Early view

Seisuke Motonishi, Tetsuo Mikami

Abstract

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a commercially important horticultural crop worldwide and exhibits an impressive diversity in plant and fruit characteristics. It is divided into ssp. melo, which includes western melon cultivars, and ssp. agrestis, including oriental melon such as makuwa and conomon groups. The history of cultivation of oriental melon is very old in Japan, and oriental melon has been used as fresh desserts (makuwa melon) and for pickling or cooking (conomon melon). Western melon was introduced into Japan as fresh dessert fruit crop in the late 19th century. Breeding efforts were made to develop good-quality, affordable melon cultivars, and as a result, western melon became popular throughout the country in the 1960s. The cultivation area of western melon in the country reached its peak in 1990 and then has decreased gradually. In this review, we describe the cultivation history and commercial production of Japanese melon as well as agronomic characteristics of major cultivars, with the expectation that the synthesized information will aid in understanding the problems and prospects of melon cultivation in Japan.

Keywords

Breeding, Cultivation history, Cultural practices, Fruit quality, Genomics

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