Abstract
The high content of carotenoids, sugars, dry matter, vitamins and minerals makes the fruit of winter squash (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne) a valuable fresh-market vegetable and an interesting material for the food industry. Due to their nutritional value, long shelf-life and health protective properties, winter squash fruits have gained increased interest from researchers in recent years. Despite these advantages, the genetic and genomic resources available for C. maxima are still limited. The aim of this study was to use the genetic mapping approach to map the ovary colour locus and to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for high carotenoid content and flesh colour. An F6 recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population was developed and used for evaluations of ovary colour, carotenoid content and fruit flesh colour. SSR markers and DArTseq genotyping-by-sequencing were used to construct an advanced genetic map that consisted of 1824 molecular markers distributed across linkage groups corresponding to 20 chromosomes of C. maxima. Total map length was 2208 cM and the average distance between markers was 1.21 cM. The locus affecting ovary colour was mapped at the end of chromosome 14. The identified QTLs for carotenoid content in the fruit and fruit flesh colour shared locations on chromosomes 2, 4 and 14. QTLs on chromosomes 2 and 4 were the most meaningful. A correlation was clearly confirmed between fruit flesh colour as described by the chroma value and carotenoid content in the fruit. A high-density genetic map of C. maxima with mapped loci for important fruit quality traits is a valuable resource for winter squash improvement programmes.