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Snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina) plants exhibiting typical begomovirus-like symptoms of stunted growth, leaf yellowing and mottling were observed at an open field in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Sequencing analysis of the amplified complete DNA molecules revealed that the plants were infected with watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV), which is a bipartite begomovirus prevalent mostly in the Old World and a serious threat to cucurbit production in the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East and Africa. The two WmCSV DNA-A isolates (SG31A and SG52A) were 98.9% identical and showed their highest nucleotide (nt) sequence identities (98.7%) with the isolates from Iran and Saudi Arabia. The DNA-B isolates (SG31B and SG52B), on the other hand, were 97.4% identical and exhibited their highest nt sequence identities (99.5 and 97%) with isolates reported from Iran and Oman. In the phylogenetic dendrograms the identified isolates clustered closely with previously reported WmCSV isolates from Iran and Saudi Arabia. Infectivity assays revealed that the DNA-A components alone could not induce infection in Nicotiana benthamiana plants however, together with DNA-B these isolates successfully caused typical begomovirus symptoms and both components were detected successfully using Southern blot hybridization. This study highlights the importance of conducting extensive future begomovirus surveillance to detect spillover events that could threaten native vegetable production in Saudi Arabia. This is crucial as begomoviruses pose a serious threat to vegetable cultivation throughout the Middle East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snake gourd is a seasonal vegetable with a high water content and medicinal value, but the short harvest period limits the large-scale application of snake gourd. Therefore, the effects of freeze–thaw pretreatment (FT) combined with hot air (HD) on the drying characteristics, active ingredients and bioactivities of snake gourd were investigated. The results showed that FT pretreatment reduced browning and shortened the drying time by 44%; the Page model was the best fit for describing the drying process. The polysaccharide contents (21.70% in alcoholic extract (TG1) and 44.34% in water extract (TG2)) and total phenol contents (1.81% in TG1 and 0.88% in TG2) of snake gourd pretreated by FT-HD were higher than those of snake gourd pretreated by the corresponding HD treatment. The FT pretreatment decreased the molecular weight of snake gourd polysaccharides and increased the molar ratio of glucose. The extracts pretreated by FT-HD showed greater chemical, cellular antioxidant capacity and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition than those pretreated by HD. FT-HD can be recommended for achieving a short drying time and high quality of snake gourd and can be used for the drying of other fruits and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Fruit length is a crucial agronomic trait of snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina L); however, genes associated with fruit length have not been characterised. In this study, F2 snake gourd populations were generated by crossing the inbred lines, S1 and S2 (fruit lengths: 110 and 20 cm, respectively). Subsequently, bulk segregant analysis, sequencing, and fine-mapping were performed on the F2 population to identify target genes. Our findings suggest that the fruit length of snake gourd is regulated by a major-effect regulatory gene. Mining of genes regulating fruit length in snake gourd to provide a basis for subsequent selection and breeding of new varieties. Genotype-phenotype association analysis was performed on the segregating F2 population comprising 6,000 plants; the results indicate that the target gene is located on Chr4 (61,846,126–61,865,087 bp, 18.9-kb interval), which only carries the annotated candidate gene, Tan0010544 (designated TFL). TFL belongs to the MADS-box family, one of the largest transcription factor families. Sequence analysis revealed a non-synonymous mutation of base C to G at position 202 in the coding sequence of TFL, resulting in the substitution of amino acid Gln to Glu at position 68 in the protein sequence. Subsequently, an InDel marker was developed to aid the marker-assisted selection of TFL. The TFL in the expression parents within the same period was analysed using quantitative real-time PCR; the TFL expression was significantly higher in short fruits than long fruits. Therefore, TFL can be a candidate gene for determining the fruit length in snake gourd. Collectively, these findings improve our understanding of the genetic components associated with fruit length in snake gourds, which could aid the development of enhanced breeding strategies for plant species.

