WATERMELON VARIETY NUN 31408 WMW

Abstract

The invention provides a new and distinct hybrid variety of Watermelon, NUN 31408 WMW, as well as seeds and plants and fruits thereof.

Claims

1. A hybrid, plant part or seed of triploid Watermelon variety NUN 31408 WMW, wherein a representative sample of seed of said variety is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______.

2. The plant part of claim 1, further defined as a leaf, a seed a fruit, a scion, a root, a rootstock, cutting, flower or a part of any of these or a cell.

3. A seed that produces the plant of claim 1.

4. A Watermelon plant which does not significantly differ from the plant of claim 1 in all of the distinguishing characteristics selected from the group consisting of : 1) Leaf length; 2) Leaf length; 3) Mature fruit length; 4) Mature fruit weight; 5) Refractometer % of soluble solids of juice (centre of fruit); 6) Flesh firmness; and 7) Flower diameter across staminate, or a part of said plant.

5. A Watermelon plant which does not differ from the plant of claim 1 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown under the same environmental conditions, or a part of said plant.

6. A tissue or cell culture comprising cells of the plant of claim 1.

7. The tissue or cell culture according to claim 6, comprising cells or protoplasts derived from a plant part selected from the group of plant parts suitable for vegetative reproduction, preferably from the group consisting of embryos, meristems, cotyledons, hypocotyl, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistil, petiole, flower, fruit, seed, stem and stalks.

8. A Watermelon plant regenerated from the tissue or cell culture of claim 6 or 7, wherein the plant has all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of the plant of NUN 31408 WMW, or one characteristic that is different from NUN 31408 WMW, when the characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same environmental conditions, and wherein a representative sample of seed of NUN 31408 WMW is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______.

9. The plant of claim 8, where the different characteristic is effected by a mutation or by transformation.

10. A method of producing the plant of claim 1, comprising vegetative propagation of at least a part of NUN 31408 WMW, wherein a representative sample of seed of said variety is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said vegetative propagation comprises regenerating a whole plant from said part of NUN 31408 WMW, wherein a representative sample of seed of said variety is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said part is a cutting, a cell culture or a tissue culture.

13. A vegetative propagated plant, or a part of said propagated plant, propagated from the plant of claim 1 or the plant part of claim 2 wherein the vegetative propagated plant has all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of the plant of NUN 31408 WMW, or one characteristic that is different from NUN 31408 WMW, when the characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same conditions, and wherein a representative sample of seed of NUN 31408 WMW is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______.

14. A Watermelon plant having one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics which are different from those of the plant of claim 1 and which otherwise has all the physiological and morphological characteristics of the plant of claim 1, when determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same environmental conditions.

15. The plant of claim 14, where the different characteristic is effected by a mutation or by transformation.

16. The plant of claim 1 further comprising a single locus conversion, wherein said plant has all or all but one, two or three of the morphological and physiological characteristics of the plant of NUN 31408 WMW, wherein a representative sample of seed of said variety is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______, when said characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same environmental conditions when grown under the same environmental conditions, optionally wherein the single locus conversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.

17. A doubled haploid cell or plant made from haploid cells of NUN 31408 WMW wherein a representative sample of seed of NUN 31408 WMW is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______.

18. Use of the cell or plant of claim 17 in a method for generating parental lines of NUN 31408 WMW.

19. A method of producing a combination of parental lines of the plant of claim 1 comprising the steps of a. defining a set of genetic markers that are present in a heterozygous form in NUN 31408 WMW b. producing doubled haploid lines from NUN 31408 WMW: c. genetically characterizing the doubled haploid lines to determine whether they are present in a first homozygous form or in a second homozygous form; d. selecting at least one pair of doubled haploid lines that have complementary alleles for at least a subset of the genetic markers, wherein each member of the pair is suitable as a parental line for a hybrid organism.

20. A combination of parental lines generated by the method of claim 19.

21. A combination of two inbred plants which when crossed produce a seed or plant of claim 1.

22. A plant comprising the scion or rootstock of claim 2.

23. A container comprising a plant, plant part or seed of claim 1.

24. A food or feed product or a processed product comprising the plant part of claim 2.

25. A method of producing a Watermelon fruit, comprising: a. Growing a plant of claim 1 until it sets fruit b. Collecting the fruit of step a)

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] The present invention relates to a plant of NUN 31408 WMW wherein a representative sample of seeds of said variety is deposited under the Budapest Treaty, with Accession number NCIMB______.

[0064] The present invention also relates to a seed of Watermelon variety, referred to as NUN 31408 WMW, wherein a representative sample of said seed is deposited under the Budapest Treaty, with Accession number NCIMB ______.

[0065] In another aspect, the invention provides for a Watermelon plant part of variety NUN 31408 WMW, preferably a fruit, a representative sample of seed from said variety is deposited under the Budapest Treaty, with Accession number NCIMB ______.

[0066] A seed of hybrid variety NUN 31408 WMW is obtainable by crossing the male parent of said variety with the female parent of said variety and harvesting the seeds produced on the female parent. The resultant seeds of said variety can be grown to produce plants of said variety. In one embodiment a seed or a plurality of seeds of said variety are packaged into a containers of any size or type (e.g., bags, cartons, cans, etc.). The seed may be disinfected, primed and/or treated with various compounds, such as seed coatings or crop protection compounds. The seed produces a plant of NUN 31408 WMW.

[0067] Also provided is a plant of Watermelon variety NUN 31408 WMW, or a fruit or other plant part thereof, produced from a seed, wherein a representative sample of said seeds is deposited under the Budapest Treaty, with Accession Number NCIMB ______.

