The importance of texture in watermelons, particularly firmness,
has been reflected in various breeding efforts. Tolla et al.
(2006) and Davis and King (2007) bred for extra-firm fruit, citing
consumer preference and extended shelf life in fresh-cut fruit as
motivators. It would be of great utility for breeders to be able to
test for small differences in texture between new cultivars of fruit
in order to determine if the new breeding material is worth further
investigation.