Introgression line libraries in melon (Cucumis melo L.): development, genetic insights, and applications in trait dissection and crop improvement.

IF 3.6 3区农林科学 Q1 AGRONOMY

Molecular Breeding Pub Date : 2026-10-06 eCollection Date: 2026-10-01 DOI:10.1007/s11032-026-01725-x

Cristina Esteras, Marta Pujol, Juan Pablo Fernández-Trujillo, Maria José Gonzalo, Ana Monserrat Martín-Hernández, Ana María Pérez-de-Castro, Belén Picó, Jordi Garcia-Mas, Antonio José Monforte

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introgression lines (ILs) are powerful genetic resources for dissecting the architecture of complex traits in crops. This review summarizes the development and characterization of six IL libraries and two additional ILs in melon (Cucumis melo L.), generated from diverse donor genotypes, including wild accessions, landraces, traditional and elite cultivars, introgressed into Mediterranean elite backgrounds, such as 'Piel de Sapo' and 'Védrantais.' Together, these libraries capture a wide representation of melon genetic diversity and have revealed numerous stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for key agronomic traits, including fruit shape, weight, color, firmness, soluble solids content, volatile composition, climacteric ripening, and resistance to Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV). Notably, large-effect QTLs were recurrently identified across independent IL libraries. This suggests that targeted improvement of complex traits may be achieved by manipulating a limited number of loci. Notably, several ILs displayed transgressive phenotypes relative to their donor parents. These results highlight their ability to uncover cryptic genetic variants relevant to modern breeding. Beyond QTL discovery, ILs have facilitated fine mapping and gene identification, leading to the cloning of genes such as CmOFP13 (fruit shape), CmNAC-NOR, CmERF024 (ripening), and CmVPS41 (CMV resistance). Overall, this review highlights the value of ILs as tools for both breeding and fundamental genetic research and outlines future directions, including integrating transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches, developing ILs for abiotic stress tolerance, and extending IL resources to oriental melon germplasm, thereby enhancing their utility for global melon improvement.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-026-01725-x.

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来源期刊

Molecular Breeding 农林科学-农艺学

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

6.50%

发文量

审稿时长

1.5 months

期刊介绍： Molecular Breeding is an international journal publishing papers on applications of plant molecular biology, i.e., research most likely leading to practical applications. The practical applications might relate to the Developing as well as the industrialised World and have demonstrable benefits for the seed industry, farmers, processing industry, the environment and the consumer. All papers published should contribute to the understanding and progress of modern plant breeding, encompassing the scientific disciplines of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, physiology, pathology, plant breeding, and ecology among others. Molecular Breeding welcomes the following categories of papers: full papers, short communications, papers describing novel methods and review papers. All submission will be subject to peer review ensuring the highest possible scientific quality standards. Molecular Breeding core areas: Molecular Breeding will consider manuscripts describing contemporary methods of molecular genetics and genomic analysis, structural and functional genomics in crops, proteomics and metabolic profiling, abiotic stress and field evaluation of transgenic crops containing particular traits. Manuscripts on marker assisted breeding are also of major interest, in particular novel approaches and new results of marker assisted breeding, QTL cloning, integration of conventional and marker assisted breeding, and QTL studies in crop plants.