[0068] Also a plant part obtained from variety NUN 31408 WMW is provided, wherein said plant part is selected from the group consisting of: a fruit, a harvested fruit, a part of a fruit, a leaf, a part of a leaf, pollen, an ovule, a cell, a petiole, a shoot or a part thereof, a stem or a part thereof, a root or a part thereof, a root tip, a cutting, a seed, a part of a seed, hypocotyl, cotyledon, a scion, a stock, a rootstock, a pistil, an anther, and a flower or a part thereof. Fruits are particularly important plant parts. Fruits may be parthenocarpic, or seedless, or contain immature and/or nonviable seeds. In a further embodiment, the plant part obtained from variety NUN 31408 WMW is a cell, optionally a cell in a cell or tissue culture. That cell may be grown into a plant of NUN 31408 WMW. A part of a variety of the invention, i.e. NUN 31408 WMW (or of progeny NUN 31408 WMW or of a plant having all physiological and/or morphological characteristics but one, two or three which are different from those of NUN 31408 WMW) further encompasses any cells, tissues, organs obtainable from the seedlings or plants in any stage of maturity.

[0069] The invention also provides for a food or feed product or a processed product comprising or consisting of a plant part described herein wherein the plant part can be identified as a part of the plant of the invention. Preferably, the plant part is a Watermelon fruit or part thereof and/or an extract from a fruit or another plant part described herein comprising at least one cell of NUN 31408 WMW. The food or feed product may be fresh or processed, e.g., dried, grinded, powdered, pickled, chopped, cooked, roasted, in a sauce, in a sandwich, pasted, pured or concentrated, juiced, pickled, canned, steamed, boiled, fried, blanched and/or frozen, etc.

[0070] Such a plant part of NUN 31408 WMW can be stored and/or processed further. Encompassed are therefore also food or feed products comprising one or more of such parts, such as canned, chopped, cooked, roasted, in a sauce, in a sandwich, pasted, pured or concentrated, juiced, frozen, dried, pickled, or powdered Watermelon fruit from NUN 31408 WMW or from progeny of said varieties, or from a derived variety, such as a plant having all but one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW.

[0071] In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides for a Watermelon fruit of variety NUN 31408 WMW, or a part of a fruit of said varieties. The fruit can be in any stage of maturity, for example immature or mature. In another embodiment, the invention provides for a container comprising or consisting of a plurality of harvested Watermelon fruits or parts of fruits of said variety, or fruits of progeny thereof, or fruits of a derived variety.

[0072] In another embodiment the plant, plant part or seed of NUN 31408 WMW is inside a container, For example, containers such as cans, boxes, crates, bags, cartons, Modified Atmosphere Packagings, films (e.g. biodegradable films), etc. comprising a plant or a part of a plant (fresh and/or processed) of NUN 31408 WMW or a seed of NUN 31408 WMW are also provided herein. In a preferred embodiment, the container comprises a plurality of seeds of NUN 31408 WMW, or a plurality of plant parts of NUN 31408 WMW.

[0073] The present invention further relates to a Watermelon variety, referred to as NUN 31408 WMW whichwhen compared to its REFERENCE VARIETY Bostonhas the following distinguishing characteristics : 1) Leaf length; 2) Leaf length; 3) Mature fruit length; 4) Mature fruit weight; 5) Refractometer % of soluble solids of juice (centre of fruit); 6) Flesh firmness; and 7) Flower diameter across staminate, where the characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same environmental conditions. Also encompassed by the present invention are parts of that plant.

[0074] In one embodiment a plant of NUN 31408 WMW or a progeny plant thereof, comprises all of the following morphological and/or physiological characteristics (i.e. average values of distinguishing characteristics, as indicated on the USDA Objective description of varietyWatermelon (unless indicated otherwise)): 1) Leaf length; 2) Leaf length; 3) Mature fruit length; 4) Mature fruit weight; 5) Refractometer % of soluble solids of juice (centre of fruit); 6) Flesh firmness; and 7) Flower diameter across staminate, where the characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same environmental conditions. An example of values for the distinguishing characteristics collected in a trial run according to UDSA requirements can be found in Table 1. A part of this plant is also provided.

[0075] The invention further provides a Watermelon plant which does not differ from the plant of NUN 31408 WMW as determined at the 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% or 5% significance level when grown under the same environmental conditions. Thus the plants are measured in the same trial. Preferably, the trial is conducted as recommended by the USDA or UPOV. The invention also comprises a part of said plant

[0076] The invention also provides a tissue or cell culture comprising cells of NUN 31408 WMW. Such a tissue culture can be for example be grown on plates or in liquid culture, or be frozen for long term storage. The cells of NUN 31408 WMW used to start the culture can be selected from any plant part suitable for vegetative reproduction, or in a preferred embodiment can be selected from embryos, meristems, cotyledons, hypocotyl, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistil, petiole, flower, fruit, seed, stem and stalks of NUN 31408 WMW. In another preferred embodiment, the tissue culture does not contain somaclonal variation or has reduced somaclonal variation. The skilled person is familiar with methods to reduce somaclonal variation, including regular reinitiation.

[0077] In one embodiment the invention provides a Watermelon plant regenerated from the tissue or cell culture of NUN 31408 WMW, wherein the regenerated plant is not significantly different from NUN 31408 WMW in all, or all but one, two or three, of the physiological and morphological characteristics (determined at the 5% significance level when grown under the same environmental conditions). Optionally, the plant has one, two or three the physiological and morphological characteristics that are effected by a mutation or by transformation. In another embodiment, the invention provides a Watermelon plant regenerated from the tissue or cell culture of NUN 31408 WMW, wherein the plant has all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of said variety determined at the 5% significance level when grown under the same environmental conditions. In these cases, similarity or difference of a characteristic is determined by measuring the characteristics of a representative number of plants grown under the same environmental conditions, determining whether type/degree characteristics are the same or different and determining whether numerical characteristics are significantly different (determined at the 5% significance level).

