Comparison of Fruit Qualities of Melons (Cucumis melo L.) from Around the Globe Grown on a Heavy Soil Using Organic Agricultural Practices

The demand for fruit and vegetables has increased over the past few decades due to the growing awareness of their contributions in nutrition and health. Melon growers in the United States are seeking to diversify the varieties and rotate them every season to sustain melon production and protect them from the devastating diseases. Development of resistant and high quality melon varieties is critical to the economic prosperity of U.S. melon growers. The main objective of our melon research program is to implement whole genome level characterization of diverse melon groups and breed superior melon types by pyramiding favorable allele combinations into the U.S. melons for their fruit quality, disease resistance, adaptability, and yield. Fruit quality attributes were evaluated for 103 melon cultivars grown under organic conditions in a two year field study on Memphis silt loam in southwest Mississippi. These melon types have unique textures and flavors and vary in their sweetness and shelf life. Fruit quality attributes including total soluble solids, rind pressure, flesh thickness, fruit length, width, and weight, flesh pressure, and cavity length and width were evaluated. There were significant variations among cultivars, in all quality attributes. Frequency distributions of total soluble solids and fruit weight were positively skewed, suggesting some major genes contributing to these quality attributes. The frequency distribution of flesh thickness was normal suggesting that this trait is under the control of minor genes. On the basis of the quality analysis, 20 varieties have been selected for seed distribution in the nation.