Mapping traits in watermelon

Watermelon is one of the most important vegetable crops in Georgia, but is lacking in molecular tools to aid breeding efforts. UGA horticulturists developed genomic tools that will enable watermelon breeders to use marker assisted selection (MAS) to accelerate cultivar development. Their efforts resulted in the identification of the chromosomal regions associated with fruit, seed and flower traits, as well as Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV-W) resistance. They also developed mapping populations segregating for resistance to Gummy Stem Blight and Fusarium wilt, and these traits will be the next targets for MAS. This research lays the foundation for MAS in watermelon as well as future efforts to accelerate breeding for traits of special importance to Georgia watermelon growers such as synchronized flowering and disease resistance.