[0078] A Watermelon according to the invention, such as NUN 31408 WMW, or its progeny, or a plant having all physiological and/or morphological characteristics but one, two or three which are different from those of NUN 31408 WMW, can also be reproduced using vegetative reproduction methods. Therefore, the invention provides for a method of producing a plant, or a part thereof, of variety NUN 31408 WMW, comprising vegetative propagation of said variety. Vegetative propagation comprises regenerating a whole plant from a plant part of variety NUN 31408 WMW (or from a progeny of said variety or from or a plant having all physiological and/or morphological characteristics of said variety but one, two or three different characteristics), such as a cutting, a cell culture or a tissue culture.

[0079] The invention also concerns methods of vegetatively propagating a part of the plant of the invention NUN 31408 WMW. In certain embodiments, the method comprises the steps of: (a) collecting tissue or cells capable of being propagated from a plant of the invention; (b) cultivating said tissue or cells to obtain proliferated shoots; and (c) rooting said proliferated shoots, to obtain rooted plantlets. Steps (b) and (c) may also be reversed, i.e. first cultivating said tissue to obtain roots and then cultivating the tissue to obtain shoots, thereby obtaining rooted plantlets. The rooted plantlets may then be further grown, to obtain plants. In one embodiment, the method further comprises step (d) growing plants from said rooted plantlets. Therefore, the method also comprises regenerating a whole plant from said part of NUN 31408 WMW.

[0080] In a preferred embodiment, the part of the plant to be propagated is is a cutting, a cell culture or a tissue culture.

[0081] The invention also provides for a vegetatively propagated plant of variety NUN 31408 WMW (or from progeny of said variety or from or a plant having all but one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW) wherein the plant has all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW when the characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same conditions. In another embodiment, the propagated plant has all but one, two or three of the morphological and physiological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW when the characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same conditions. A part of said propagated plant or said propagated plant with one, two or three differences is also included.

[0082] In an embodiment, the invention provides a method for producing a Watermelon plant, comprising the steps of: [0083] a. Growing a plant of NUN 31408 WMW until it sets fruit [0084] b. Collecting the fruit of step a) [0085] Preferably, the fruit is collected at harvest maturity. In another embodiment, the fruit is collected when the seed is ripe. A plant of NUN 31408 WMW can be produced by seeding directly in the soil (e.g., field) or by germinating the seeds in controlled environment conditions (e.g., greenhouses) and optionally then transplanting the seedlings into the field. For example, the seed can be sown into prepared seed beds where they will remain for the entire production the crop. In still another aspect the invention provides a method of producing a Watermelon plant, comprising crossing a plant of Watermelon NUN 31408 WMW with a second Watermelon plant at least once, allowing seed to develop and optionally harvesting said progeny seed. The skilled person can select progeny from said crossing. Optionally, the progeny is crossed twice, thrice, or four, five, six or seven times, and allowed to set seed. In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in crossing comprises planting seeds of a first and a second parent Watermelon plant, often in proximity so that pollination will occur; for example, mediated by insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually. Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without the need for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation. After pollination the plant can produce seed.

[0086] In yet another aspect the invention provides a method of producing a plant, comprising selfing a plant of variety NUN 31408 WMW one or more times, and selecting a progeny plant from said selfing. In one aspect the progeny plant retains all the distinguishing characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW described above. In a different embodiment the progeny plant comprises all (or all but one, two or three) of the physiological and morphological characteristic of NUN 31408 WMW of Table 1, and/or Table 2. In a further embodiment the progeny plant comprises all physiological and morphological characteristic of NUN 31408 WMW when grown under the same environmental conditions.

[0087] In other aspects, the invention provides a progeny plant of variety NUN 31408 WMW such as a progeny plant obtained by further breeding that variety. Further breeding with the variety of the invention includes selfing that variety one or more times and/or cross-pollinating that variety with another Watermelon plant or variety one or more times. In particular, the invention provides for a progeny plant that retains all the essential morphological and physiological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW or, in another embodiment, a progeny plant that retains all, or all but one, two or three, of the morphological and physiological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW, optionally all or all but one, two or three of the characteristics as listed in Table 1 and/or 2, when grown under the same environmental conditions, determined at the 5% significance level for numerical characteristics. In a preferred embodiment, the progeny is a first generation progeny, i.e. the ovule or the pollen (or both) used in the crossing is an ovule or pollen of variety NUN 31408 WMW, i.e. the pollen comes from an anther of NUN 31408 WMW and the ovule comes from an ovary of NUN 31408 WMW. In another aspect, the invention provides for a vegetative reproduction of the variety and a plant having all, or all but 1, 2, or 3 of the physiological and morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW (e.g. as listed in Table 1 and/or 2).

[0088] The morphological and/or physiological differences between two different individual plants of the invention (e.g. between NUN 31408 WMW and a progeny of NUN 31408 WMW) or between a plant of NUN 31408 WMW or progeny of said variety, or a plant having all, or all but 1, 2, or 3, of the physiological and morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW (or all, or all but 1, 2, or 3 of the characteristics as listed in Table 1 and/or 2) and another known variety can easily be established by growing said variety next to each other or next to the other variety (in the same field, under the same environmental conditions), preferably in several locations which are suitable for said Watermelon cultivation, and measuring morphological and/or physiological characteristics of a number of plants (e.g., to calculate an average value and to determine the variation range/uniformity within the variety). For example, trials can be carried out in Acampo Calif., USA (N 38 degrees 07 261/W 121 degrees 18 807, USA, whereby various characteristics, for example maturity, days from seeding to harvest, plant habit, plant attitude, leaf shape, leaf color, blistering, numbers of flowers per leaf axil, number of calyx lobes, number of petals, fruit group, immature fruit color, mature fruit color, pungency, flavor, fruit glossiness, fruit size, fruit shape, average number of fruits per plant, seed size, seed weight, anthocyanin level, disease resistance, insect resistance, can be measured and directly compared for species of Watermelon. Thus, the invention comprises Watermelon plant having one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics which are different from those of the plant of NUN 31408 WMW and which otherwise has all the physiological and morphological characteristics of the plant of NUN 31408 WMW, when determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same environmental conditions. In a preferred embodiment, the different characteristic is effected by a mutation or by transformation.

