Having many seeds in a fruit gives a plant a greater chance of having at least a few seedlings survive to perpetuate the species. However, this strategy also presents some disadvantages.
Energy Requirements
The mother plant needs more energy to build a fruit with many seeds, such as cantaloupe or eggplant. Unless conditions are good, the mother plant might not be able to produce a fruit.
Dispersal Mechanisms
Fruits with many seeds need a special mechanism to assure the seeds get separated and dispersed far from each other. If fruit merely falls to the ground, seedlings will be so crowded that good growth and establishment are unlikely. Examples of dispersal mechanisms include seeds with wings or down to catch the wind or dependence on animals to eat the fruit and disperse the seed in their droppings without digesting them.
Attractiveness to Consumers
Many-seeded fruits can be difficult to eat or use. Varieties of citrus with abundant seeds, for instance, are commercially unpopular because of the additional time needed to remove seeds from juice or fresh fruit. Most animals also prefer fruit with more flesh than seeds.
Seed-Eating Pests
Where many seeds are present, high populations of seed-feeding insects, such as leaf-footed plant bugs, can build up and destroy many of the seeds. Pomegranates are an example.
Small Seed Size
Some many-seeded fruits save energy by having small seeds with few food reserves for the embryonic seedling. This can reduce seedling viability.
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