Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] and implications for breeding: A Review

Bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae is an important crop widely grown for its fruits, seeds or succulent leaves. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is believed to be the centre of genetic diversity of bottle gourd where it is commonly grown by smallholder farmers predominantly using unimproved and genetically diverse landrace varieties. Bottle gourd received limited research and development priority towards genetic improvement and cultivar deployment and conservation in SSA compared to the continental Asia and America. The genetic variation present among landraces in SSA is a useful raw material for bottle gourd improvement programmes in the region and globally. The objective of this review is to present the perspectives on the genetic diversity and genetic resources, population structure and breeding progress of bottle gourd. Further, the review discusses the potential of genomic resources for genetic analysis and genomic selection of bottle gourd to accelerate conventional breeding in enhancing productivity and systematic conservation of the crop.