[0089] The morphological and physiological characteristics (and the distinguishing characteristics) of NUN 31408 WMW are provided in the Examples, in Table 1 and/or 2. Encompassed herein is also a plant obtainable from NUN 31408 WMW (e.g. by selfings and/or crossing and/or backcrossing with said variety and/or progeny of said variety) comprising all or all but one, two or three of the physiological and morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW listed in Table 1 and/or 2 as determined at the 5% significance level for numerical characteristics or identical for non-numerical characteristics when grown under the same environmental conditions and/or comprising one or more (or all; or all except one, two or three) characteristics when grown under the same environmental conditions.

[0090] Also at-harvest and/or post-harvest characteristics of fruits can be compared, such as cold storage holding quality, post-harvest flesh firmness, and Brix can be measured using known methods. (Fruit) Flesh firmness can for example be measured using a penetrometer, e.g. by inserting a probe into the fruit flesh and determining the insertion force, or by other methods. Fruit flesh firmness can for example be measured using a FT 327 Penetrometer, available from QA Supplies LLC, 1185 Pineridge Road, Norfolk, Va. 23502.

[0091] The morphological and/or physiological characteristics may vary somewhat with variation in the environment (such as temperature, light intensity, day length, humidity, soil, fertilizer use), which is why a comparison under the same environmental conditions is preferred. Colors can best be measured against The Munsell Book of Color (Munsell Color Macbeth Division of Kollmorgan Instruments Corporation) or using the Royal Horticultural Society Chart (World Wide Web at rhs.org.uk/Plants/RHS-Publications/RHS-colour-charts).

[0092] In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides for a Watermelon fruit of variety NUN 31408 WMW, or a part of a fruit of said varieties. In another embodiment, the invention provides for a container comprising or consisting of a plurality of harvested Watermelon fruits or parts of fruits of said variety, or fruits of progeny thereof, or fruits of a derived variety.

[0093] In yet a further embodiment, the invention provides for a method of producing a new Watermelon plant. The method comprises crossing a plant of the invention i.e. NUN 31408 WMW, or a plant comprising all but 1, 2, or 3 of the morphological and physiological characteristics of said variety (as listed in Table 1 and/or 2), or a progeny plant thereof, either as male or as female parent, with a second Watermelon plant (or a wild relative of Watermelon) one or more times, and/or selfing a Watermelon plant according to the invention i.e. NUN 31408 WMW, or a progeny plant thereof, one or more times, and selecting progeny from said crossing and/or selfing. The second Watermelon plant may for example be a line or variety of the species Citrullus lanatus, or other Citrullus species or even other Cucurbitacea species).

[0094] The invention provides for methods of producing plants which retain all the morphological and physiological characteristics of a plant of the invention i.e. NUN 31408 WMW. The invention provides also for methods of producing a plant comprising all but 1, 2, or 3 or more of the morphological and physiological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW (e.g. as listed in Table 1 and/or 2), but which are still genetically closely related to said variety. The relatedness can, for example be determined by fingerprinting techniques (e.g., making use of isozyme markers and/or molecula markers such as Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers, microsatellites, minisatellites, Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers and others). A plant is closely related to NUN 31408 WMW if its DNA fingerprint is at least 80%, 90%, 95% or 98% identical to the fingerprint of NUN 31408 WMW. In a preferred embodiment AFLP markers are used for DNA fingerprinting (Vos et al. 1995, Nucleic Acid Research 23: 4407-4414). A closely related plant may have a Jaccard's Similarity index of at least about 0.8, preferably at least about 0.9, 0.95, 0.98 or more (Gama et al., 2013. Horticultura Brasileira 31: 522-527).

[0095] The invention also provides a plant and a variety obtained or selected by applying these methods on NUN 31408 WMW. Such a plant may be produced by crossing and/or selfing, or alternatively, a plant may simply be identified and selected amongst plants of said variety, or progeny of said variety, e.g. by identifying a variant within NUN 31408 WMW or within progeny of said variety (e.g. produced by selfing) which variant differs from NUN 31408 WMW in one, two or three of the morphological and/or physiological characteristics (e.g. in one, two or three distinguishing characteristics), e.g. those listed in Table 1 and/or 2 or others. In one embodiment the invention provides a Watermelon plant having a Jaccard's Similarity index with NUN 31408 WMW of at least 0.8, e.g. at least 0.85, 0.9, 0.95, 0.98 or even at least 0.99.

[0096] WO2013182646 which is incorporated by reference, relates to a non-destructive method for analyzing maternal DNA of a seed. In this method the DNA is dislodged from the seed coat surface and can be used to collect information on the genome of the maternal parent of the seed. This method for analyzing maternal DNA of a seed, comprises the steps of contacting a seed with a fluid to dislodge DNA from the seed coat surface, and analyzing the DNA thus dislodged from the seed coat surface using methods known in the art. The skilled person is thus able to determine whether a seed has grown on a plant of a plant of the invention i.e. NUN 31408 WMW is a progeny of said variety, because the seed coat of the seed is a maternal tissue genetically identical to NUN 31408 WMW. Thus the skilled person can determine the genetics of the female parent of NUN 31408 WMW.

[0097] By crossing and/or selfing also (one or more) single traits may be introduced into the variety of the invention i.e. NUN 31408 WMW (e.g., using backcrossing breeding schemes), while retaining the remaining morphological and physiological characteristics of said variety and/or while retaining one or more or all distinguishing characteristics. A single trait converted plant may thereby be produced. For example, disease resistance genes may be introduced, genes responsible for one or more quality traits, yield, etc. Both single genes (e.g. dominant or recessive) and one or more QTLs (quantitative trait loci) may be transferred into NUN 31408 WMW by breeding with said variety.

