Cucurbit Vegetables : Biology, Production and Utilization

Contents: Foreword. Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Uses and composition. 3. History, origin and cytogenetics. 4. Botany and taxonomy. 5. Flowering, sex mechanism and regulation, floral biology and fruit set. 6. Breeding and improvement. 7. Heterosis breeding. 8. Resistance breeding. 9. Polyploidy and mutation breeding. 10. Interspecific hybridization. 11. Genetics. 12. Biotechnology. 13. Physiological aspects of growth and development. 14. Cultural requirements. 15. Soil moisture relations. 16. Manures and fertilizers. 17. Weed control, mulching, training and pruning. 18. Protected cultivation. 19. River bed culture. 20. Management of diseases. 21. Management of insect pests, mites and nematodes. 22. Harvesting. 23. Seed production. 24. Post harvest management. 25. Minor cucurbits. Appendixes: i. Improved varieties/F1 Hybrids of ICAR Institutes and Agricultural Universities. i. Varieties/F1 hybrids of private seed companies. ii. List of plates. References. Subject index.

“Cucurbits comprise an important tropical group of vegetable crops viz., cucumber, melons, squashes, pumpkins, Asiatic gourds, etc., grown extensively in different tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They are a unique group of crop plants having special botanical features, their production technologies recording the highest productivity under sophisticated protected cultivation systems and their utilization includes some significant nutritional and nutraceutical constituents, used in native and traditional systems of Indian medicine and also of other Asiatic and African countries, for human welfare. This volume portrays an exhaustive review and represents a comprehensive treatise on the different scientific principles, practical applications and farmers’ practices. It deals extensively with several biological aspects, basic and applied to develop production technologies of these crops. The wealth of information compiled will attract a wide and diverse range of targeted readership of students and teaching faculties, Research Fellows of State Agricultural Universities and ICAR Institutes, besides professionals like Nutritionists, Dieticians, Botanist, Conservators of Genetic Resources, Horticultural Extension Officers in transfer of technology services, enlightened farmers, new emerging Supply-Chain Managers of Retail Trade, etc.”