Flesh colour is an important trait that affects the nutritional value, consumer preference, and breeder selection of fruits. In this study, we developed an F₂ population derived from crossing the parental lines ZXG1555 (pale green flesh) and Cream of Saskatchewan (short for ‘COS’; pale yellow flesh) to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and predict candidate genes that determine flesh colour and chlorophyll content. We found a major effective QTL (qfc10.1) region harbouring 22 annotated genes related to pale green flesh colour and chlorophyll content in the same region (~519 kb) on chromosome 10. Two Kompetitive Allele‐Specific PCR (KASP) markers were developed based on two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate gene Cla97C10G185970 annotated as plastid lipid‐associated protein, which exhibited a high correlation of pale green and non‐pale green flesh fruits according to the genotype results. The findings of this study provide a fundamental basis for further fine mapping and functional analyses of candidate genes associated with pale green flesh colour in watermelon.

中文翻译：

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西瓜中淡绿色果肉颜色的数量性状基因座和候选基因

肤色是影响水果的营养价值，消费者偏爱和育种者选择的重要特征。在这项研究中，我们开发了一个F ₂种群，该种群是通过杂交亲本系ZXG1555（淡绿色果肉）和萨斯喀彻温奶油（“ COS”的缩写；淡黄色果肉）得出的，以鉴定数量性状基因座（QTL）并预测候选基因确定果肉颜色和叶绿素含量。我们发现了一个主要的有效QTL（qfc10.1）区域，该区域在10号染色体的同一区域（〜519 kb）内藏有与淡绿色果肉颜色和叶绿素含量相关的22个带注释基因。基于候选基因Cla97C10G185970中的两个单核苷酸多态性（SNP）注释为质体脂质相关蛋白，根据基因型结果，该蛋白显示出浅绿色和非浅绿色的果肉果实高度相关。这项研究的发现为进一步精细定位和与西瓜中浅绿色果肉相关的候选基因的功能分析提供了基础。