[0098] Alternatively, a single trait converted plant or single locus converted plant of NUN 31408 WMW may be produced by the following steps [0099] a. obtaining a cell or tissue culture of cells of NUN 31408 WMW; [0100] b. genetically transforming or mutating said cells; [0101] c. growing the cells into a plant; and [0102] d. optionally selecting a plant that contains the desired single locus conversion [0103] The skilled person is familiar with various techniques for genetically transforming a single locus in a plant cell, or mutating said cells.

[0104] Any pest or disease resistance genes may be introduced into a plant according to the invention, i.e. NUN 31408 WMW, progeny of said variety or into a plant comprising all but 1, 2, or 3 or more of the morphological and physiological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW (e.g. as listed in Table 1). Resistance to one or more of the following diseases or pests is preferably introduced into plants of the invention: Anthracnose, Downy Mildew, Fusarium Wilt, Gummy Stem Blight, Squash Mosaic, Watermelon Mosaic, Powdery Mildew, Cucumber Mosaic, Sunburn and Root Knot. Other resistance genes, against pathogenic viruses, fungi, bacteria, nematodes, insects or other pests may also be introduced.

[0105] Thus, invention also provides a method for developing a Watermelon plant in a Watermelon breeding program, using a Watermelon plant of the invention, or its parts as a source of plant breeding material. Suitable plant breeding techniques are recurrent selection, backcrossing, pedigree breeding, mass selection, mutation breeding and/or genetic marker enhanced selection. For example, in one aspect, the method comprises crossing NUN 31408 WMW or progeny of said variety, or a plant comprising all but 1, 2, or 3 or more of the morphological and physiological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW (e.g. as listed in Table 1 and/or 2), with a different Watermelon plant, and wherein one or more offspring of the crossing are subject to one or more plant breeding techniques selected from the group consisting of recurrent selection, backcrossing, pedigree breeding, mass selection, mutation breeding and genetic marker enhanced selection (see e.g. see e.g. Martin et al. 2008, Australian Journal of Crop Science 1(2): 43-46). For breeding methods in general see Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding, 2007, George Acquaah, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-3646-4.

[0106] The invention also provides a Watermelon plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of Watermelon variety NUN 31408 WMW, where a sample of seed of said variety is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______; optionally further comprising a single locus conversion or a mutation, wherein said plant has essentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of the plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of said variety. In another embodiment, this single locus conversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting of yield, storage properties, color, male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.

[0107] In one embodiment, a plant according to the invention, i.e. NUN 31408 WMW may also be mutated (by e.g. irradiation, chemical mutagenesis, heat treatment, etc.) and mutated seeds or plants may be selected in order to change one or more characteristics of said variety. Methods such as TILLING may be applied to Watermelon populations in order to identify mutants. Similarly, NUN 31408 WMW may be transformed and regenerated, whereby one or more chimeric genes are introduced into the variety or into a plant comprising all but 1, 2, 3, or more of the morphological and physiological characteristics (e.g. as listed in Table 1 and/or 2). Transformation can be carried out using standard methods, such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation or biolistics, followed by selection of the transformed cells and regeneration into plants. A desired trait (e.g. genes conferring pest or disease resistance, herbicide, fungicide or insecticide tolerance, etc.) can be introduced into NUN 31408 WMW, or progeny of said variety, by transforming said variety or progeny of said variety with a transgene that confers the desired trait, wherein the transformed plant retains all or all but one, two or three of the phenotypic and/or morphological and/or physiological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW or the progeny of said variety and contains the desired trait.

[0108] The invention also provides a plant or a cell of a plant comprising a desired trait produced by mutating a plant of variety NUN 31408 WMW or a cell thereof and selecting a plant the desired trait, wherein the mutated plant retains all or all but one of the phenotypic and morphological characteristics of said variety, optionally as described for each variety in in Table 1 and/or 2, and contains the desired trait and wherein a representative sample of seed of variety NUN 31408 WMW is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______. In a further embodiment, the desired trait is selected from the group consisting of yield, compact Watermelon, fruit quality, male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, Powdery mildew resistance without necrosis, environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism, modified protein metabolism and ripening.

[0109] The invention also provides a plant having one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics which are different from those of NUN 31408 WMW and which otherwise has all the physiological and morphological characteristics of said variety, wherein a representative sample of seed of variety NUN 31408 WMW is deposited under Accession Number NCIMB ______. In particular variants which differ from NUN 31408 WMW in none, one, two or three of the characteristics mentioned in Table 1 and/or 2 are encompassed.

[0110] A part of a variety of the invention, i.e. NUN 31408 WMW (or of progeny of said varieties or of a plant having all physiological and/or morphological characteristics but one, two or three which are different from those of said variety) encompasses any cells, tissues, organs obtainable from the seedlings or plants, such as but not limited to: a Watermelon fruit or a part thereof, a cutting, hypocotyl, cotyledon, pollen and the like. Such parts can be stored and/or processed further. Encompassed are therefore also food or feed products comprising a part of NUN 31408 WMW or a part of progeny of said varieties, or a part of a plant having all but one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW, comprising one or more of such parts, optionally processed (such as canned, chopped, cooked, roasted, in a sauce, in a sandwich, pasted, pured or concentrated, juiced, frozen, dried, pickled, or powdered).

[0111] In one aspect a haploid plant and/or a doubled haploid plant of NUN 31408 WMW, or of a plant having all but one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW, or progeny of any of these, is encompassed herein. Haploid and doubled haploid (DH) plants can, for example, be produced by cell or tissue culture and chromosome doubling agents and regeneration into a whole plant. For DH production chromosome doubling may be induced using known methods, such as colchicine treatment or the like.