Snake gourd botanically known as Trichosantes cucumerina locally called tomato agwo. T.cucumerina is considered a neglected and underutilised crop. Detailed characterisation of this crop is not known in Nigeria and other African countries. This study was done to access fourteen accessions of T. cucumerina from Nigeria using Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS). The fourteen accessions from different ecological regions were sequenced with ITS1 and ITS4 by direct PCR products. The results obtained were at minimum (570) and maximum (580) base pairs. The query coverage ranging from 99.4 % to 100 % affirms positive amplification and sequencing of snake gourd ecotypes using ITS1 and ITS4. The phylogenetic tree of the characterization group T. cucumerina was divided into three clusters. The phylogenetic tree of the characterization grouped T.cucumerina into three clusters. The genetic distances between the samples revealed that Ukwa, NACGRAB, Ikwuano, Oshogbo, Ikom, and Rumibekwe were closely related. Benin, Nasarawa, Oye-Ekiti, Ilorin, and NHST-0583 shared no genetic relationship as revealed by their genetic distances. The genetic distance ranged from 0.217 - 2.010. T. cucumerina landraces studied in Nigeria thirteen were T. cucumerina var anguina. The NHST -0583 from the seed center was the only T.cucumerina var cucumerina in Nigeria. This was blasted on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website. The sequenced blast in the NCBI data website was to be similar to accession numbers GU059528.1 and GQ240883.1 respectively. These have given scientists critical knowledge regarding T. cucumerina molecular breeding in Nigeria.

In August 2022, snake gourd plants (cv. Kaumudi; n = 90) were observed with mosaic, mottling, blistering, vein banding and deformed fruits at Vellayani (N 8°25'59.6", E 76°59'09.5"), Kakkamoola (N 8°25'26.0", E 77°00'21.9") and Manamboor villages (N 8°42'58.0", E 76°46'36.0") of Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, India. Disease incidence ranged between 28.5 and 100%. The viruses were sap transmissible and maintained in snake gourd and in local lesion hosts viz., Chenopodium amaranticolor and Nicotiana tabacum var Samsun. The viruses were mechanically transmissible to cucurbitaceous crops and N. glutinosa. No symptoms were produced in tomato, chili, brinjal and papaya. The symptomatic snake gourd samples reacted positively with Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) polyclonal antiserum (DSMZ, Germany) in double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) polyclonal antiserum (ICAR-NRC, Tamil Nadu) in Direct antigen coating ELISA. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction gave amplicons of size 1200 and 400 bp with primers specific to the coat protein gene of PRSV and the 2a protein gene of CMV, respectively. Comparative nucleotide sequence alignment of isolates revealed 86.5 and 93.8% homology with PRSV and CMV isolates of snake gourd from Tamil Nadu. Phylogenetic analysis identified PRSV isolates as type W. The results of the current study revealed for the first time the etiology of the snake gourd mosaic disease complex in Kerala, which can pave the way for devising management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the increased dye contamination in water bodies, an attempt has been made to utilize waste biomaterials as an eco-friendly dye treatment option. In this paper, we show how to employ a waste material called Tricosanthes cucumerina, popularly known as snake gourd (SG), to remove methylene blue (MB) from water. FTIR, proximate analysis, powder XRD, and SEM images were used to characterize SG. FTIR suggests the presence of poly-phenolic –OH moieties. Powder XRD shows a broad cellulosic hump at 22–24°. pH-Dependent adsorption was seen and maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 48 mg/g at pH 7. Adsorption follows Freundlich model (R2 = 0.997, n = 1.208) and pseudo-second-order kinetics (R2 = 0.999) which suggests a multi-layer, heterogeneous adsorption with partial chemisorption. Heavy metals such as lead and mercury moderately interfere with the adsorption efficiency. About 88% regeneration was achieved with a dilute hydrochloric acid and can be reused. The mechanism was proposed to be a combination of electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and π-π stacking. Abundant availability, water stability, high removal efficiency, and re-usability recommend SG as a potential choice for MB removal from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snake gourd botanically known as Trichosantes cucumerina locally called tomato agwo. T.cucumerina is considered a neglected and underutilised crop. Detailed characterisation of this crop is not known in Nigeria and other African countries. This study was done to access fourteen accessions of T. cucumerina from Nigeria using Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS). The fourteen accessions from different ecological regions were sequenced with ITS1 and ITS4 by direct PCR products. The results obtained were at minimum (570) and maximum (580) base pairs. The query coverage ranging from 99.4 % to 100 % affirms positive amplification and sequencing of snake gourd ecotypes