A short peduncle mutant of cucumis melo and application thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a leaf small-stem short type melon mutant and application thereof, relates to the technical field of melon mutants, and comprises the following steps: the mutant has typical morphological characteristics of small leaves and short leaf stalks, and the overall plant type is contracted and compact; the overall volume of the leaves is obviously smaller than that of conventional melon varieties, the growth trend of the leaf stalks is short and straight, and the outward opening degree of the overall plant type is obviously reduced. Through matched high-density planting and field management technology, the mutant is fully utilized in a micro ecological environment, the excellent ventilation and light transmission are utilized to optimize temperature and humidity control, chemical pesticide reduction and labor pruning cost reduction are realized, fruit dry matter accumulation and commodity fruit rate are promoted, and finally, the land utilization rate, planting benefits and ecological benefits are synergistically increased. In addition, due to the fact that the overall plant type is obviously reduced in the outward expansion degree, the row width is increased, which is beneficial to mechanical spraying, fertilization and weeding operations, and a large number of workers are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of muskmelon mutant technology, and in particular to a muskmelon mutant with short leaf petioles and its applications. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of facility agriculture, melon cultivation is gradually shifting from traditional open-field planting to intensive, large-scale greenhouse cultivation. In this transformation, plant architecture regulation breeding has become a key technological path to increase yield per unit area. An ideal plant architecture can optimize light energy utilization and improve the field micro-ecological environment, thereby achieving high and stable yields. In recent years, domestic and international scholars have conducted extensive research on melon plant architecture improvement, mainly focusing on the genetic analysis and variety selection of traits such as vine length, internode length, and branching angle. For example, through mutation breeding or marker-assisted selection, some short-vine or dwarf melon materials have been successfully bred. These materials reduce the vegetative growth space of the plants to a certain extent, providing a theoretical basis for dense planting. Furthermore, with the advancement of molecular biology techniques, some genes related to plant hormone synthesis and signal transduction have been cloned, providing important clues for understanding the molecular mechanisms of melon plant architecture formation.

[0003] Despite some progress in improving melon plant architecture, significant bottlenecks remain in achieving synergistic improvement in high-density planting and overall photosynthetic efficiency. Currently, most melon varieties have large leaves and long petioles, resulting in a loose angle between the petiole and the main stem, leading to canopy closure. This structure not only limits further increases in planting density, as mutual shading between leaves under dense planting conditions severely weakens the photosynthesis of the lower and middle leaves, but also causes poor ventilation and increased humidity within the greenhouse, thus exacerbating the risk of airborne diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew. Although short-vine materials have been developed, these materials often involve excessively shortened internodes or abnormal leaf morphology, failing to effectively resolve the contradiction between leaf spatial distribution and light capture efficiency, making it difficult to achieve breakthroughs in overall yield while maintaining individual plant yield. Therefore, how to obtain a new melon germplasm with moderately sized leaves and compact petioles through genetic improvement to overcome the limitations of existing plant architecture on yield increase in dense planting has become a core issue urgently needing to be addressed in the field of melon breeding. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the aforementioned existing problems, the present invention is proposed.

[0005] Therefore, this invention provides a muskmelon mutant with short petioles to solve the technical problem that existing muskmelon varieties are difficult to balance high-density planting and group photosynthetic efficiency due to their loose plant structure and closed canopy, thus limiting the increase in yield per unit area.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a muskmelon mutant with short petioles, which includes the following: the mutant has typical morphological characteristics of smaller leaves and shorter petioles, and the overall plant type is compact; the overall size of the leaves is significantly smaller than that of conventional muskmelon varieties, the petioles grow short and upright, and the overall plant type does not have an outward spreading growth pattern.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant described in this invention, the mutant relies on the inherent trait of petiole shortening to allow the overall leaves to naturally grow upright, completely avoiding the problem of canopy closure caused by the drooping petioles of conventional muskmelon varieties, improving ventilation and light transmission in the field, reducing humidity in the facility environment, and reducing the probability of the growth and occurrence of various diseases.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant described in this invention, the mutant is adapted to a high-density planting mode in facility cultivation. Under high-density cultivation conditions, the growth vigor and fruiting capacity of individual plants remain stable, and the overall photosynthetic utilization efficiency of the population is far superior to that of conventional muskmelon varieties.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant described in this invention, the mutant is adapted to the trellis cultivation mode of facility agriculture. Relying on the compact and agile plant type formed by the smaller leaves and shorter petioles, it can be adapted to the intensive and dense planting arrangement and the layout of large-scale facility planting.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant described in this invention, the mutant, during its growth period, relies on its compact plant shape to provide a well-ventilated growing environment, eliminating the need for frequent pruning and maintenance, thus significantly reducing the labor input in the field for manual pruning and side cutting; at the same time, the field micro-ecological environment is better, the incidence of pests and diseases is less, and the input of pesticides is significantly reduced.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant described in this invention, the mutant is obtained through mutation breeding or hybridization, and the core traits of smaller leaves and shorter petioles have strong genetic stability and can be stably passed on to offspring plants.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant described in this invention, the mutant fruit exhibits consistent internal qualities such as flavor, sugar content, and taste with conventional high-quality muskmelon varieties, thereby significantly improving land utilization efficiency and overall planting benefits without reducing the quality of commercial fruit.