[0112] In yet another aspect haploid plants and/or doubled haploid plants derived from NUN 31408 WMW that, when combined, make a set of parents of NUN 31408 WMW are encompassed herein. Thus the haploid plant and/or the doubled haploid plant of NUN 31408 WMW can be used in a method for generating parental lines of NUN 31408 WMW.

[0113] Using methods known in the art like reverse synthesis of breeding lines or reverse breeding, it is possible to produce parental lines for a hybrid plant such as NUN 31408 WMW; where normally the hybrid is produced from the parental lines. Thus, this method introduces a tool that was not available in traditional breeding: a skilled person can take any individual heterozygous plant (called a phenotypically superior plant in Example 2 of WO2014076249; NUN 31408 WMW is such a plant) and generate a combination of parental lines (reverse breeding parental lines) that, when crossed, produce the variety NUN 31408 WMW. It is not necessary that the reverse breeding parental lines are identical to the original parental lines. Such new breeding methods are based on the segregation of individual alleles in the spores produced by a desired plant and/or in the progeny derived from the self-pollination of that desired plant, and on the subsequent identification of suitable progeny plants in one generation, or in a limited number of inbred cycles. Such a method is known from WO2014076249 or from Nature Protocols Volume: 9, Pages: 761-772 (2014) DOI: doi:10.1038/nprot.2014.049, which are enclosed by reference. Such method for producing parental lines for a hybrid organism, comprises the steps of: a) defining a set of genetic markers that are present in a heterozygous form (H) in a partially heterozygous starting organism; b) producing doubled haploid lines from spores of the starting organism: c) genetically characterizing the doubled haploid lines thus obtained for the said set of genetic markers to determine whether they are present in a first homozygous form (A) or in a second homozygous form (B) ; d) selecting at least one pair of doubled haploid lines that have complementary alleles for at least a subset of the genetic markers, wherein each member of the pair is suitable as a parental line for a hybrid organism.

[0114] Thus in one aspect, the invention relates to a method of producing a combination of parental lines of a plant of the invention (NUN 31408 WMW) comprising the step of making doubled haploid cells from haploid cells from said plant or a seed of that plant; and optionally crossing these parental lines to produce and collect seeds. In another aspect, the invention relates to a combination of parental lines produced by this method. In still another aspect said combination of parental lines can be used to produce a seed or plant of NUN 31408 WMW when these parental lines are crossed. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a combination of parental lines from which a seed or plant having all physiological and/or morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW (when the characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same conditions).

[0115] In another aspect, the invention comprises a method for making doubled haploid cells from haploid cells of NUN 31408 WMW according to various methods known to the skilled person. A suitable method is colchicine treatment.

[0116] In another alternative aspect, the invention provides a method of introducing a single locus conversion or single trait conversion or a desired trait into NUN 31408 WMW comprising: [0117] a. obtain a combination of a parental lines of NUN 31408 WMW, optionally through reverse synthesis of breeding lines, [0118] b. introduce a single locus conversion in at least one of the parents of step a; [0119] c. crossing the converted parent with the other parent of step a to obtain seed of NUN 31408 WMW [0120] A combination of a male and a female parental line of NUN 31408 WMW can be generated by methods described herein, for example through reverse synthesis of breeding lines.

[0121] In an embodiment of the invention, Step b) of the above methodintroduce a single locus conversion in at least one of the parents of step amay be done through the following method: [0122] i. obtaining a cell or tissue culture of cells of the parental line of NUN 31408 WMW; [0123] ii. genetically transforming or mutating said cells; [0124] iii. growing the cells into a plant; and [0125] iv. optionally selecting plants that contain the single locus conversion, the single trait conversion or the desired trait.

[0126] In another embodiment of the invention, Step b) of the above methodintroduce a single locus conversion in at least one of the parents of step amay also be done through the following method: [0127] i. crossing the parental line of NUN 31408 WMW with a second Watermelon plant comprising the single locus conversion, the single trait conversion or the desired trait; [0128] ii. selecting F1progeny plants that contain the single locus conversion, the single trait conversion or the desired trait; [0129] iii. crossing said selected progeny plants of step ii with the parental line of step i, to produce a backcross progeny plant; [0130] iv. selecting backcross progeny plants comprising the single locus conversion, the single trait conversion or the desired trait and otherwise all or all but one, two or three of the morphological and physiological characteristics the parental line of step i to produce selected backcross progeny plants; and [0131] v. optionally repeating steps iii and iv one or more times in succession to produce selected second, third or fourth or higher backcross progeny plants comprising the single locus conversion, the single trait conversion or the desired trait and otherwise all or all but one, two or three of the morphological and physiological characteristics the parental line of step i to produce selected backcross progeny plants, when grown in the same environmental conditions. [0132] The invention further relates to plants obtained by this method.

[0133] The above method is provided, wherein the single locus conversion concerns a trait, wherein the trait is yield or pest resistance or disease resistance. In one embodiment the trait is disease resistance and the resistance is conferred to Anthracnose, Downy Mildew, Fusarium Wilt, Gummy Stem Blight, Squash Mosaic, Watermelon Mosaic, Powdery Mildew, Cucumber Mosaic, Sunburn and Root Knot. Other resistance genes, against pathogenic viruses, fungi, bacteria, nematodes, insects or other pests may also be introduced.

[0134] Thus, the invention also provides a combination of parental lines which, when crossed, produce a seed or plant having all physiological and/or morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW but one, two or three which are different (when grown under the same environmental conditions), as well as a seed or plant having all physiological and/or morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW but one, two or three which are different (when the characteristics are determined at the 5% significance level for plants grown under the same conditions).