using ITS1 and ITS4. The phylogenetic tree of the characterization group T. cucumerina was divided into three clusters. The phylogenetic tree of the characterization grouped T.cucumerina into three clusters. The genetic distances between the samples revealed that Ukwa, NACGRAB, Ikwuano, Oshogbo, Ikom, and Rumibekwe were closely related. Benin, Nasarawa, Oye-Ekiti, Ilorin, and NHST-0583 shared no genetic relationship as revealed by their genetic distances. The genetic distance ranged from 0.217 - 2.010. T. cucumerina landraces studied in Nigeria thirteen were T. cucumerina var anguina. The NHST -0583 from the seed center was the only T.cucumerina var cucumerina in Nigeria. This was blasted on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website. The sequenced blast in the NCBI data website was to be similar to accession numbers GU059528.1 and GQ240883.1 respectively. These have given scientists critical knowledge regarding T. cucumerina molecular breeding in Nigeria [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snake gourd is a seasonal vegetable with a high water content and medicinal value, but the short harvest period limits the large-scale application of snake gourd. Therefore, the effects of freeze–thaw pretreatment (FT) combined with hot air (HD) on the drying characteristics, active ingredients and bioactivities of snake gourd were investigated. The results showed that FT pretreatment reduced browning and shortened the drying time by 44%; the Page model was the best fit for describing the drying process. The polysaccharide contents (21.70% in alcoholic extract (TG1) and 44.34% in water extract (TG2)) and total phenol contents (1.81% in TG1 and 0.88% in TG2) of snake gourd pretreated by FT-HD were higher than those of snake gourd pretreated by the corresponding HD treatment. The FT pretreatment decreased the molecular weight of snake gourd polysaccharides and increased the molar ratio of glucose. The extracts pretreated by FT-HD showed greater chemical, cellular antioxidant capacity and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition than those pretreated by HD. FT-HD can be recommended for achieving a short drying time and high quality of snake gourd and can be used for the drying of other fruits and vegetables.

Background: First to third instars of Diaphania indica (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) feed on the lower surface of leaves, while fourth and fifth instars gregariously consume leaves of Trichosanthes anguina L. After defoliating, the caterpillar also attacks flowers and fruits of the plant and finally, results in loss of crop yield. Therefore, behavioral responses of D. indica adults were investigated to volatiles from undamaged (UD), insect‐damaged (ID, plants after feeding by D. indica larvae) and jasmonic acid (JA) treated T. anguina plants. Results: Females showed attraction to volatiles of UD and ID plants of three T. anguina cultivars [MNSR‐1 (MNS), Baruipur Long (BAR) and Polo No. 1 (POLO)] in Y‐tube olfactometer bioassays. Females did not show significant negative responses from volatiles of JA treated plants. Females were more attracted to volatiles of ID plants than UD plants. Females showed attraction to volatiles of UD or ID plants compared to JA treated plants. Females were attracted to certain synthetic blends resembling volatiles of insect‐damaged MNS, BAR and POLO plants in olfactometer bioassays. Females could not distinguish among these three certain synthetic blends in olfactometer bioassays. A synthetic blend of 3Z‐hexen‐1‐ol, α‐pinene, hexyl acetate, benzyl alcohol and 6Z‐nonenal at mole ratios of 1.47:1.20:1:1.82:1.21 was prepared at 20 mg/mL dichloromethane and 100 μL when used as lure in funnel traps resulted in the capture of the highest number of D. indica adults in field trails. Conclusion: The earlier five‐component chemical lure could be used in traps in an integrated pest management program of the insect pest, D. indica. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present experiment was conducted with 16 germplasms and two varieties of snake gourd. The yield contributing traits such as node order of first male flower, node order of first female flower, days to first male flowering, days to first female flowering, internodal length, days to first harvest, single fruit weight, fruit length, fruit girth, number of fruits per plant, were studied to assess the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance besides correlation and path coefficient analysis. The study of GCV and PCV in snake gourd germplasms exhibited variability for the traits viz., node order of first male flower, fruit length, number of fruits per plant, single fruit weight and fruit yield per plant including yield characteristics. Heritability and genetic advance as a percentage of mean indicated that the variation is due to a high degree of additive effect and hence the traits can be improved further through selection. Correlation and path analysis results showed that single fruit weight, number of fruits per plant and days to first harvest had a significant positive direct effect on number of fruits per plant. Hence these traits could be considered for yield improvement programmes in snake gourd.