[0013] Secondly, the present invention provides an application of a muskmelon mutant with a short petiole, including applying the muskmelon mutant with a short petiole to a high-density intensive cultivation method, specifically including the following steps: S1. Select suitable planting plots for facility cultivation, apply sufficient base fertilizer, and make ridges to create a suitable soil environment for the growth of melon roots; S2. Relying on the unique advantages of mutants, such as small leaves, short petioles, and compact plant type, we adopt an intensive and dense planting method to fully utilize the land's planting potential. S3. By utilizing the naturally excellent ventilation and light transmission characteristics of mutants, and combining this with scientific control of temperature and humidity in the facility environment, cultivation effects of reducing pesticide use, improving quality, saving costs and increasing efficiency can be achieved.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the application of the short-petioled muskmelon mutant described in this invention, the high-density planting in step S2 is supported by a drip irrigation cultivation mode under film, combined with integrated water and fertilizer management, to provide a balanced supply of water and fertilizer required for plant growth, thereby resolving the problem of water and fertilizer competition among plants under drip irrigation cultivation.

[0015] As a preferred application of the short-petioled muskmelon mutant described in this invention, the S3 field management specifically includes: utilizing the superior ventilation and light transmission structure of the mutant's smaller leaves and shorter petioles to optimize the micro-ecological environment of the plant canopy, effectively reducing the air humidity inside the facility, and inhibiting the germination and infection of harmful pathogens; while reducing the application of chemical pesticides, it is conducive to the accumulation of photosynthetic products and dry matter in the plant, and significantly improves the qualified rate of commercial fruits.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By constructing unique morphological characteristics and optimizing cultivation techniques, it solves the technical bottleneck of traditional melon varieties, which are difficult to balance high-density planting and group photosynthetic efficiency due to their loose plant type and closed canopy. Utilizing the compact plant type with small leaves and short petioles, it effectively avoids the problems of canopy closure and excessive humidity caused by dense planting by improving ventilation and light penetration within the group. This results in a significant increase in yield per unit area, reduces the risk of disease and pesticide input, and fully leverages the advantages of this mutant in the micro-ecological environment through supporting high-density planting and field management techniques. By utilizing its excellent ventilation and light penetration to optimize temperature and humidity control, it not only reduces the amount of chemical pesticides and the cost of manual pruning, but also promotes the accumulation of dry matter in the fruit and increases the marketable fruit rate, ultimately achieving a synergistic increase in land utilization, planting benefits, and ecological benefits. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1A schematic diagram illustrating the key technologies associated with the cultivation and application of muskmelon mutants with short petioles. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0021] Secondly, the term "one embodiment" or "example" as used herein refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that may be included in at least one implementation of the invention. The appearance of an embodiment in different places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a single or selective embodiment that mutually excludes other embodiments.

[0022] Example 1, Reference Figure 1 This is the first embodiment of the present invention, which provides a muskmelon mutant with a short petiole, comprising the following steps: This is a muskmelon mutant with small leaves and short petioles, exhibiting the inherent morphological traits of smaller leaves and shortened petioles. The plant as a whole naturally compacts, lacking the outward spreading growth habit. Compared to common muskmelon varieties, this mutant has smaller overall leaf size, significantly shorter petioles, and an upright growth posture. Utilizing the dual traits of small leaves and short petioles, it naturally forms a compact and inward-curving plant structure. The shortened petioles drive all leaves to grow upright, preventing drooping or outward-extending leaves from obstructing the view. This avoids canopy shading and dense canopy formation. Under greenhouse cultivation conditions, good field ventilation and convection, uniform canopy light transmission, and naturally maintained humidity within a suitable range reduce the likelihood of pathogenic microorganisms and significantly decrease the incidence of common muskmelon diseases such as downy mildew, vine blight, and leaf spot. This mutant is adapted to conventional greenhouse planting mode and can be cultivated in an intensive, high-density manner. Under dense planting conditions, individual plants grow steadily and have a balanced fruit setting capacity. It will not exhibit excessive growth, weak seedlings, or fruit drop due to large planting density. The overall canopy photosynthetic light-receiving area of ​​the group is reasonable, and the efficiency of light energy utilization and material accumulation is significantly better than that of conventional scattered melon varieties.