[0135] Also provided is a plant part obtainable from variety NUN 31408 WMW or from progeny of said variety or from a plant having all but one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics which are different from those of NUN 31408 WMW, or from a vegetatively propagated plant of NUN 31408 WMW (or from its progeny or from a plant having all or all but one, two or three physiological and/or morphological characteristics which are different from those of NUN 31408 WMW), being selected from the group consisting of a fruit, a harvested fruit, a part of a fruit, a leaf, a part of a leaf, pollen, an ovule, a cell, a petiole, a shoot or a part thereof, a stem or a part thereof, a root or a part thereof, a root tip, a cutting, a seed, a part of a seed, or hypocotyl, cotyledon, a scion, a stock, a rootstock, a pistil, an anther, and a flower or a part thereof.

[0136] In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a method of determining the genotype of a plant of the invention comprising the step of detecting in the genome (e.g., a sample of nucleic acids) of the plant at least a first polymorphism or an allele. The skilled person is familiar with many suitable methods of genotyping, detecting a polymorphism or detecting an allele including restriction fragment length polymorphism identification (RFLP) of genomic DNA, random amplified polymorphic detection (RAPD) of genomic DNA, amplified fragment length polymorphism detection (AFLP), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA sequencing, allele specific oligonucleotide (ASO) probes, and hybridization to DNA microarrays or beads. Alternatively, the entire genome could be sequenced. The method may, in certain embodiments, comprise detecting a plurality of polymorphisms in the genome of the plant, for example by obtaining a sample of nucleic acid from a plant and detecting in said nucleic acids a plurality of polymorphisms. The method may further comprise storing the results of the step of detecting the plurality of polymorphisms on a computer readable medium

[0137] The invention also provides for a food or feed product comprising or consisting of a plant part described herein wherein the plant part can be identified as a part of the plant of the invention. Preferably, the plant part is a Watermelon fruit or part thereof and/or an extract from a fruit or another plant part described herein. The food or feed product may be fresh or processed, e.g., dried, grinded, powdered, pickled, chopped, cooked, roasted, in a sauce, in a sandwich, pasted, pured or concentrated, juiced, pickled, canned, steamed, boiled, fried, blanched and/or frozen, etc.

[0138] For example, containers such as cans, boxes, crates, bags, cartons, Modified Atmosphere Packagings, films (e.g. biodegradable films), etc. comprising a plant or a parts of a plant (fresh and/or processed) described herein or a seed of NUN 31408 WMW are also provided herein.

[0139] Marketable Watermelon fruits are generally sorted by size and quality after harvest. Alternatively the Watermelon fruits can be sorted by expected shelf life, pH or Brix.

[0140] Watermelons may also be grown for use as rootstocks (stocks) or scions (cions). Typically, different types of Watermelons are grafted to enhance disease resistance, which is usually conferred by the rootstock, while retaining the horticultural qualities usually conferred by the scion. It is not uncommon for grafting to occur between cultivated Watermelon varieties and related Watermelon species. Methods of grafting and vegetative propagation are well-known in the art.

[0141] So in one aspect the invention relates to a plant comprising a rootstock or scion of NUN 31408 WMW.

[0142] All documents (e.g., patent publications) are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

CITED REFERENCES

[0143] Acquaah, Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding, 2007, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-3646-4 [0144] Compton et al., Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 77: 231-243, 2004 [0145] Eigsti 1971, Hort Science 6: 1-2 [0146] Gama et al., 2013. Horticultura Brasileira 31: 522-527 [0147] Hayata et al., 1995 [0148] Kihara, 1951, Proceedings of American Society for Horticultural Science 58: 217-230 [0149] Moussa and Salem, 2010 [0150] Martin et al. 2008, Australian Journal of Crop Science 1(2): 43-46 [0151] Vos et al. 1995, Nucleic Acid Research 23: 4407-4414 [0152] Wijnkers et al., Nature Protocols Volume: 9, Pages: 761-772 (2014) DOI: doi:10.1038/nprot.2014.049 [0153] WO2010111031 [0154] WO2013182646 [0155] WO2014076249 [0156] US 2006/0168701 [0157] Guidelines for the Conduct of Tests for Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability, TG/142/5 (Geneva, 2013), world wide web at upov.int/ under edocs/tgdocs/en/tg142.pdf world wide web at /sites/default/files/media/18-Watermelon%20ST-470-18%202015.pdf. FT 327 Penetrometer, available from QA Supplies LLC, 1185 Pineridge Road, Norfolk, Va. 23502. The Munsell Book of Color (Munsell Color Macbeth Division of Kollmorgan Instruments Corporation) Horticultural Society Chart (World Wide Web at rhs.org.uk/Plants/RHS-Publications/RHS-colour-charts).

EXAMPLES

Development of NUN 31408 WMW

[0158] The hybrid NUN 31408 WMW was developed from a male and female proprietary inbred line of Nunhems. The female and male parents were crossed to produce hybrid (F1) seeds of NUN 31408 WMW The seeds of NUN 31408 WMW can be grown to produce hybrid plants and parts thereof (e.g. Watermelon fruit). The hybrid NUN 31408 WMW can be propagated by seeds or vegetative.

[0159] The hybrid variety is uniform and genetically stable. This has been established through evaluation of horticultural characteristics. Several hybrid seed production events resulted in no observable deviation in genetic stability. Coupled with the confirmation of genetic stability of the female and male parents the Applicant concluded that NUN 31408 WMW is uniform and stable.

Deposit Information

[0160] A total of 2500 seeds of the hybrid variety NUN 31408 WMW will be deposited according to the Budapest Treaty by Nunhems B.V. on ______, at the NCIMB Ltd., Ferguson Building, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9YA, United Kingdom (NCIMB). The deposit will be assigned NCIMB number ______. A deposit of NUN 31408 WMW and of the male and female parent line is currently maintained at Nunhems B.V.

[0161] Access to the deposits will be available during the pendency of this application to persons determined by the Director of the U.S. Patent Office to be entitled thereto upon request. Subject to 37 C.F.R. 1.808(b), all restrictions imposed by the depositor on the availability to the public of the deposited material will be irrevocably removed upon the granting of the patent. The deposit will be maintained for a period of 30 years, or 5 years after the most recent request, or for the enforceable life of the patent whichever is longer, and will be replaced if it ever becomes nonviable during that period. Applicant does not waive any rights granted under this patent on this application or under the Plant Variety Protection Act (7 USC 2321 et seq.).

