AUTHOR=Li Na , Zhou Dan , Li Nannan , Kong Shengnan , Shang Jianli , Zhu Wanting , Wang Jiming , Ma Shuangwu TITLE=Identification of the egusi seed trait locus (eg) and its suppressor gene associated with the thin seed coat trait in watermelon JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science VOLUME=14 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1018975 DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1018975 ISSN=1664-462X ABSTRACT=
Egusi watermelon has a unique egusi seed type, which could be useful for breeding both edible seeds and edible flesh in watermelon. However, the genetic basis of the unique egusi seed type is not clear. In the present study, we first reported that at least two genes with inhibitory epistasis were responsible for the thin seed coat (unique egusi seed type) in watermelon. Inheritance analysis of five populations, including F2, BC, and BCF2, suggested that the thin seed coat trait was controlled by a suppressor gene together with the egusi seed locus (