Citron watermelon characterisation and trait analysis in Kalahari sands
Journal of Underutilised Crops Research
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Citron watermelon characterisation and trait analysis in Kalahari sands | |
| Creator | Tembo, Lenon Maphosa, Mcebisi | |
| Description | Background: Citron watermelon, a drought-tolerant and nutrient-dense crop requiring low input, holds potential for enhancing food security under climate change conditions. However, it remains under-researched, with low productivity levels.Aim: To agro-morphologically characterise citron watermelon accessions and identify trait relationships relevant for variety development.Setting: The experiment was carried out at a Lupane State University Farm with Kalahari sands in Zimbabwe.Methods: A randomised complete block design field experiment, with three replications, was conducted over two consecutive seasons.Results: The accessions displayed wide diversity in fruit shape, skin colour and seed colour. Fruit yield ranged from 18.5 t/ha to 190.2 t/ha, exhibiting a strong positive correlation with the number of fruits per plant (R = 0.99) and individual fruit weight (R = 0.98). Path analysis confirmed that these traits exerted the highest direct effects on yield. Principal component analysis revealed that the first three components explained 89.85% of the total variation between accessions.Conclusion: The significant variation and trait correlations observed offer opportunities for effective parental selection and early genetic gains in breeding programmes. There is scope to improve yield-determining traits, such as the number of fruits per plant and individual fruit weight, forming a strong basis for initiating a breeding programme for this crop.Contribution: Promising accessions identified in this study can be utilised as parental lines for citron watermelon improvement. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2025-06-13 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/jucr.v4i1.28 | |
| Source | Journal of Underutilised Crops Research; Vol 4, No 1 (2025); 8 pages 2958-0994 3105-4277 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://underutilisedcrops.org/index.php/jucr/article/view/28/78
https://underutilisedcrops.org/index.php/jucr/article/view/28/79
https://underutilisedcrops.org/index.php/jucr/article/view/28/80
https://underutilisedcrops.org/index.php/jucr/article/view/28/81
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