The broad variability of Cucumis melo (melon, Cucurbitaceae) presents a challenge to conventional classification and organization within the species. To shed further light on the infraspecific relationships within C. melo, we compared genotypic and metabolomic similarities among 44 accessions representative of most of the cultivar-groups. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) provided over 20,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Metabolomics data of the mature fruit flesh and rind provided over 80,000 metabolomic and elemental features via an orchestra of six complementary metabolomic platforms. These technologies probed polar, semi-polar, and non-polar metabolite fractions as well as a set of mineral elements and included both flavor- and taste-relevant volatile and non-volatile metabolites. Together these results enabled an estimate of “metabolomic/elemental distance” and its correlation with the genetic GBS distance of melon accessions. This study indicates that extensive and non-targeted metabolomics/elemental characterization produced classifications that strongly, but not completely, reflect the current and extensive genetic classification. Certain melon Groups, such as Inodorous, clustered in parallel with the genetic classifications while other genome to metabolome/element associations proved less clear. We suggest that the combined genomic, metabolic, and element data reflect the extensive sexual compatibility among melon accessions and the breeding history that has, for example, targeted metabolic quality traits, such as taste and flavor.

中文翻译：

---

甜瓜（瓜，葫芦科）生物多样性的比较代谢组学和分子系统发育学

黄瓜（瓜，葫芦科）的广泛变异性对物种内的常规分类和组织构成了挑战。进一步阐明C. melo中的种下关系，我们比较了代表大多数品种组的44个种质之间的基因型和代谢组学相似性。测序基因分型（GBS）提供了20,000多个单核苷酸多态性（SNP）。通过六个互补的代谢组学平台的乐队，成熟果肉和果皮的代谢组学数据提供了80,000多种代谢组学和元素特征。这些技术探测了极性，半极性和非极性代谢物馏分以及一系列矿物质，并且包括与风味和味道相关的挥发性和非挥发性代谢物。这些结果加在一起使得能够估计“代谢/元素距离”及其与甜瓜种质遗传GBS距离的相关性。这项研究表明，广泛的和非靶向的代谢组学/元素表征所产生的分类强烈但不完全反映当前和广泛的遗传分类。某些瓜类（如臭味）与遗传分类平行地聚集，而其他基因组与代谢组/元素的关联则不太清楚。我们建议，结合的基因组，代谢和元素数据可以反映甜瓜种质之间的广泛性相容性，以及具有例如目标代谢质量特征（例如味道和风味）的育种历史。聚类与遗传分类平行，而其他基因组与代谢组/元素的关联则不太清楚。我们建议，结合的基因组，代谢和元素数据可以反映甜瓜种质之间的广泛性相容性，以及具有例如目标代谢质量特征（例如味道和风味）的育种历史。聚类与遗传分类平行，而其他基因组与代谢组/元素的关联则不太清楚。我们建议，结合的基因组，代谢和元素数据可以反映甜瓜种质之间的广泛性相容性，以及具有例如目标代谢质量特征（例如味道和风味）的育种历史。