Phenotypic response and SCAR marker for powdery mildew resistance genes detection in 'Gama Melon Parfum'

Powdery mildew is caused by Podosphaera xanthii and Golovinomyces cichoracearum which poses a significant challenge in melon cultivation leading to reduce melon crop productivity and quality. 'Gama Melon Parfum' (GMP) is a hybrid melon resulting from a cross between 'Natsu no Omoide' ♀ from Turkmenistan and 'Miyamauri' ♂ from Japan. This melon is shown to promise as a valuable raw material for cosmetic products. The use of molecular markers has revolutionized breeding programs and successful in the evaluation and development of disease-resistant melon crops. The morphological observation provided evidence of notable color differences in the qualitative phenotypes of powdery mildew-infected 'GMP' plants. This was accompanied by a decrease in size across all quantitative phenotypic parameters compared to healthy plants (significance level 0.05). 'GMP' melons were categorized as tolerant cultivars, with powdery mildew infection percentages below 50% at the leaf, plant, and population levels. A SCAR marker linked to the powdery mildew resistance gene (Pm-I locus) was successfully detected in GMP melons, characterized by a 1058 bp band. This marker is indicated the presence of the powdery mildew resistance gene, conferring moderate tolerance to the disease