A chromosome-level genome of a Kordofan melon illuminates the origin of domesticated watermelons

Wild progenitors of crops are important resources for breeding and for understanding domestication, but identifying them is difficult. Using an integrative approach, we discovered that a Sudanese form of melon with nonbitter whitish pulp, known as the Kordofan melon, is the closest relative of domesticated watermelons and a possible progenitor. To gain insights into the genetic changes that occurred from the progenitor to the domesticated watermelon, we assembled and annotated the genome of a Kordofan melon at the chromosome level. Our analyses imply that early farmers brought into cultivation already nonbitter watermelons, different from other domesticated Cucurbitaceae crops such as cucumber. The Kordofan melon genome is a significant new resource for watermelon breeding.