Undoubtedly, malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is increasingly being given attention by many researchers in their efforts to find the best drugs for its treatment. Four groups of mice (6-8 weeks old, 20-25 gram body weight (g bw)) were inoculated with Plasmodium berghei NK65 intraperitoneally (i.p.) at 1.0 × 106 infected red blood cells (RBC) before being orally treated for the prophylactic and curative treatment regime with 0.2 mL of 100 mg/kg bw freeze-dried T. cucumerina aqueous extract. Parasitemia levels and inhibition rates were microscopically measured using Giemsa stained blood smear method. Trichosanthes cucumerina possessed strong antimalarial activities against P. berghei NK65 infection in mice. A significant correlation was successfully recorded between the survival time of the seven-day prophylactic treatment group (P7) with its ability to inhibit parasite growth as compared to the curative treatment groups. However, these values are still incomparable to the control group treated with the commercial drugs primaquine and chloroquine. In addition, blood biochemical toxicity analysis of ALT, AST, ALP, and STP showed that acute and sub-acute toxicity treatments of T. cucumerina did not cause liver injury and were non-toxic to the animals. Thus, this study significantly proves (p≤0.05, n=6) that T. cucumerina has antiparasitic properties that can be manipulated as an alternative antimalarial drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate the amino acid profile of five (5) ecotypes of T. cucumerina (snake gourd) from four geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Fresh ripe fruit of T. cucumerina was collected from the research farm of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia Abia State Nigeria. The seeds were extracted from the fresh ripe fruit, blended and stored in the refrigerator for further use. Amino acid was determined using HPLC apparatus. Glutamate had the highest protein content which ranged from 14.4643-15.23094g/100 of protein; followed by aspartate with 2.0981-12.20628g/100 of protein, leucine with 7.20846-8.9831g/100 of protein. Glycine protein was the least with a ranged of 0.0435-4.2118g/100. The snake gourd amino acid profile was found highest in North-Central ecotype (Benue State) with a ranged of (1.115-14.46497) g/100 protein; followed by South-West ecotype (Ekiti and Osun States) with a range of (0.87481-12.20628), (0.0435-15. 23094) g/100protein respectively. South- East ecotype (Abia State) T.cucumerina result ranged from (0.54978-14.67031)g/100 protein. The least result was found in South-South ecotype snake gourd with 0.35514-14.46243g/100 protein. Variation in amino acid content in ripe fruits of T. cucumerina accessions investigated revealed that glycine had the highest coefficient variation of 140% followed by tyrosine with 54.31%, aspartate 47.56%, and least from valine 5.62%, isoleucine 7.05%, tryptophan 6.51% and cysteine 6.82% glutamate 2.14%. There were three clusters in the dendrogram of amino acid composition of selected snake tomato ecotypes investigated. Amino acid result revealed that the highest amino acid content was found in snake gourd from the North -Central and least in South-South ecotype respectively. Keywords: Amino acid, Trichosanthes cucumerina, Ecotypes, South-East, South-South, South-West and North Central.

