The new Syngenta seedless watermelon variety and its Full Count Deuces companion transplant program have taken the East Coast by storm this spring after successful Western field trials last year.

Through the Full Count Deuces Program, Syngenta offers trays pre-set with a 3:1 seedless to pollinizer plant ratio, which reduces labor needs and prevents confusion during transplanting.

Dulcinea Farms LLC in Ladera Ranch, CA, grower of “Ruby Bliss” seedless watermelons and “Pure Heart” mini seedless watermelons, has expanded its mini seedless watermelon line with the introduction of a yellow seedless mini melon carrying the name “Sunny Gold.”

William Manis Produce Marketing, a year-round marketer of watermelons, expects to begin marketing its domestic fruit in May, slightly later than typical timetables. “We are still shipping offshore melons as the Florida melons will be delayed this year,” President Officer Rick Sullivan told The Produce News on April 11.

Imported melons are sourced from Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. “Our farms for the domestic melons we grow are in south Florida, north Florida and Missouri,” Mr. Sullivan stated.

Rollercoaster spurts of unseasonal weather will delay the start of the watermelon season for McMelon Inc., headquartered in Lake Wales, FL. “It’s not off to that good of a start in Florida because of cold weather,” President and Chief Executive Officer Arnold Mack told The Produce News on April 12.

McMelon is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mack Farms Inc., also located in Lake Wales. The company has an extensive history growing and marketing potatoes.

Gibson Produce & Watermelon Sales LLC, headquartered in Vero Beach, FL, celebrated the next step in its corporate growth on Jan. 1 with the opening of a new office in Lake Wales, FL. President Bob Gibson said the new office was opened in response to increased production. “My acreage increased [40 percent] this year,” he told The Produce News April 8. Produce veterans Michael Starnes and Jason Turner spearhead sales at the Lake Wales office, and Mr. Gibson said he is pleased to have them aboard.

Bill Litvin, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Giorgio Fresh Co. in Temple, PA, said that with consumers doing their research prior to purchasing products at the grocery store, the current industry movements and trends have produced a positive impact on the specialty produce category. Much of the increase in demand is related to the high nutritional value of mushrooms.