Acceptance and Colonisation data of 275 Cucumis melo lines by Aphis gossypii.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2026.112808

Cucumis melo is a species of cucurbit characterized by high phenotypic variability and classified into botanical groups. One of its major pests is the cosmopolitan aphid species Aphis gossypii, which reproduces clonally on secondary hosts, particularly cucurbits. This article makes available, within the framework of the FAIR initiative, two phenotypic traits related to aphid resistance in 275 melon lines. The traits of acceptance and colonization were characterized using 17 clones of Aphis gossypii. Data were collected on individual seedlings following infestation by ten adults of a given clone. Acceptance was observed 72 hours after infestation, as the number of adult aphids remaining on a seedling. Colonization was estimated seven days after inoculation using an index accounting for nymph density and the number of adults. The bioassays were conducted at INRAE-GAFL from 2004 to 2024 on 13,985 seedlings grown in a climate chamber. The seeds of the melon lines came from INRAE CRB-Leg. The melon lines tested belong to 17 botanical groups and originate from around the world. The aphid clones, all collected from cucurbits, were sourced from the INRAE-GAFL living collection. The clones belonged to ten Multi-Locus-Genotypes built from eight SSR markers. This dataset can be used to analyse host plant resistance to different clones of an aphid species in relation with melon line origin.

Number of the melon lines evaluated according to their origin