Citron watermelon characterisation and trait analysis in Kalahari sands
Loading...
Date
2025-06-13
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AOSIS Publishing
Abstract
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.
Description
Keywords
Citrullus lanatus, genotypic correlation, morphological traits, path analysis, under-utilised crop
Citation
Tembo, L. & Maphosa, M., 2025, ‘Citron watermelon characterisation and trait analysis in Kalahari sands’, Journal of Underutilised Crops Research 4(1), a28. https://doi.org/10.4102/jucr. v4i1.28