Abstract
Watermelon is an economically important vegetable fruit worldwide. The objective of this study was to conduct a genetic diversity of 68 watermelon accessions using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) was used to discover SNPs and assess genetic diversity and population structure using STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) in watermelon accessions. Two groups of watermelons were used: 1) highly utilized 41 watermelon accessions at the National Agrobiodiversity Center (NAC) at the Rural Development Administration in South Korea; and 2) 27 Korean commercial watermelons. Results revealed the presence of four clusters within the populations differentiated principally based on seed companies. In addition, there was higher genetic differentiation among commercial watermelons of each company. It is hypothesized that the results obtained from this study would contribute towards the expansion of this crop as well as providing data about genetic diversity, which would be useful for the preservation of genetic resources or for future breeding programs.
Highlights
Watermelon is an important vegetable fruit crop for human consumption
There is a lack of analysis on the limits of the number of watermelon accessions and the association between results of GBS and phenotypic characteristics, genetic diversity and population structure of 68 watermelon accessions have been explained using a robust set of 1770 SNPs obtained from GBS in this study
The results of genetic diversity and population structure in 68 watermelon accessions showed the high level of heterozygosity in each watermelon accession and the low level of genetic differentiation between the clusters
Summary
Watermelon is an important vegetable fruit crop for human consumption. Watermelon, ranking among the top five most-frequently purchased fruits, is cultivated globally, with a per capita annual consumption of ~7 kg [1]. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United. Nations [2], global watermelon production was 595,422 tons in 2017 and has increased steadily, over the years. South Korea is the 19th largest watermelon producing country in the world. Watermelon is an economically important horticultural crop in South Korea, after pepper, oriental cabbage, radish, and onion [3]. As watermelon contains various functional factors such as lycopene and citrulline, many seed companies have been leading the development of various watermelon cultivars to cater to customers [4]
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