Analysis of the Genes That Determine the Dwarf Form of Watermelon Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai in the VIR Collection

The dwarf watermelon forms, determined by bushiness and semi-bushiness, are of great economic importance, determining the rational use of sown areas owing to the high planting density and the possibility of mechanized processing and harvesting. In this regard, the study of genes that determine the small habitus of watermelon plants is an important task for accelerating the selection. The aim of this work was to analyze the known and search for new dwarf genes of watermelon Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai by analyzing the unique VIR collection of melon crops and selection forms of the Kuban experimental station of VIR. As a result, the known mutation in the dw-1 gene (ABC transporter) was revealed in all bush and ultra-bush genotypes, except for two samples from Azerbaijan. The dwarfism of these two samples was not associated with other known genes, dsh (gibberellin-20-oxidase) and df (gibberellin-3 beta-hydroxylase), or their copies df2 and dsh2 identified in the present study. Thus, the VIR collection of melon crops contains potentially new genes that determine the dwarfism of watermelon.