Soaking in distilled water was required to facilitate the complete
removal of PE layers from seeds. However, we acknowledge that
this process may result in the cross-contamination of tissues
which, in turn, may prevent determination of the exact location of
A. citrulli cells in seed tissues (e.g., inner versus outer surfaces of
testae or PE layers). Similar sections dissected from 10 seeds
from fruits of blossoms whose pistils were treated with PBS
served as negative controls.