Cytogenetics of semi-arid plants. III. A natural interspecific hybrid of Cucurbitaceae (Citrullus colocynthis Schrad*C. vulgaris Schrad).

Singh, Apekshita

doi:10.1508/cytologia.43.569

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…One hypothesis for the origin of the dessert watermelon is that it is descended from the colocynth of northern Africa (Singh, 1978;Sain et al, 2002;McCreight et al, 2013). Citrullus lanatus and C. colocynthis have been observed to cross spontaneously in the field (Fulks et al, 1979).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon,Citrullus lanatus

Paris

2015

Ann Bot

142

107

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The diverse evidence, combined, indicates that northeastern Africa is the centre of origin of the dessert watermelon, that watermelons were domesticated for water and food there over 4000 years ago, and that sweet dessert watermelons emerged in Mediterranean lands by approximately 2000 years ago. Next-generation ancient-DNA sequencing and state-of-the-art genomic analysis offer opportunities to rigorously assess the relationships among ancient and living wild and primitive watermelons from northeastern Africa, modern sweet dessert watermelons and other Citrullus taxa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon,Citrullus lanatus

Paris

2015

Ann Bot

142

107

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“…Four hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the watermelon: First, that it descends from the northern African colocynth ( C. colocynthis ; Singh, ; Sain et al ., ; McCreight et al ., ). Second, that it derives from the South African citron melon, C. amarus (Robinson & Decker‐Walters, ; Maynard & Maynard, ; Rubatsky, ).…”

Section: Time and Place Of Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin and domestication of Cucurbitaceae crops: insights from phylogenies, genomics and archaeology

Chomicki

Schaefer

Renner³

2019

New Phytologist

179

124

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Summary Some of the World's most valuable crops, including watermelon, honey melon, cucumber, squash, zucchini and pumpkin, belong to the family Cucurbitaceae. We review insights on their domestication from new phylogenies, archaeology and genomic studies. Ancestral state estimation on the most complete Cucurbitaceae phylogeny to date suggests that an annual life cycle may have contributed to domestication. Domestication started c. 11 000 years ago in the New World and Asia, and apparently more recently in Africa. Some cucurbit crops were domesticated only once, others multiple times (e.g. melon from different Asian and African populations). Most wild cucurbit fruits are bitter and nonpalatable to humans, and nonbitterness of the pulp apparently was a trait favoured early during domestication, with genomic data showing how bitterness loss was achieved convergently. The genetic pathways underlying lycopene accumulation, red or orange pulp colour, and fruit size and shape are only just beginning to be understood. The study of cucurbit domestication in recent years has benefitted from the increasing integration of archaeological and genomic data with insights from herbarium collections, the most efficient way to understand species’ natural geographic ranges and climate adaptations.

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“…However, our sequences from his 1882 seeds showed that his plants were C. colocynthis, not dessert watermelon. Natural and experimental hybrids between C. colocynthis and the dessert watermelon produce fertile F1 progeny (Shimotsuma, 1958;Singh, 1978;Fulks & al., 1979;Sain, 2003), causing Wehner (2008: 380) to suggest that, "Selection should be made for good watermelon flavor, independent of sweetness (sugar content). Flavor should include freedom from bitterness, which is controlled by a single dominant gene, and may be introduced in crosses with C. colocynthis accessions."…”

Section: Citrullus Ecirrhosusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chromosome numbers, Sudanese wild forms, and classification of the watermelon genus Citrullus, with 50 names allocated to seven biological species

Renner

Sousa

Chomicki

2017

TAXON

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Watermelons are among the most important vegetable crops worldwide, but targeted breeding is hindered by problems with Citrullus taxonomy. Here we clarify nomenclature and species relationships in Citrullus, its chromosome numbers, and the likely geographic region of watermelon domestication. We correct an erroneous chromosome count in recent literature, provide a count for an understudied species, and data on chromosome numbers for the entire genus. We also use a nuclear/plastid locus phylogeny to summarize data on Citrullus sexual systems, loss of tendrils, life history, and geographic ranges. Key insights from new sequences are that (i) material of C. vulgaris var. “colocynthoides”, collected by Schweinfurth in Egypt in 1882 represents the colocynth, C. colocynthis, and (ii) the citron or bitter watermelon, C. amarus, is indeed a separate species, not a subspecies of the dessert watermelon. Schweinfurth’s varietal name, a nomen nudum, has been widely used for seeds as old as 5400 BP, and it now needs to be investigated whether these seeds are colocynths, watermelon or a hybrid. To help improve Citrullus taxonomy and nomenclature, we allocate some 50 scientific names to seven biological species, tabulate chromosome counts, and provide notes on misidentified germplasms traceable by accession numbers. More wild‐collected herbarium‐verified material from northeast Africa is urgently needed, especially given the discovery of Russian breeders that populations of wild “cordophanus” from Sudan are closer to the cultivated watermelon than are any other wild populations so far known.

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Cytogenetics of semi-arid plants. III. A natural interspecific hybrid of Cucurbitaceae (Citrullus colocynthis Schrad*C. vulgaris Schrad).

Cited by 13 publications

References 3 publications

Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon,Citrullus lanatus

Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon,Citrullus lanatus

Origin and domestication of Cucurbitaceae crops: insights from phylogenies, genomics and archaeology

Chromosome numbers, Sudanese wild forms, and classification of the watermelon genus Citrullus, with 50 names allocated to seven biological species

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