Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 26:76-92 (2003)
Nihat Guner and Todd C. Wehner
Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7609
This is the latest version of the gene list for watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai). The watermelon genes were originally organized and summarized by Poole (1944). ). The list has been expanded by Robinson et al. (1976), the Cucurbit Gene List Committee (1979, 1982, and 1987), Henderson (1991 and 1992), Rhodes and Zhang (1995), and Rhodes and Dane (1999). The current list provides an update of the known genes of watermelon. This year, the list has 162 total mutants, grouped into seed and seedling mutants, vine mutants, flower mutants, fruit mutants, resistance mutants, protein (isozyme) mutants, DNA (RFLP and RAPD) markers, and cloned genes. Researchers are encouraged to send reports of new genes, as well as seed samples of lines containing the gene mutant to the watermelon gene curator (Todd C. Wehner), or to the assistant curator (Stephen R. King). Please inform us of omissions or errors in the gene list. Scientists should consult the list as well as the rules of gene nomenclature for the Cucurbitaceae (Cucurbit Gene List Committee, 1982; Robinson et al., 1976) before choosing a gene name and symbol. Please choose a gene name and symbol with the fewest characters that describes the recessive mutant, and avoid use of duplicate gene names and symbols. The rules of gene nomenclature were adopted in order to provide guidelines for naming and symbolizing genes. Scientists are urged to contact members of the gene list committee regarding rules and gene symbols. The watermelon gene curators of the Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative are collecting seeds of the type lines for use by interested researchers, and would like to receive seed samples of any of the lines listed. This gene list has been modified from previous lists in that we have 1) added or expanded the description of the phenotypes of many of the gene mutants, 2) added descriptions for phenotypes of interacting gene loci, 3) identified the type lines that carry each form of each gene, 4) identified the gene mutant lines that are in the curator collections, and 5) added genes that have not previously been described (cr, Ctr, dw-3, eg, ms2, Ti, ts and zym). Initially, we had intended to include a review of gene linkage, but few reports were found except for sets of molecular markers in wide crosses of Citrullus. Additional work is needed in this area to measure linkages and clarify gene interactions. Finally, we attempted to correct some of the errors in gene descriptions or references from previous lists.