart 2 will follow the how: how melons efficiency: producing one kilogramis seeing continued growth and reinven- breeders handle polygenic traits and envi-requires roughly 50 litres of water. Thattion. Even while breeders are pushed toronment interactions, how disease pressure sort of framing is not only marketing; itsolve technical problems, they also sensereshapes programmes, how genetic diversity influences breeding priorities around sus- opportunity: a fruit that can be convenient,is expanded, and which molecular and new tainability, resource use, and the idea ofhealthy, refreshing, and culturally mean- breeding techniques are becoming central watermelon as a climate-relevant crop. ingfulwhile also being relatively water-ef- to progress. FEBRUARY 2026|SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 17'