Watermelon: Advances in Genetics of Fruit Qualitative Traits

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. The crop is grown commercially in regions with extended warm, frost-free months. Watermelon is cultivated for its colorful, tender, juicy, and sweet fruit. They are generally consumed fresh and make an excellent and delicious dessert, particularly during the summer months. Because of its smaller genome and large number of gene mutations, watermelon is a suitable crop species for genetic research. Watermelon's genome has 424 million base pairs. DNA sequencing found significant conservation, which is relevant for comparative genomics within Cucurbitaceae and other species. There exists a huge genetic variability in the fruit quality characteristics of watermelon with respect to seed traits, fruit shape, fruit size, skin color, skin pattern, flesh color and sugar/acid composition, fruit bitterness, and many more. This chapter serves as a guide to show the prospects and advances made in the genetics of fruit qualitative traits in watermelon breeding programs depending on profitability and consumer preferences.