Genetic inheritance of pulp color, cracking and netting in melon fruits

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic inheritance of pulp color,
cracking, and netting in melon fruits in crosses of two non-sweet melon accessions with
a long shelf-life sweet melon. Two trials were conducted under field conditions at the
Didactic Orchard of the Federal Rural University of the Semiarid Region , in the municipality
of Mossoró-RN, Brazil, from March to June 2021. The populations used originated from
crosses between AC-02 (Momordica Group, white pulp, cracked fruit, not netted) and I-180
(Dudaim Group; white fruit, not netted) with Timeless Gold (Cantalupensis Group; salmon
pulp, netted). Chi-square (X²) was used to analyze phenotypic segregation frequencies of F2
populations for pulp color (salmon, green, or white), cracking (present or absent), and pericarp
texture (smooth or netted), at 5% probability level. Genetic inheritance of pulp color
was controlled by an epistatic interaction of dominance between two genes. Fruit cracking
involves the gene interaction of two double recessive epistatic genes. Pericarp netting was
under dominant monogenic control.