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QTLs associated with flesh quality traits in an elite × elite watermelon population

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Abstract

Consumers prefer watermelon with sweet, red flesh, and the presence of lycopene, citrulline and arginine phytochemicals helpful for human health is an additional bonus. Breeders often select fruit with desirable flesh characteristics based on soluble solids content (Brix) and visual flesh color. Although marker assisted selection (MAS) of flesh traits would advance germplasm selection efficiency, the low heritability of Brix and lycopene content in red fleshed watermelon has hampered marker development. Here we describe the identification of QTLs associated with lycopene content, the amino acids citrulline and arginine, and the content of individual sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose) in an elite × elite recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. Brix was most highly correlated with total sugars and glucose content, lycopene content was correlated with sucrose content, and citrulline and arginine content showed no correlation. A region on chromosome 5 was associated with sucrose, glucose, and fructose accumulation, while stable arginine content QTLs were identified on chromosomes 2 and 5.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Yihua Chen, Kristin Adams, Jessica Norton, and Daniel Powell for their invaluable help during harvest, collection, and preparation of samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, 1111 Plant Sciences Bldg., Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Leigh Ann Fall & Cecilia McGregor

  2. Department of Horticultural Science Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, NC Research Campus, 600 Laureate Way, Suite 1329, Kannapolis, NC, 28081, USA

    Penelope Perkins-Veazie & Guoying Ma

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  1. Leigh Ann Fall
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Correspondence to Cecilia McGregor.

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Fall, L.A., Perkins-Veazie, P., Ma, G. et al. QTLs associated with flesh quality traits in an elite × elite watermelon population. Euphytica 215, 30 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-019-2356-y

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