A group of young scientists in the southern Russian region of Astrakhan have succeeded in creating a hybrid species of “orange watermelon,” the press office of local governor Alexander Zhilkin announced on his website Wednesday.
Speaking Friday at a meeting between the governor and a group of local academics aged 30 and under, Artem Sokolov, a scientist who worked on the project, explained how the color of the watermelon flesh — which comes in various shades of orange — is a unique variety.
The new variety is the result of a new technology resulting in the production of F1 hybrid seeds in the vine crop family, the governor's site reports. “We have developed types of watermelon, melon, squash and zucchini, many of which have no analogues in the world,” Sokolov was quoted as saying.
According the site, supermarkets have already showed an interest in the new variety of “colored” watermelons.
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