Inheritance of beta-carotene content in melon

Abstract

The objective of this work was to determine the inheritance of beta‑carotene content in melon (Cucumis melo). The AC-16 accession (Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. acidulus) – with a low beta-carotene content and white mesocarp – was crossed with the Vedrantais cultivar (C. melo subsp. melo var. cantalupensis) – with a high beta-carotene content and salmon colored mesocarp –, to obtain the F₁, F₂, BC₁ and BC₂ generations. The AC‑16 and 'Vedrantais' parents, the F₁ and F₂ generations, and the BC₁ and BC₂ backcrosses of each parent were evaluated. The quantification of beta‑carotene was carried out in a high-performance liquid chromatography system. Mean components related to the additive and dominance effects, additive and dominance variances, and heritability were estimated. The beta‑carotene content was high in 'Vedrantais' (17.78 µg g^-1) and low in AC-16 (0.34 µg g^-1). The following results were observed: additive and dominance effects on the genetic control of the character, incomplete character dominance, estimated number of loci close to two, greater variance for segregating populations (F₂ and backcrosses), and heritability values in the broad (87.75%) and narrow (64.19%) senses. The beta-carotene content in melon is controlled by a major effect gene, with additive and dominance effects associated with polygenes with additive effects.