Phenotypic screening of EMS mutants in watermelon and genetic dissec-tion of dwarf mutant
YAN Mengyuan
KANG Qishuai
YUAN Weige
TANG Peisen
DOU Junling
LIU Dongming
YANG Sen
ZHU Huayu
DENG Yun
ZHANG Xingping
YANG Luming
Abstract：The M,and M2 generation mutants induced by pollen mutagenesis of the the watermelon germplasm G42 were used as materias for investigation and statistical analysis of important agronomic traits,such as cotyledon,true leaf,flower,plant architecture,and fruit characteristics throughout the whole growth period.Among the 1244 M1 mutants,59 mutants with 18 phenotypic variations were obtained,including cotyledon color,leaf morphology,semi-dwarfism,fruit rind color,and male sterility,with a total mutation rate of 4.74％.The mutation rate for leaf-related traits was the highest at 1.12％.By screening of 9741 plants across 1007 M2 families,mutations such as semi-dwarfism,male sterility,true leaf chlorosis,and fruit size were identified,with a total mutation rate of 18.87％.The highest mutation rate was fruit traits with a level of 5.86％.Genetic analysis of the dwarf mutant M259 selected from the M2 generation revealed that the normal and dwarf plants in the F2 population constructed by crossing with G42 followed a 3∶1 segregation ratio,indicating that the dwarf trait was controlled by a recessive gene.Through the screening and identification of a large number of watermelon EMS mutant libraries,a series of mutants with variations in plant architecture,male sterility,and fruit traits were selected.These results provide valuable resources for future research on the discovery of genes related to desirable agronomic traits and the breeding of superior watermelon cultivars.
Keywords：WatermelonEthyl methylsulfonateMutant screeningGenetic analysis
Publication Date：2025-04-05
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 28-34 )