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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Germplasm Resources and Genetics Improvement of Watermelon and Melon
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Germplasm Resources and Genetics Improvement of Watermelon and Melon

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics, Genomics, Breeding, and Biotechnology (G2B2)".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 3476

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xuqiang Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of South Asian Fruits and Cucurbits, Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450009, China
2. Zhongyuan Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453400, China
Interests: watermelon and melon
Dr. Ruimin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticultural Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China
Interests: watermelon and melon; germplasm resources; breeding; resistance; nutrition quality; cultivation quality; maker development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Huanhuan Niu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Interests: watermelon and melon; germplasm resources; breeding; plant architecture; plant height; flower development
Dr. Jingjing Chang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory for New Technology Research of Vegetable, Vegetable Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Science, Guangzhou 510640, China
Interests: watermelon and melon; germplasm resources; breeding; calcium signaling; fruit quality, stress resistance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Genetic improvement and germplasm resources for watermelon and melon are of great significance. The improvement aims to meet consumer demands by enhancing fruit quality and shelf life, helps to defend against disease and pest resistance, and promotes adaptation to climate change. However, there is limited genetic diversity in cultivated varieties due to a narrow gene pool and loss of wild germplasms. In addition, the complexity of trait genetics, like multiple genes controlling key traits and a lack of full functional genomic knowledge, poses challenges for breeding. Overall, continuous efforts are needed to overcome these issues for better development of these crops.

The topics of this Special Issue “Germplasm Resources and Genetics Improvement of Watermelon and Melon” encompass but are not limited to the following: 1. genetic mapping and molecular marker-assisted breeding; 2. genome sequencing and functional genomics; 3. genetic engineering and gene editing; 4. germplasm collection, evaluation, and conservation. We invite you to contribute your original research findings, comprehensive reviews, and innovative perspectives to this Special Issue.

Dr. Xuqiang Lu
Dr. Ruimin Zhang
Dr. Huanhuan Niu
Dr. Jingjing Chang
Guest Editors

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. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • watermelon and melon
  • genetics improvement
  • genetic mapping
  • marker development
  • genetic engineering
  • germplasm resources
  • breeding

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 8290 KB  
Article
Construction and Phenotypic Characterization of a Recombination Inbred Line (RIL) Population from a Melo-agrestis Melon Hybrid
by He Liu, Jianquan Wang, Shoujun Cao, Yongjie Guo, Qinghua Shi and Xiaoyu Yang
Horticulturae 2025, 11(9), 1087; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11091087 - 9 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an economically important horticultural crop worldwide, while its production is continuously endangered by powdery mildew (PM), a fungal disease mainly caused by Podosphaera xanthii, due to the insufficiency of disease resistant germplasms. Here, a melon recombinant [...] Read more.
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an economically important horticultural crop worldwide, while its production is continuously endangered by powdery mildew (PM), a fungal disease mainly caused by Podosphaera xanthii, due to the insufficiency of disease resistant germplasms. Here, a melon recombinant inbred line (RIL) population that consisted of 188 independent individuals was obtained through the crossing of ‘SN-1’ (C. melon L. ssp. melo) and ‘YJM’ (C. melon L. ssp. agrestis), two parents with contrasting PM resistance, followed by 7-round selfings. Comprehensive phenotypic investigation revealed substantial variations in key agronomic traits among these RILs, such as stem diameters of 3.7~12.6 mm and internode lengths of 1.6~12.2 cm at the anthesis stage, as well as peduncle lengths of 0.5~9.5 cm and soluble solid content of 1.6~17.4% at the maturation stage. Particularly, 95 RILs, of which 60 and 35 belonged to thin-peel and netted types, respectively, were identified to be highly resistant to P. xnathii infection, providing new germplasms for melon improvement. Altogether, the generation of this melo-agrestis RIL population, together with the phenotypic observations, lays a solid foundation for mechanistic investigation of the traits with economic importance and could contribute to future breeding programs of melon cultivars with PM resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Germplasm Resources and Genetics Improvement of Watermelon and Melon)
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15 pages, 5873 KB  
Article
A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene ClTUA Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)
by Ziwei Hu, Leichen Zhang, Jun Shi, Quansheng Ying, Huafeng Zhang, Xingping Zhang, Yun Deng and Yuhong Wang
Horticulturae 2025, 11(6), 562; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11060562 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 621
Abstract
Vine length is a crucial plant architecture trait in watermelon, which determines its height. In this study, we identified a dominant dwarf watermelon mutant by treating G42 with Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). In order to clarify the causes of the dwarfism in mutants, genetic [...] Read more.
Vine length is a crucial plant architecture trait in watermelon, which determines its height. In this study, we identified a dominant dwarf watermelon mutant by treating G42 with Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). In order to clarify the causes of the dwarfism in mutants, genetic statistics, phenotypic observation, and cytological observation were carried out. Meanwhile, individual resequencing combined with molecular markers was used to map the candidate gene. Our results demonstrated that the dwarf mutant exhibited incomplete dominance. The dwarf plants showed a decrease in the number of internodal cells, shortened internodes, and reduced vine length. Gene mapping indicated that the target gene responsible for this mutation was ClTUA, which encodes α-tubulin. A point mutation in the dwarf plants was identified, specifically, a change from C to T at the 1851st base pair. Further experiments, including transcriptome analysis and Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), revealed that this gene mutation affected auxin synthesis, leading to the dwarfing of the plants. This study provides new germplasm resources and a theoretical foundation for plant architecture breeding in watermelon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Germplasm Resources and Genetics Improvement of Watermelon and Melon)
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Review

