Phenotypic diversity of native melon cultivars in Sar-e Pol Province, Afghanistan based on morphological traits

Afghanistan is a significant source of melon landraces, known for its rich genetic diversity and a wide range of traditional, locally adapted varieties. The phenotypic and genotypic diversity in the country makes them a valuable resource for identification, classification, genetic conservation and crop improvement studies. This experiment was conducted to investigate the phenotypic diversity of native melons of Sar-e-Pol province, Afghanistan based on morphological traits. The results demonstrated that there was a significant variation among phenotypic attributes of native melon cultivars from Sar-e Pol province. Based on germination performance, the Azqalani cultivar showed the highest germination rate (100 %), while Kanawari recorded the lowest (80 %). Regarding to 50 % flowering, the Tordar cultivar flowered earliest (33.5 days), while Aqchaye was the latest (44.5 days). In terms of fruit maturity, the Tordar cultivar matured earliest (83 days), whereas Gargak Sabz required up to 94.5 days to reach 50 % maturity. The finding also showed that Tordar produced the highest yield per plant (12.24 kg), while Gorgak Safeed had the lowest (4.89 kg). In addition, other investigated qualitative traits showed the considerable variation among the cultivars. Cultivars such as Sakhtcha, Kanawari, Kok Gorgak, Gorgak Sabz, Nabatk Safeed, Alapochaqh and Garagozh showed the highest phenotypic stability. These genotypes should be prioritized in breeding programs for development into improved cultivars. Overall, this study focused solely on morphological variation among cultivars. Therefore, further studies on genotypic diversity using molecular markers are crucial to validate genetic relationships.