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Melon Breeding and Molecular Research
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Melon Breeding and Molecular Research

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 8125

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Younghoon Park

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Horticultural Bioscience, Pusan National University, Miryang 50463, Republic of Korea
Interests: genomics-assisted breeding; plant genetics; plant pathology; horticultural crops
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Melon (Cucumis melo) and watermelon (Citrullus lantus) belong to the family cucurbitaceae and are among the most agronomically important fruit vegetables worldwide. In addition to their significance as a food source, these cucurbits are frequently used for the examination of many biological processes, including sex expression and fruit maturity. Genetic improvement and elucidation of important biological process in melon, watermelon, and their related wild species require breeding and molecular studies which employ genetic, genomic, molecular biology, and other methodologies. The goal of molecular breeding, based on conventional breeding combined with biotechnology, is to improve crop yield and other desired traits by introducing appropriate molecular interventions into the genome and gene sequence of different plant varieties. Recent developments in plant molecular breeding research, the advent of high-throughput genotyping and sequencing approaches, enormous genetic and genomic resources, and genome editing of important crop plants have created new breeding and genetic improvement opportunities for disease resistance as well as overall plant growth and development. While this helps to maintain quality and quantity of productivity, it requires plant breeders to continuously improve the varieties of cucurbits by genetically transferring desired characteristics to other varieties.

This Special Issue, “Melon Breeding and Molecular Research”, welcomes novel and original research articles and review papers related not only to conventional breeding and germplasm resources, but also to omic-based approaches such as genomics-assisted breeding (molecular markers, genetic mapping, QTL analysis, genome-wide association study, genomic selection and etc.), transcriptomics, phenomics, and genome editing for their advancements and application in melon and watermelon crop improvement. Papers describing bioinformatics tools and databases utilized for breeding and their perspective use in the genetic improvement of these crops are also encouraged.

Dr. Younghoon Park
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • melon
  • genetic resources
  • conventional breeding
  • genomics-assisted breeding
  • genome editing

