About this Research Topic

Background

Cucurbit crops are an important food group around the world, and their quality and stress resistance have always been the focus of researchers. Firstly, with the improvement of people's living standards, the requirements for high-quality cucurbits are increasing, which puts forward higher requirements for the cultivation of new cucurbit germplasms. Secondly, the hazards of various biotic and abiotic stresses seriously affect the yield and food safety of cucurbit crops. The research on the stress resistance of cucurbit crops is very important for safe and efficient production. This will provide important theoretical support for the innovation of new germplasm.

In recent years, the genomics of cucurbit crops has achieved great progress, such as that of cucumber, melon, and watermelon. As a result, the genetics of cucurbit crops have also achieved rapid development. The high-density genetic map has been established, and the map-based cloning of excellent traits has made even further progress. At the same time, the completion of genome sequencing is also conducive to molecular biology research through omics methods such as genome sequencing and transcriptome sequencing. These have provided convenience for the genetics and molecular biology research of the excellent agronomic traits of the cucurbit crops, which is beneficial to the genetic breeding of cucurbit crops.

The purpose of this topic is to collate these aforementioned technologies, innovations, and management practices within this Research Topic. Such research will lay a solid foundation for the breeding of the excellent traits of cucurbit crops.

We welcome Original Research, Review, and/or Opinion articles on the cucurbit crops on the following themes:

• Genetic architecture of economically important traits using association mapping and/or genetic mapping
• Genetic map construction, gene/QTL mapping, map-based cloning of agronomic traits
• Omics analysis of agronomic traits such as transcriptome, metabolome, etc.
• Functional analysis and molecular mechanism of target genes for agronomic traits
• Genetic diversity and trait discovery
• Marker-assisted breeding and/or marker validation
• Application of gene editing in trait development and deployment
• Breeding modernization based on quantitative genetic theory and/or simulations
• Agronomic traits include yield, fruit quality, organ development, biotic and abiotic stress resistance, etc.

Keywords: cucurbit crops, cucumber, curcubit breeding, curcubit genetics, curcubit genomics, Cucumis sativus, watermelon, citrullus lanatus

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