Editing Parthenocarpy (section)

== Commercial importance ==
Seedlessness is seen as a desirable trait in edible fruit with hard seeds such as [[banana]], [[pineapple]], [[orange (fruit)|orange]] and [[grapefruit]]. Parthenocarpy is also desirable in fruit crops that may be difficult to pollinate or fertilize, such as [[Ficus carica|fig]], [[tomato]] and summer [[Squash (fruit)|squash]]. In [[Dioecy|dioecious]] species, such as [[persimmon]], parthenocarpy increases fruit production because staminate trees do not need to be planted to provide pollen. Parthenocarpy is undesirable in nut crops, such as [[pistachio]], for which the seed is the edible part. Horticulturists have selected and propagated parthenocarpic [[cultivar]]s of many plants, including [[banana]], [[Common fig|fig]], cactus pear (''[[Opuntia]]''), [[breadfruit]] and [[eggplant]]. Some plants, such as pineapple, produce seedless fruits when a single cultivar is grown because they are self-infertile. Some [[cucumber]]s produce seedless fruit if [[pollinator]]s are excluded. Seedless watermelon plants are actually grown from seeds. The seeds are produced by crossing a diploid parent with a tetraploid parent to produce [[triploid]] seeds. It has been suggested that parthenocarpy could explain the difference in the yields in [[Natural product|active compounds]] of the genus ''[[Cannabis]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Riboulet-Zemouli |first=Kenzi |date=2020 |title='Cannabis' ontologies I: Conceptual issues with Cannabis and cannabinoids terminology |journal=Drug Science, Policy and Law |language=en |volume=6 |pages=205032452094579 |doi=10.1177/2050324520945797 |s2cid=234435350 |issn=2050-3245|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Trancoso |first1=Ingrid |last2=de Souza |first2=Guilherme A. R. |last3=dos Santos |first3=Paulo Ricardo |last4=dos Santos |first4=Késia Dias |last5=de Miranda |first5=Rosana Maria dos Santos Nani |last6=da Silva |first6=Amanda Lúcia Pereira Machado |last7=Santos |first7=Dennys Zsolt |last8=García-Tejero |first8=Ivan F. |last9=Campostrini |first9=Eliemar |date=2022 |title=Cannabis sativa L.: Crop Management and Abiotic Factors That Affect Phytocannabinoid Production |journal=Agronomy |language=en |volume=12 |issue=7 |pages=1492 |doi=10.3390/agronomy12071492 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022Agron..12.1492T |issn=2073-4395}}</ref> 

Some parthenocarpic cultivars are of ancient origin. The oldest known cultivated plant is a parthenocarpic fig that was first grown at least 11,200 years ago in [[Jordan Valley]].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Kislev ME, Hartmann A, Bar-Yosef O |date=June 2006 |title=Early domesticated fig in the Jordan Valley |journal=Science |volume=312 |issue=5778 |pages=1372–4 |bibcode=2006Sci...312.1372K |doi=10.1126/science.1125910 |pmid=16741119 |s2cid=42150441}}</ref> 

In some climates, normally-seeded [[pear]] cultivars produce mainly seedless fruit for lack of pollination.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071121043502/http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/ec/ec986/ R.L. Stebbins, W.M. Mellenthin, and P.B. Lombard (1981) ''Pollination & Commercial Varieties of Pears in Oregon'' Oregon State University Extension Service.]</ref>

When sprayed on flowers, any of the [[plant hormone]]s [[gibberellin]], [[auxin]] and [[cytokinin]] could stimulate the development of parthenocarpic fruit. That is termed '''artificial parthenocarpy'''. Plant hormones are seldom used commercially to produce parthenocarpic fruit. Home gardeners sometimes spray their tomatoes with an auxin to assure fruit production.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Seedless Fruit Production by Hormonal Regulation of Fruit Set
|journal=Nutrients
|volume=1
|issue=2
|pages=168–177
|first=Tiziana|last=Pandolfini|publisher=[[University of Verona]]|date=23 November 2009|pmc=3257607
|pmid=22253976
|doi=10.3390/nu1020168
|doi-access=free
}}</ref>

Some parthenocarpic cultivars have been developed as [[genetically modified organism]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Pandolfini T, Rotino GL, Camerini S, Defez R, Spena A |title=Optimisation of transgene action at the post-transcriptional level: high quality parthenocarpic fruits in industrial tomatoes |journal=BMC Biotechnol. |volume=2 |page=1 |year=2002 |pmid=11818033 |pmc=65046 |doi=10.1186/1472-6750-2-1 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Acciarri | first1 = N. | last2 = Restaino | first2 = F. | last3 = Vitelli | first3 = G. | last4 = Perrone | first4 = D. | last5 = Zottini | first5 = M. | last6 = Pandolfini | first6 = T. | last7 = Spena | first7 = A. | last8 = Rotino | first8 = G. | title = Genetically modified parthenocarpic eggplants: Improved fruit productivity under both greenhouse and open field cultivation | journal = BMC Biotechnology | volume = 2 | pages = 4 | year = 2002 | doi = 10.1186/1472-6750-2-4 | pmid =  11934354| pmc =101493 | doi-access = free }}</ref>