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 3546 KiB  
Article
Identification of Gene Responsible for Conferring Resistance against Race KN2 of Podosphaera xanthii in Melon
by Sopheak Kheng, San-Ha Choe, Nihar Sahu, Jong-In Park and Hoy-Taek Kim
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(2), 1134; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021134 - 17 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1175
Abstract
Powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera xanthii is a serious fungal disease which causes severe damage to melon production. Unlike with chemical fungicides, managing this disease with resistance varieties is cost effective and ecofriendly. But, the occurrence of new races and a breakdown of [...] Read more.
Powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera xanthii is a serious fungal disease which causes severe damage to melon production. Unlike with chemical fungicides, managing this disease with resistance varieties is cost effective and ecofriendly. But, the occurrence of new races and a breakdown of the existing resistance genes poses a great threat. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the resistance locus responsible for conferring resistance against P. xanthii race KN2 in melon line IML107. A bi-parental F2 population was used in this study to uncover the resistance against race KN2. Genetic analysis revealed the resistance to be monogenic and controlled by a single dominant gene in IML107. Initial marker analysis revealed the position of the gene to be located on chromosome 2 where many of the resistance gene against P. xanthii have been previously reported. Availability of the whole genome of melon and its R gene analysis facilitated the identification of a F-box type Leucine Rich Repeats (LRR) to be accountable for the resistance against race KN2 in IML107. The molecular marker developed in this study can be used for marker assisted breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melon Breeding and Molecular Research)
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19 pages, 5826 KiB  
Article
Integrated Bulk Segregant Analysis, Fine Mapping, and Transcriptome Revealed QTLs and Candidate Genes Associated with Drought Adaptation in Wild Watermelon
by Ahmed Mahmoud, Rui Qi, Xiaolu Chi, Nanqiao Liao, Guy Kateta Malangisha, Abid Ali, Mohamed Moustafa-Farag, Jinghua Yang, Mingfang Zhang and Zhongyuan Hu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010065 - 20 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1026
Abstract
Drought stress has detrimental effects on crop productivity worldwide. A strong root system is crucial for maintaining water and nutrients uptake under drought stress. Wild watermelons possess resilient roots with excellent drought adaptability. However, the genetic factors controlling this trait remain uninvestigated. In [...] Read more.
Drought stress has detrimental effects on crop productivity worldwide. A strong root system is crucial for maintaining water and nutrients uptake under drought stress. Wild watermelons possess resilient roots with excellent drought adaptability. However, the genetic factors controlling this trait remain uninvestigated. In this study, we conducted a bulk segregant analysis (BSA) on an F2 population consisting of two watermelon genotypes, wild and domesticated, which differ in their lateral root development under drought conditions. We identified two quantitative trait loci (qNLR_Dr. Chr01 and qNLR_Dr. Chr02) associated with the lateral root response to drought. Furthermore, we determined that a small region (0.93 Mb in qNLR_Dr. Chr01) is closely linked to drought adaptation through quantitative trait loci (QTL) validation and fine mapping. Transcriptome analysis of the parent roots under drought stress revealed unique effects on numerous genes in the sensitive genotype but not in the tolerant genotype. By integrating BSA, fine mapping, and the transcriptome, we identified six genes, namely L-Ascorbate Oxidase (AO), Cellulose Synthase-Interactive Protein 1 (CSI1), Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein (LEA), Zinc-Finger Homeodomain Protein 2 (ZHD2), Pericycle Factor Type-A 5 (PFA5), and bZIP transcription factor 53-like (bZIP53-like), that might be involved in the drought adaptation. Our findings provide valuable QTLs and genes for marker-assisted selection in improving water-use efficiency and drought tolerance in watermelon. They also lay the groundwork for the genetic manipulation of drought-adapting genes in watermelon and other Cucurbitacea species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melon Breeding and Molecular Research)
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21 pages, 5914 KiB  
Article
Molecular Mapping of Putative Genomic Regions Controlling Fruit and Seed Morphology of Watermelon
by Tiantian Yang, Sikandar Amanullah, Shenglong Li, Rui Cheng, Chen Zhang, Zhengxiang Zhao, Hongyu Liu, Feishi Luan and Xuezheng Wang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15755; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242115755 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1148
Abstract
The genetic regulatory basis of qualitative and quantitative phenotypes of watermelon is being investigated in different types of molecular and genetic breeding studies around the world. In this study, biparental F2 mapping populations were developed over two experimental years, and the collected [...] Read more.
The genetic regulatory basis of qualitative and quantitative phenotypes of watermelon is being investigated in different types of molecular and genetic breeding studies around the world. In this study, biparental F2 mapping populations were developed over two experimental years, and the collected datasets of fruit and seed traits exhibited highly significant correlations. Whole-genome resequencing of comparative parental lines was performed and detected single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci were converted into cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers. The screened polymorphic markers were genotyped in segregating populations and two genetic linkage maps were constructed, which covered a total of 2834.28 and 2721.45 centimorgan (cM) genetic lengths, respectively. A total of 22 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for seven phenotypic traits were mapped; among them, five stable and major-effect QTLs (PC-8-1, SL-9-1, SWi-9-1, SSi-9-1, and SW-6-1) and four minor-effect QTLs (PC-2-1 and PC-2-2; PT-2-1 and PT-2-2; SL-6-1 and SSi-6-2; and SWi-6-1 and SWi-6-2) were observed with 3.77–38.98% PVE. The adjacent QTL markers showed a good fit marker-trait association, and a significant allele-specific contribution was also noticed for genetic inheritance of traits. Further, a total of four candidate genes (Cla97C09G179150, Cla97C09G179350, Cla97C09G180040, and Cla97C09G180100) were spotted in the stable colocalized QTLs of seed size linked traits (SL-9-1 and SWi-9-1) that showed non-synonymous type mutations. The gene expression trends indicated that the seed morphology had been formed in the early developmental stage and showed the genetic regulation of seed shape formation. Hence, we think that our identified QTLs and genes would provide powerful genetic insights for marker-assisted breeding aimed at improving the quality traits of watermelon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melon Breeding and Molecular Research)
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18 pages, 4551 KiB  
Article
A Novel Introgression Line Library Derived from a Wild Melon Gives Insights into the Genetics of Melon Domestication, Uncovering New Genetic Variability Useful for Breeding
by Manuel Campos, Maria José Gonzalo, Aurora Díaz, Belén Picó, Maria Luisa Gómez-Guillamón, Antonio José Monforte and Cristina Esteras
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 10099; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241210099 - 14 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2335
Abstract
A collection of 30 melon introgression lines (ILs) was developed from the wild accession Ames 24297 (TRI) into ‘Piel de Sapo’ (PS) genetic background. Each IL carried an average of 1.4 introgressions from TRI, and the introgressions represented 91.4% of the TRI genome. [...] Read more.
A collection of 30 melon introgression lines (ILs) was developed from the wild accession Ames 24297 (TRI) into ‘Piel de Sapo’ (PS) genetic background. Each IL carried an average of 1.4 introgressions from TRI, and the introgressions represented 91.4% of the TRI genome. Twenty-two ILs, representing 75% of the TRI genome, were evaluated in greenhouse (Algarrobo and Meliana) and field (Alcàsser) trials, mainly to study traits related to domestication syndrome such as fruit weight (FW) and flesh content (FFP), as well as other fruit quality traits as fruit shape (FS), flesh firmness (FF), soluble solid concentration (SSC), rind color and abscission layer. The IL collection showed an impressive variation in size-related traits, with FW ranging from 800 to 4100 g, reflecting the strong effect of the wild genome on these traits. Most of the ILs produced smaller fruits compared with PS; however, unexpectedly, the IL TRI05-2 produced bigger fruits, likely due to new epistatic interacions with the PS genetic background. In contrast, the genotypic effect for FS was smaller, and few QTLs with notable effects were detected. Interestingly, variability was also observed for FFP, FF and SSC, rind color and abscission layer formation. Genes in these introgressions are candidates for having been involved in melon domestication and diversification as well. These results confirm that the TRI IL collection is a very powerful tool for mapping traits of agronomic interest in melon, allowing the confirmation of previously reported QTLs and the identification of new ones to better understand the domestication process of this crop. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melon Breeding and Molecular Research)
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Review

