Genetic Analysis of a Dwarf Vine and Small Fruit Watermelon Mutant

The dwarf vine and small fruit watermelon, referred to as 'dsh' in this study, is a natural mutant of the ordinary watermelon, 'Hanxuan Lvyuan'. Morphological assessment indicated that its main vine length, internode length, and single-fruit weight were significantly lower than those of the ordinary watermelon (P < 0.05). After crossing the mutant with two ordinary watermelons, following by inbreeding the F1 and backcrossing (BC) F1 to 'dsh', the F1, F2, and BC generations were obtained. Genetic analysis of vine type and single-fruit weight showed that the F1 generation consisted of long-vine plants, with single-fruit weight significantly higher than that of the ordinary parent watermelon (P < 0.05). The long and short vine plant ratios of the F2 and BC populations conform to the Mendel's segregation ratios of 3:1 and 1:1 (P > 0.05), respectively. It was suggested that this dwarf and small fruit mutation was a single recessive gene trait that followed a Mendel's inheritance.