The First Genetic Map and Positions of Major Fruit Trait Loci of Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia)
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Abstract
Albeit extensive cultivation of bitter melon both as vegetable and medicine in many countries of Asia, Africa, and South America, no serious efforts have been made for genetic and breeding studies on this ‘orphan’ crop. In contrast to popular cucurbits, it lacks a genetic linkage map as required for genomic depiction and precise breeding. We report here on the construction of the first genetic linkage map of bitter melon using a set of 146
F2 progenies derived from an inter-botanical variety cross between Taiwan White, Momordica charantia var. charantia, and CBM12, M. charantiavar. muricata. This map consists of 108 AFLP markers and five qualitative trait loci dispersed over 11 linkage groups spanning a total distance of 3060.7 cM. The five qualitative traits mapped include fruit color, fruit luster, fruit surface structure, stigma color, and seed color; all of which exhibited monogenic segregation except seed color which showed digenic (9:7) mode of inheritance.