Jump to: Research

22 pages, 401 KiB  
Review
Molecular Marker-Assisted Mapping, Candidate Gene Identification, and Breeding in Melon (Cucumis melo L.): A Review
by Durre Shahwar, Zeba Khan and Younghoon Park
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15490; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015490 - 23 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1638
Abstract
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important crop that is cultivated worldwide for its fleshy fruit. Understanding the genetic basis of a plant’s qualitative and quantitative traits is essential for developing consumer-favored varieties. This review presents genetic and molecular advances related to [...] Read more.
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important crop that is cultivated worldwide for its fleshy fruit. Understanding the genetic basis of a plant’s qualitative and quantitative traits is essential for developing consumer-favored varieties. This review presents genetic and molecular advances related to qualitative and quantitative phenotypic traits and biochemical compounds in melons. This information guides trait incorporation and the production of novel varieties with desirable horticultural and economic characteristics and yield performance. This review summarizes the quantitative trait loci, candidate genes, and development of molecular markers related to plant architecture, branching patterns, floral attributes (sex expression and male sterility), fruit attributes (shape, rind and flesh color, yield, biochemical compounds, sugar content, and netting), and seed attributes (seed coat color and size). The findings discussed in this review will enhance demand-driven breeding to produce cultivars that benefit consumers and melon breeders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melon Breeding and Molecular Research)
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