Assessment of growth and early maturation traits in various genotypes of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.)

Abstract

The success of any breeding programs depends on the parents chosen. Breeders select parents with high mean values as an added benefit for crossing programmes. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the performance of muskmelon genotypes for growth and earliness attributes. Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the most well-known desert vegetables, belong to the Cucurbitaceae family. Thirty-three germplasm lines were collected from different regions of India. The experiment was conducted at Puthur village, Salem district, and evaluated under Randomised Block Design with three replications during February to May 2022. The findings indicate that the genotypes CM 2, CM 16, CM 11, CM 19, CM 7, CM 13 and CM 22 reported as elite genotypes were exhibited higher values for different traits like days to first female flower opening, first female flowering node, number of vines per plant, vine length (cm), sex ratio and days to first fruit harvest. As a result, the above mentioned seven genotypes are used in the hybridization programme, could be exploited to develop elite cultivars with maximum growth and earlier in flowering and harvest.