INFO VIEW

Advances in watermelon breeding in China

Advances in watermelon breeding in China

LIU Wenge，HE Nan，ZHAO Shengjie，LU Xuqiang

Abstract: The watermelon（Citrullus lanatus）production area in China is around 1.83 million hectares，scattered in different regions of the country，China ranked first place for production and consumption of watermelon in the world. The watermelon breeding started in 1950s，the watermelon varieties have been achieved at least five times breed replacements since then，experienced a farmers landraces，fixed varieties，hybrid breeding，disease resistant varieties and diverse varieties of watermelon. The use of introduction，hybridization，heterosis utilization，polyploid breeding，molecular marker- assisted breeding and other breeding methods，different main watermelon cultivars had been bred at different times，China’s generation of hybrid varieties of watermelon was the basic realization，which promoted watermelon industry development. In this paper，the breeding process and achievements of watermelon were reviewed and future prospects was proposed，it will be for reference to improve the level of China’s watermelon breeding.
Key words: Watermelon；Breeding；Process and Achievements