Producing better quality melons with guaranteed results before planting; this will be possible thanks to the "Melonomics" project, involving several research institutions from Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, which previously sequenced this fruit's genome.
The melon museum in Villaconejos, a town famous for the growing of this crop, hosted the presentation of the project, conducted by the managing director of Madrid's Institute for Research and Rural, Agricultural and Food Development (IMIDRA), Ricardo Riquelme, and the chief researcher, Pere Puigdomenech, from the CSIC.
"Melonomics" is an initiative funded by Genome Foundation Spain, and in which various research institutions from Madrid, Murcia, Valencia, Catalonia and Castilla-La Mancha have collaborated, along with five private firms. From the data collected, it will make it possible to generate varieties resistant to pests or soil stress.
Puigdomenech was pleased to announce that the work has gone further than expected. "We had planned to create one genome and we have made 16."
Riquelme highlighted the relevance of the project because it will "reduce harvest time" thanks to genetic combining, which will result in "more competitive, cheaper and tastier melons."
Besides the fact that Spain is the world leader in melon exports, IMIDRA's spokesperson mentioned that melons are the most productive agricultural product in the region of Madrid, whose production accounts for 5% of the national total, growing on 1,600 hectares of land.
The presentation was also attended by the Mayor of Villaconejos, Adolfo Pacheco, municipality where 13 out of the 68 analysed varieties came from.
Source: ABC