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Wang X, Ando K, Wu S, Reddy UK, Tamang P, Bao K, Hammar SA, Grumet R, McCreight JD, Fei Z. Genetic characterization of melon accessions in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System and construction of a melon core collection. MOLECULAR HORTICULTURE 2021; 1:11. [PMID: 37789496 PMCID: PMC10515074 DOI: 10.1186/s43897-021-00014-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Melon (C. melo L.) is an economically important vegetable crop cultivated worldwide. The melon collection in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) is a valuable resource to conserve natural genetic diversity and provide novel traits for melon breeding. Here we use the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology to characterize 2083 melon accessions in the NPGS collected from major melon production areas as well as regions where primitive melons exist. Population structure and genetic diversity analyses suggested that C. melo ssp. melo was firstly introduced from the centers of origin, Indian and Pakistan, to Central and West Asia, and then brought to Europe and Americas. C. melo ssp. melo from East Asia was likely derived from C. melo ssp. agrestis in India and Pakistan and displayed a distinct genetic background compared to the rest of ssp. melo accessions from other geographic regions. We developed a core collection of 383 accessions capturing more than 98% of genetic variation in the germplasm, providing a publicly accessible collection for future research and genomics-assisted breeding of melon. Thirty-five morphological characters investigated in the core collection indicated high variability of these characters across accessions in the collection. Genome-wide association studies using the core collection panel identified potentially associated genome regions related to fruit quality and other horticultural traits. This study provides insights into melon origin and domestication, and the constructed core collection and identified genome loci potentially associated with important traits provide valuable resources for future melon research and breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Kaori Ando
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Crop Improvement and Protection Research Unit, Salinas, CA, 93905, USA
- Nunhems USA, Inc, Acampo, CA, 95220, USA
| | - Shan Wu
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Umesh K Reddy
- Gus R. Douglass Institute and Department of Biology, West Virginia State University, Institute, WV, 25112, USA
| | - Prabin Tamang
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Crop Improvement and Protection Research Unit, Salinas, CA, 93905, USA
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Natural Products Utilization Research Unit, Thad Cochran Research Center, P.O. Box 1848, Oxford, MS, 38677, USA
| | - Kan Bao
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Sue A Hammar
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Rebecca Grumet
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - James D McCreight
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Crop Improvement and Protection Research Unit, Salinas, CA, 93905, USA.
| | - Zhangjun Fei
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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