Selección de plantas élites de lechosa ‘Maradol’ para la producción de semillas de calidad

The cultivar Red Maradol native of Cuba, has morphological and agronomic features superior to local cultivars and adapted to soils and climates of Venezuela; that is why it is grown in a greater proportion and has been widely accepted by farmers, traders and consumers. However, the lack of availability and high cost of imported seeds limit its expansion in the country. The aim of this work was to select andromonoecious plants from different sources and locations, based on morphological and agronomic characteristics, and produce good quality seeds by self-pollinations. The characteristics for selection were based on those of the cultivar, such as: beginning of flowering between 3 and 4 months after transplant to the field, height of flowering less than or equal to 80 cm, beginning of fruiting before 4 months, height of plants less than 2 m, among others features. Selected plants showed low percentage of sterility, 30 and 64 fruits.plant-1, fruit weights between 1.4 to 1.7 kg, and estimated yields between 42.5 and 98.50 kg.plant-1 yields. Regarding fruit quality, they were elongated and smooth, wide orange-red color pulp. These populations are considered the basis for the production of good quality seeds, to continue the process of selection of more productive pure lines and hybrids.