Quantitative trait loci analysis of melon (Cucumis melo L.) domestication-related traits

[EN] The fruit of wild melons is very small (20-50 g) without edible pulp, contrasting with the large size and high pulp content of cultivated melon fruits. An analysis of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling fruit morphology domestication-related traits was carried out using an in vitro maintained F-2 population from the cross between the Indian wild melon "Trigonus" and the western elite cultivar 'Piel de Sapo'. Twenty-seven QTL were identified in at least two out of the three field trials. Six of them were also being detected in BC1 and BC3 populations derived from the same cross. Ten of them were related to fruit morphological traits, 12 to fruit size characters, and 5 to pulp content. The Trigonus alleles decreased the value of the characters, except for the QTL at andromonoecious gene at linkage group (LG) II, and the QTL for pulp content at LGV. QTL genotypes accounted for a considerable degree of the total phenotypic variation, reaching up to 46%. Around 66% of the QTL showed additive gene action, 19% exhibited dominance, and 25% consisted of overdominance. The regions on LGIV, VI, and VIII included the QTL with more consistent and strong effects on domestication-related traits. QTLs on those regions were validated in BC2S1, BC2S2, and BC3 families, with "Trigonus" allele decreasing the fruit morphological traits in all cases. The validated QTL could represent loci involved in melon domestication, although further experiments as genomic variation studies across wild and cultivated genotypes would be necessary to confirm this hypothesis.We thank S. Casal, A. Mercader, and M. Mohamed-Amit for technical support and D. L. Goodchild for reviewing the English language. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness/FEDER grants AGL2012-40130-C02-02, AGL2015-64625-C2-2-R to AJM, AGL2014-53398-C2-2-R to BP, AGL2015-64625-C2-1-R, Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2016-2020, and the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya to JGM and AMMM-H. AD was supported by a JAE-Doc contract from CSIC.Diaz, A.; Martin Hernandez, A.; Dolcet-Sanjuan, R.; Garcés Claver, AB.; Alvarez, J.; Garcia-Mas, J.; Picó Sirvent, MB.... (2017). Quantitative trait loci analysis of melon (Cucumis melo L.) domestication-related traits. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 130(9):1837-1856. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-017-2928-y183718561309Ashrafi H, Kinkade MP, Merk HL, Foolad MR (2012) Identification of novel quantitative trait loci for increased lycopene content and other fruit quality traits in a tomato recombinant inbred line population. Mol Breed 30:549–567Asins MJ, Breto MP, Carbonell EA (1993) Salt tolerance in Lycopersicon species. II. 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