[0023] Example 2, Reference Figure 1 This is a second embodiment of the present invention, which provides a muskmelon mutant with a short petiole, comprising the following steps: This cultivation method, using greenhouse trellises, is well-suited for large-scale, standardized planting layouts. Utilizing the compact plant type resulting from the mutant's smaller leaves and shorter petioles, the upright, vine-binding cultivation model ensures a vertically orderly distribution of branches and leaves, preventing lateral spread and encroachment on row space. This allows for regular, high-density plant spacing, making it suitable for intensive, large-scale planting in contiguous facility parks. During cultivation, the upright, compact branches and leaves, along with excellent internal ventilation and minimal overlapping and shading, eliminate the need for frequent manual pruning, thinning, and leaf removal, significantly simplifying field management and saving on labor costs. Simultaneously, the superior ventilation and light penetration of the field microenvironment promotes robust plant growth, strong resistance to adverse conditions, and a low incidence of pests and diseases, reducing the need for frequent pesticide application and significantly decreasing pesticide use and costs. This muskmelon mutant with short petioles was obtained through mutation breeding or hybridization-oriented selection. The core plant type traits of smaller leaves and shorter petioles are genetically expressed stably. After multiple generations of breeding, it can still stably maintain the compact plant type characteristics without segregation or degeneration of traits. It can be used as a stable germplasm resource for the breeding of new muskmelon varieties and large-scale promotion and cultivation.

[0024] Example 3, Reference Figure 1 This is the third embodiment of the present invention, which provides a muskmelon mutant with a short petiole, comprising the following steps: The first step is site selection and land preparation: Select plots with deep soil, excellent physical and chemical properties, and suitable for facility planting. After deep plowing, apply well-rotted organic fertilizer and slow-release base fertilizer. Organize the plots and create raised beds to construct a loose, well-aerated, and fertile root growth environment. The second step is dense planting: Utilizing the mutant's small leaves, short petioles, and compact plant shape, adopt an intensive dense planting model. Combined with drip irrigation under mulch, implement integrated water and fertilizer supply management throughout the process. Water and nutrients are supplied as needed according to different growth stages of the plants, balancing and coordinating the growth needs of the plant population. This effectively alleviates the competition for water and fertilizer among plants under high-density cultivation, ensuring uniform and balanced seedling growth. The third step is field ecological regulation: Utilizing the mutant's naturally superior canopy ventilation and light transmission structure, combined with the greenhouse structure for precise temperature and humidity control, and relying on the compact and upright plant structure to optimize the field micro-ecology, this reduces disease-inducing factors caused by excessive humidity inside the greenhouse, inhibits the germination and infection of pathogenic fungi and bacteria, and reduces reliance on chemical pesticides. A good ventilation and light transmission environment sustainably promotes plant photosynthesis and dry matter accumulation, resulting in highly uniform fruit development and excellent marketability. While maintaining the original fruit sugar content, flavor, and taste quality, this step improves land utilization and overall planting economic benefits.

[0025] This embodiment adopts a high-density intensive cultivation application scheme, strictly following the requirements of site selection, high ridging, and sufficient base fertilizer application in the early land preparation stage. The plant spacing is set at 25-27cm, the row spacing at 80-90cm, and the planting density is uniformly 3000 plants / acre. The entire process is equipped with drip irrigation under film and integrated water and fertilizer management, which accurately supplies water and fertilizer according to the nutrient requirements of high-density plant growth, avoiding the problem of water and fertilizer competition among plants.

[0026] During the field management stage, the naturally permeable canopy structure of the mutant reduces the high-frequency use of forced ventilation and dehumidification equipment in the greenhouse, and optimizes the field microenvironment by relying on the plant's own plant structure. The compact and upright leaf arrangement can maintain air circulation and uniform light transmission in the canopy throughout the process, and prevent localized high humidity caused by overlapping branches and leaves.

[0027] Actual cultivation trials showed that under long-term high-density planting conditions, this mutant exhibited robust and balanced growth per plant, with uniform vine development, flowering, and fruit setting. The incidence of fungal and bacterial diseases in the field was minimal, and the amount of chemical pesticides used was reduced by more than 15% compared to traditional varieties. The mutant's natural plant type advantage reduced the growth of excess lateral branches, significantly decreasing the labor input for pruning, thinning, and maintenance. At the canopy level, the effective photosynthetic receiving area increased, collective photosynthetic efficiency remained high, and fruit dry matter accumulation was sufficient. The sugar content, flesh texture, and flavor of the melons showed no significant difference from the locally cultivated high-quality conventional melon varieties, with consistent fruit quality and a stable marketable fruit rate exceeding 90%.

