Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
14
Cucurbits
Steven A. Sargent and Donald N. Maynard
INTRODUCTION TO THE CULTIVATED
CUCURBITS
The cultivated species of the Cucurbitaceae or gourd
family are collectively called cucurbits. The horticultural
types are mostly monoecious, frost-intolerant herbaceous
annuals. All are tendril bearing vines with alternate, mostly
dissected, palmate leaves. The flowers are mostly yellow,
sometimes white and often quite showy. Staminate flowers
have five petals and three stamens. Pistillate flowers have
an inferior ovary with three carpels (Figure 14.1). Flowers
are open for only one day and pollen transfer is effected by
insects, mostly bees. The fruit is a single to multi-seeded,
fleshy berry called pepo. Fruit size varies from 100 g in
some miniature gourds to the Guinness Book of Records
118 kg watermelon and 513 kg pumpkin making cucurbits
the largest known fruits. The cultivated cucurbits are native
to the subtropical and tropical Americas, Africa, and Asia.
Middle East. At the end of the century, Columbus brought
melon to the Americas.
Cantaloupe is andromonoecious. Fruit are round or
oval, tan or straw-coloured, and usually weigh 1 to 3 kg
(Figure 14.2). They are netted to some degree and are
smooth or have apparent vein tracts. Fruit separate from
the peduncle (slip) at maturity.
Inodorus melons also are andromonoecious. Fruit are
round to oval, white to yellow at maturity, smooth or
wrinkled and not netted. Fruit usually weigh 2 to 4 kg and
do not slip at maturity (Maynard & Maynard 2000;
Robinson & Decker-Walters 1997).
Cucumber (
Cucumis sativus
)
There are three horticultural types of cucumbers: slicing,
pickling and greenhouse (Figure 14.3). The former two are
grown outdoors, and the latter in some protected structure.
Fruit morphology serves to distinguish among these types.
Slicing cucumber fruit are white spined, smooth and
cylindrical with tapered ends and have a length:diameter
ratio of about 4:0. Pickling cucumbers may have black or
white spines, have a somewhat warty appearance, and
have a length:diameter ratio of about 3:0. There are two
distinctive cucumbers for greenhouse culture: Beit Alpha
and English or Dutch type. Both types are parthenocarpic
and gynoecious. The English types are very smooth,
cylindrical, 30 to 35 cm long, and are typically constricted
at the stem end. Beit Alpha types are cylindrical, tapering
at both ends, with inconspicuous longitudinal striations,
and are 15 to 20 cm long.
Melon (
Cucumis melo
)
The principal melons of commerce are grouped in
C. melo
Cantalupensis Group having such local names as
cantaloupe, muskmelon, rock melon, and sweet melon and
C. melo
Inodorus Group that includes honeydew, crenshaw
casaba and juan canary types.
Melon is thought to have originated in southern Africa
where landraces abound. Diverse local populations are
found in India and the Middle East suggesting that these
areas may be centres of origin as well. Melon was first
noted in Europe in the fifteenth century following
widespread dispersal throughout Asia, Africa and the
