Cucumber (C. sativus) x Muskmelon (C. melo) Hybrids by using Kiwano (C. metuliferus) as Bridge Species Possible?

[VeggieSavage (Professor Porcupine)]

@JohananV

The wild-type plants absolutely sprawl like crazy. And they have tiny, hair-like thorns on the stems (more rigid and pronounced than in most modern C. melo strains), so most things leave them alone.

Now that’s awesome! If I had a chance to establish it, deer probably wouldn’t bother with it right? If Deer aren’t a problem, I’d Probably want to breed that trait out. From @ShaneS experience, they were not super fun to pick, you had to be very careful!

@JohananV

I’d say if you could get some of the more wild-type genetics in your C. melo crossing you have a good chance of getting that weedy growth. They generally grow on the ground here in South Africa, but when they take over a tree or wood pile they really take it over.

It’s been proven possible, I have a feeling mentor pollination (Mixing pollens) could help make the cross & introgression with both parents could help smooth out the F1 incompatibility issues. I wonder if I can just graft C. melo on to C. metuliferus rootstock? It may also help make the eventual cross easier.

About Cucumis sativus x Cucumis melo, there exist a Cucumis sativus with Orange Flesh. Cucumber Landraces-- Xishuangbanna Orange Fleshed and Sikkim

How do you think it got the orange flesh? Did it somehow pull those orange flesh color genetics from C. melo some long time ago when the Xishuangbanna Cucumber landrace first formed?