[0028] Compared with conventional planting density of traditional varieties, the mutant in this embodiment significantly improves land utilization and steadily increases yield per unit area by 36%-50%. It has the comprehensive advantages of high quality, high yield, pesticide saving, and labor saving, and can be promoted and applied on a large scale to the high-density intensive planting industry of greenhouse melons.

[0029] In summary, this invention, through unique morphological features and optimized cultivation techniques, solves the technical bottleneck of traditional melon varieties, which struggle to balance high-density planting with high photosynthetic efficiency due to their loose plant structure and dense canopy. Utilizing the compact plant type with short petioles and small leaves, it breaks the limitations of traditional varieties on planting density, allowing for greenhouse cultivation density up to 3000 plants / acre. While significantly increasing the population size, it effectively avoids the problems of canopy closure and excessive humidity caused by dense planting by improving ventilation and light penetration within the canopy. This results in a substantial increase in yield per unit area (36%-50%) while reducing the risk of disease and pesticide input. Furthermore, through complementary high-density planting and field management techniques, it fully leverages the advantages of this mutant in a micro-ecological environment. Its excellent ventilation and light penetration optimize temperature and humidity control, not only reducing the use of chemical pesticides and lowering the cost of manual pruning, but also promoting the accumulation of dry matter in the fruit and increasing the marketable fruit rate. Ultimately, this achieves a synergistic increase in land utilization, planting efficiency, and ecological benefits.

[0030] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A muskmelon mutant with short petioles, characterized in that: include, The mutant exhibits typical morphological characteristics of smaller leaves and shorter petioles, with a compact overall plant shape; the overall leaf size is significantly smaller than that of conventional melon varieties, the petioles are short and upright, and the overall plant shape is significantly smaller.

2. The muskmelon mutant with short petioles as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The mutant relies on the inherent trait of shortened petioles to make the overall leaves naturally grow upright, completely avoiding the problem of canopy closure caused by the drooping petioles of conventional melon varieties, improving ventilation and light transmission in the field, reducing the humidity inside the facility, and reducing the probability of the growth and occurrence of various diseases.

3. The muskmelon mutant with short petioles as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The mutant is adapted to a high-density planting mode in the facility. Under high-density cultivation, the growth and fruiting capacity of individual plants remain stable, and the overall photosynthetic utilization efficiency of the population is far superior to that of conventional melon varieties.

4. The muskmelon mutant with short petioles as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The mutant is adapted to the trellis cultivation mode of facility agriculture. Relying on the compact and agile plant type formed by smaller leaves and shorter petioles, it can be adapted to the plant spacing arrangement of intensive dense planting and the layout of large-scale facility planting.

5. The muskmelon mutant with short petioles as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The mutant, thanks to its compact plant shape and well-ventilated growth environment, does not require frequent pruning and maintenance, significantly reducing the labor input required for manual pruning and side cutting in the field. At the same time, the field micro-ecological environment is better, the incidence of pests and diseases is less, and the input of pesticides is significantly reduced.

6. The muskmelon mutant with short petioles as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The mutants were obtained through mutation breeding or hybridization. The core traits of smaller leaves and shorter petioles have strong genetic stability and can be stably passed on to offspring plants.

7. The muskmelon mutant with short petioles as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The mutant fruits maintain the same internal qualities as conventional high-quality melon varieties in terms of flavor, sugar content, and taste, significantly improving land utilization efficiency and overall planting benefits without reducing the quality of marketable fruits.

8. The application of a muskmelon mutant with short petioles, based on the muskmelon mutant with short petioles as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The application of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant to high-density intensive cultivation methods includes the following steps: S1. Select suitable planting plots for facility cultivation, apply sufficient base fertilizer, and make ridges to create a suitable soil environment for the growth of melon roots; S2. Relying on the unique advantages of mutants, such as small leaves, short petioles, and compact plant type, we adopt an intensive and dense planting method to fully utilize the land's planting potential. S3. By utilizing the naturally excellent ventilation and light transmission characteristics of mutants, and combining this with scientific control of temperature and humidity in the facility environment, cultivation effects of reducing pesticide use, improving quality, saving costs and increasing efficiency can be achieved.

9. The application of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The high-density planting in step S2 adopts a drip irrigation cultivation mode under film, combined with integrated water and fertilizer management, to provide a balanced supply of water and fertilizer needed for plant growth, thus solving the problem of water and fertilizer competition among plants under drip irrigation cultivation.

10. The application of the short-petiole muskmelon mutant as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The S3 field management specifically includes utilizing the superior ventilation and light transmission structure of the mutant plants, formed by their smaller leaves and shorter petioles, to optimize the micro-ecological environment of the plant canopy, effectively reduce the air humidity inside the facility, and inhibit the germination and infection of harmful pathogens; while reducing the application of chemical pesticides, it is conducive to the accumulation of photosynthetic products and dry matter in the plants, and significantly improves the qualified rate of commercial fruits.

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