The melon genetic breeding team from the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Professor Tao Lin's team from China Agricultural University have published a paper in the journal Horticulture Research, completing the assembly of the first wild melon T2T genome.

 

This research used the Indian semi-wild melon material PI 313970 for genome assembly. The research team completed the T2T assembly of two haploid genomes, with genome sizes of 373 Mb and 364 Mb respectively. Comparative genomic analysis found that there are a large number of structural variations between thick-skinned and thin-skinned melon genomes, and disease resistance genes affected by structural variations also show differences. The study also found through comparative analysis that there are copy number variations in genes on chromosome 11 related to resistance against ToLCNDV, a "super" virus in cucurbits.

 

This research has obtained high-quality semi-wild melon genome sequences, laying a foundation for mining excellent trait genes such as disease resistance and genetic improvement. This represents an important advancement in melon genetic breeding research.