Karakalpakstan used to be the main center of melon breeding. Its soil and climatic conditions are extremely favorable for the cultivation of melons with a high sugar content. The melons of Karakalpakstan have long been widely known outside of Central Asia. Today, many varieties of melons and gourds of Karakalpakstan have disappeared, and many varieties are on the verge of extinction.

Under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the International Innovation Center of the Aral Sea region, in the spring of 2019, were initiated diversity restoration measures to melons and other gourds in the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

On May 13-14, at the Samanbay research and production site on an area of 0.6 hectares, were sown the seeds of rare varieties of melons including cantaloupes, watermelons and pumpkins of Central Asia, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, China, Mexico and the USA.

Seeds of melons and gourds were acquired from the collections stored in the Seed Archive of the Research Institute of Plant Production of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

As a result of timely agricultural activities carried out by the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Physiology of the Center, today gourds have begun to produce their first crops.