Mangalore melon (Cucumis melo ssp. agrestis var. acidulus) is a non-dessert melon, extensively grown in the coastal districts of South India, but hardly known to the rest of the World. Immature or mature fruits of Mangalore melon are used in preparation of delicious dishes such as vegetable stew, chutneys and curries. They are appreciated for nutritional values, long shelf life and biotic stress resistance. Seventy-nine accessions of Mangalore melon were collected from five states of South India and their genetic diversity was assessed using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Putative candidate genes of extended shelf life in Mangalore melon were studied by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in comparison with cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.). Shelf life varied from 65 to 300 days at room temperature. Six ISSR primers amplified 142 fragments ranging from 80 to 2380 bp with an average of 23.66 bands per marker on a high-resolution capillary electrophoresis system. Neighbor joining phylogenetic tree construction from the ISSR allele similarity based genetic distance revealed two major clusters with 46 and 33 accessions in each cluster. Expression of fruit ripening related genes of ethylene biosynthesis (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase) and cell wall metabolism (polygalacturonase, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase and expansin) in Mangalore melons was significantly lower than the cantaloupe melon at 180 days after harvest. Mangalore melon is a promising genetic resource for enhancing the shelf life of melons. The putative candidate genes identified here are useful in enhancing shelf life of cantaloupe.

Mangalore 甜瓜（Cucumis melo ssp. agrestis var. acidulus）是一种非甜点甜瓜，广泛种植在南印度的沿海地区，但世界其他地区鲜为人知。Mangalore 甜瓜的未成熟或成熟果实用于制作美味菜肴，如炖蔬菜、酸辣酱和咖喱。它们因其营养价值、长保质期和抗生物胁迫性而受到赞赏。从印度南部的五个州收集了 79 份 Mangalore 甜瓜，并使用简单序列重复 (ISSR) 标记评估了它们的遗传多样性。与哈密瓜相比，通过定量逆转录聚合酶链反应研究了芒格洛尔甜瓜延长保质期的假定候选基因。甜瓜L.）。保质期在室温下从 65 到 300 天不等。六个 ISSR 引物在高分辨率毛细管电泳系统上扩增了 142 个片段，范围从 80 到 2380 bp，每个标记平均有 23.66 个条带。从基于 ISSR 等位基因相似性的遗传距离构建系统发育树的邻居揭示了两个主要簇，每个簇中有 46 个和 33 个种质。乙烯生物合成（1-氨基环丙烷-1-羧酸合酶、1-氨基环丙烷-1-羧酸氧化酶）和细胞壁代谢（多聚半乳糖醛酸酶、木葡聚糖内转葡糖基酶/水解酶和扩展蛋白）的果实成熟相关基因在 Mangalore 甜瓜中的表达显着低于收获后 180 天的哈密瓜瓜。芒格洛尔甜瓜是一种很有前景的遗传资源，可用于延长甜瓜的保质期。