[0162] The most similar variety to NUN 31408 WMW is referred to as Reference Variety, a variety from Nunhems B.V. with the commercial name Boston. In Table 1 a comparison between NUN 31408 WMW and the Reference Variety is shown based on a trial in the USA. Trial location Esparto, Calif., transplanting date: 7 Jun. 2017.

[0163] Two replications of 50 plants of each variety, from which 15 plants or plant parts were randomly selected, were used to measure characteristics. For numerical characteristics averages were calculated. For non-numerical characteristics the type/degree was determined. In Table 1 the USDA descriptors of NUN 31408 WMW (this application) and the Reference Variety (commercial variety) are listed.

[0164] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plant having the physiological and morphological characteristics of NUN 31408 WMW as presented in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Objective description of varieties NUN 31408 WMW and Reference Variety Application variety Reference variety USDA descriptor NUN 31408 WMW Boston 1. General Fruit Type Fruit type: 1 = Oblong, 2 = Round Large, 3 = Round 2 2 small (icebox), 4 = Other 2. Area of best adaptation Region: 1 = Southern US, 2 = Northeast/Central US, 3 = 4 4 Southwest US, 4 = Most US Areas, 5 = Other 3. Maturity No. of days from emergence to anthesis n.r. n.r. No. of days from pollination to maturity n.r. n.r. Days Relative Maturity (as reported in seed catalogs) 78-80 78-80 Maturity category: 1 = early, 2 = medium, 3 = late 1 1 4. Ploidy 1 = diploid, 2 = tetraploid, 3 = triploid 3 3 5. Plant Cotyledon shape: 1 = flat, 2 = folded n.r. n.r. Plant sex form: 1 = monoecious, 2 = andromonoecious 1 1 No. of main stems at crown 8.2 8.3 No. of flowers per plant at first fruit set: Staminate: n.r. n.r. Pistilate: n.r. n.r. Perfect: n.r. n.r. 6. STEM Stem shape (cross section:) 1 = round, 2 = angular 2 2 Diameter (mm) at second node 9.8 9.5 Stem surface: 1 = glabrous, 2 = scabrous, 3 = pubescent, 4 = 3 3 bristled Vine length (cm) (at last harvest) n.r. n.r. No. of Internodes (at last harvest) n.r. n.r. Ratio Vine length (cm): No of internodes (at last harvest) n.r. n.r. 7. LEAF Leaf shape: 1 = ovate, 2 = obovate, 3 = round 1 1 Leaf lobes: 1 = none, 2 = lobed 2 2 Leaf length (cm) 14.5 12.8 Leaf width (cm) 17.1 14.9 Leaf size: 1 = longer than wide, 2 = length-width equal, 3 = 3 3 wider than long Dorsal surface pubescence: 1 = smooth, 2 = pubescent 2 2 Ventral surface pubescence: 1 = smooth, 2 = pubescent 2 2 Leaf color: 1 = light green, 2 = gray green, 3 = medium n.r. n.r. green, 4 = dark green (Color chart value (RHS)) 8. FLOWER Diameter across Staminate (cm) 28.5 26.8 Diameter across Pistillate (cm) n.r. n.r. Diameter across Perfect (cm) n.r. n.r. Flower color: 1 = lemon yellow, 2 = yellow, 3 = orange, 2 (RHS Yellow 7B) 2 (RHS Yellow 7A) 4 = Other (Color chart value (RHS)) 9. MATURE FRUIT Fruit shape: 1 = round, 2 = oval, 3 = cylindrical 2 2 Long (cm) 23.4 21.2 Diameter at midsection (cm) 20.6 19.4 Average weight (kg) 6.1 4.8 Maximum fruit weight (kg) 7.7 6.5 Index = length diameter 10 11.4 10.9 Fruit surface: 1 = smooth, 2 = slightly grooved, 3 = deeply 1 1 grooved Skin color pattern: 1 = solid (one color), 2 = stripe, 3 = 2 2 mottle/net Primary color: 1 = Yellow Green (Desert King), 2 = Light 2 (RHS Green 138D) 2 (RHS Yellow Green (Charleston Gray), 3 = Medium Green (Sugar Green 149D) baby), 4 = dark green (Florida Giant), 5 = Other (Color chart value (RHS)) Secondary color: 1 = Yellow Green, 2 = Light Green, 3 = 3 (RHS Green 137C) 3 (RHS Green Medium green, 4 = dark green, 5 = Other (Color chart 141B) value (RHS)) 10. RIND Rind texture: 1 = tender, 2 = brittle, 3 = tough 3 3 Thickness blossom end (mm) 11.9 10.7 Thickness sides (mm) 10.8 10.8 11. FLESH Flesh texture: 1 = crisp, 2 = soft 1 1 Flesh coarseness: 1 = course fibrous, 2 = finelittle fiber 2 2 Flesh color: 1 = white, 2 = yellow, 3 = orange, 4 = pink, 5 = 5 (RHS Orange 34C) 5 (RHS Red 37A) red, 6 = dark red (Color chart value (RHS)) Refractometer: % Soluble solids of juice (Center of fruit) 13.8 12.3 % Hollow heart n.r. n.r. % Placental separation n.r. n.r. % Transverse crack n.r. n.r. 12. Seed Not applicable

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Application Variety Non - USDA descriptor NUN 31408 WMW Reference Variety Leaf petiole length in cm 11 10.8 Rind stem end thickness in mm 11.4 9.4 Flesh firmness kg/cm2 3.24 2.22

[0165] Table 1 and 2 contain typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Other values that are substantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention. N.A.=not applicable; n.r.=not recorded.