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22 pages, 2064 KB  
Review
Advances in Functional Genomics for Watermelon and Melon Breeding: Current Progress and Future Perspectives
by Huanhuan Niu, Junyi Tan, Wenkai Yan, Dongming Liu and Luming Yang
Horticulturae 2025, 11(9), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11091100 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 832
Abstract
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and melon (Cucumis melo) are globally important cucurbit crops, with China being the largest producer and consumer. Traditional breeding methods face difficulties in significantly improving yield and quality. Smart breeding, which combines genomics, gene editing, and [...] Read more.
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and melon (Cucumis melo) are globally important cucurbit crops, with China being the largest producer and consumer. Traditional breeding methods face difficulties in significantly improving yield and quality. Smart breeding, which combines genomics, gene editing, and artificial intelligence (AI), holds great promise but fundamentally depends on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling important agronomic traits. This review summarizes the progress made over recent decades in discovering and understanding the functions of genes that control essential traits in watermelon and melon, focusing on plant architecture, fruit quality, and disease resistance. However, major challenges remain: relatively few genes have been fully validated, the complex gene networks are not fully unraveled, and technical hurdles like low genetic transformation efficiency and difficulties in large-scale trait phenotyping limit progress. To overcome these and enable the development of superior new varieties, future research priorities should focus on the following: (1) systematic discovery of genes using comprehensive genome collections (pan-genomes) and multi-level data analysis (multi-omics); (2) deepening the study of gene functions and interactions using advanced gene editing and epigenetics; (3) faster integration of molecular knowledge into smart breeding systems; (4) solving the problems of genetic transformation and enabling efficient large-scale trait and genetic data collection (high-throughput phenotyping and genotyping). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Germplasm Resources and Genetics Improvement of Watermelon and Melon)
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19 pages, 636 KB  
Review
Advances in Cold Stress Response Mechanisms of Cucurbits
by Lili Li, Juan Hou, Jianbin Hu and Wenwen Mao
Horticulturae 2025, 11(9), 1032; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11091032 - 1 Sep 2025
Viewed by 689
Abstract
Cold stress can inhibit the growth of cucurbits, disrupt pollination and fertilization, induce fruit deformities, reduce plant resistance, and increase susceptibility to diseases, ultimately resulting in yield reduction, quality deterioration, or even complete crop failure. This review focuses on the main cucurbits, such [...] Read more.
Cold stress can inhibit the growth of cucurbits, disrupt pollination and fertilization, induce fruit deformities, reduce plant resistance, and increase susceptibility to diseases, ultimately resulting in yield reduction, quality deterioration, or even complete crop failure. This review focuses on the main cucurbits, such as melon, cucumber, and watermelon, systematically expounding the roles of plant hormones, signaling molecules, soluble sugars, key regulatory factors, molecular mechanisms, and network interactions in their response to cold stress. Furthermore, it highlights future research directions and application potential. By analyzing existing challenges and prospective advancements in this field, the review aims to provide a comprehensive reference for facilitating genetic improvement in cold tolerance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Germplasm Resources and Genetics Improvement of Watermelon and Melon)
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