Tropical and subtropical vegetables (2+1)

Introduction to cucurbits

• Cucurbits are the popular name of the family cucurbitaceae, commonly known as the gourd family. They are widely distributed in the tropics and warm temperate regions of south, southeast and East Asia, Africa including Madagascar, central and south America. The family is represented by about 120 genera and 800 species. Cucurbits are mostly climbers and trailers, are rarely woody and arborescent. They are characterized by inferior ovary and parietal placentation. The most common uses of cucurbits are as vegetables and fruits. They are valuable sources of vitamins and minerals.

  Sl No.	Common Name	Scientific name	Chromosome. no
  1	Cucumber	Cucumis sativus	2n=14
  2	Watermelon	Citrullus lanatus	2n=22
  3	Muskmelon	Cucumis melo	2n=24
  4	Ridgegourd	Luffa acutangula	2n=26
  5	Bittergourd	Momordica charantia	2n=22
  6	Pumpkin	Cucurbita moschata	2n=40
  7	Gherkin	Cucumis angaria	2n=24
  8	Bottlegourd	Lagenaria siceraria	2n=22
  9	Cantaloupe	Cucumis. melo var cantaloupensis	2n=24
  10	Round melon(Tinda)	Pracitrullus fistulosus	2n=22
  11	Summer squash	Cucurbita pepo	2n=40
  12	Winter squash	Cucurbita maxima	2n=40
  13	Spongegourd	Luffa cylindrica	2n=26
  14	Pointedgourd	Trichosanthes dioica	2n=22
  15	Snakegourd	Trichosanthes cucumerina	2n=22
  16	Waxgourd	Benincasa hispida	2n=24
  17	Ivygourd	Coccinia grandis	2n=24
  18	Chow Chow	Sechium edule	2n=28

• River bed cultivation of a number of cucurbits is economical. The river beds of big rivers used for cucurbit cultivars are: Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Narmada, Sutlej, Krishna, Kaveri, Godavari, Mahanadhi, Sabarmati, Bramhaputra etc. Cucurbits are popular because they are easy to grow. They do not require high inputs. They can be grown on even soils of marginal fertility. They are useful to prevent soil erosion.