The aim of the study was to investigate the amino acid profile of T. cucumerina (snake gourd) from four geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Fresh ripe fruits of T. cucumerina were collected from the research farm of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia Abia State Nigeria. The pulps were extracted from the fresh ripe fruits, blended and stored in the refrigerator for further use. Amino acid content was determined through HPLC method. The study revealed that the amino acid profile of T.cucumerina pulp contained eighteen amino acid types. The investigation revealed that glutamate was the predominant amino acid in the pulp which ranged from 14.4643-15.23094g/100; followed by aspartate with 2.0981-12.20628g/100, leucine with 7.20846-8.9831g/100. Glycine content was the lowest with a range of 0.0435-4.2118g/100. The snake gourd amino acid profile was found highest in North-Central ecotype (Benue State) with a range of (1.115-14.46497) g/100 protein; followed by South-West ecotype (Ekiti and Osun States) with a range of (0.87481-12.20628), (0.0435-15. 23094) g/100protein respectively. South-East ecotype (Abia State) T.cucumerina result ranged from (0.54978-14.67031)g/100 protein. The least amino acid content was found in South-South ecotype with 0.35514-14.46243g/100 g. Variations in amino acid content in ripe fruits of T. cucumerina revealed that glycine had the highest coefficient variation of 140% followed by tyrosine with 54.31%, aspartate 47.56%, and lowest from valine 5.62%, isoleucine 7.05%, tryptophan 6.51 cysteine 6.82% and glutamate 2.14%. There were three clusters in the dendrogram of amino acid composition of selected snake tomato ecotypes investigated. The amino acid content analysis revealed that the highest amino acid content was found in snake gourd from the North -Central and lowest in South-South ecotype respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larval Diaphania indica (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) cause complete defoliation of Trichosanthes anguina L. and reduce crop yield in India. Females lay eggs on the leaf surface, and therefore leaf surface waxes are potentially involved in host selection. Alkanes and free fatty acids are the major constituents of leaf surface waxes, so a study was conducted to determine whether these wax constituents from three T. anguina cultivars (MNSR-1, Baruipur Long, and Polo No.1) could act as short-range attractants and oviposition stimulants in D. indica females. Twenty n-alkanes from n-C14 to n-C36 and 13 free fatty acids from C12:0 to C21:0 were detected in the leaf surface waxes of these cultivars. Heptadecane and stearic acid were predominant among n-alkanes and free fatty acids, respectively, in these cultivars. Females showed attraction towards one leaf equivalent surface wax of each of these cultivars against solvent controls (petroleum ether) in Y-tube olfactometer bioassays. A synthetic blend of heptadecane, eicosane, hexacosane, and stearic acid, a synthetic blend of hexacosane and stearic acid, and a synthetic blend of pentadecane and stearic acid comparable to amounts present in one leaf equivalent surface wax of MNSR-1, Baruipur Long, and Polo No.1, respectively, were short-range attractants and oviposition stimulants in D. indica. Female egg laying responses were similar to each of these blends, providing information that could be used to developing baited traps in integrated pest management (IPM) programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The seeds of snake gourd cultivar Nilgunj Local were treated with five different doses of gamma radiation ranging between 100–300 Gy. • The LD50 value for Nilgunj Local was arrived at 181.85 Gy. • GR50 values were 152.45 Gy to 213.25 Gy for different seedling parameters. • These doses could be used for generating sufficient variation. • It will help to breed short fruited varieties in snake gourd. Narrow genetic base is a main problem hindering the progress of any crop plant breeding and improvement. The present experiment was designed to create novel variation in snake gourd with the use of varying doses (0, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 Gy) of acute gamma irradiation to seeds of cultivar Nilgunj Local and determine LD 50 and GR 50 values. One-way ANOVA results for all the parameters included in the study except germination shows that the observed averages of treatment levels are significantly different at 1% significance level (p -values < 0.01) and the germination shows significant difference at 5% significance level (p -value=0.0266). LD 50 value based on germination percentage was arrived at 181.85 Gy. GR 50 values of different seedling parameters of the cultivar were 176.32 Gy for germination percentage, 152.45 Gy for shoot length, 213.25 Gy for root length, 173.45 Gy for number of leaves, 171.86 Gy for fresh weight of seedling and 193.68 Gy for dry weight of seedling. These doses could be used for generating sufficient variation, which can be used in future breeding and improvement of snake gourd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetable Research Development Station Buzau is known as an important research centre for acclimatizing and breeding vegetables in Romania. The climate is changing due to numerous factors and is crucial to adapt new species in different areas in order to explore the wonderful world of plants. Trichosanthes cucumerina L. also known as snake gourd and long tomato is grown for consumption and also for various medicinal uses, but some other aspects are still unexplored. Snake guard is studied at VRDS Buzau from 2010 and is a monoecious annual herb climbing with over 5-6 meters high. The plant is vigorous, with many (12-16) slender stems. The male flowers are arranged in raceme and the female are solitary. The fruits are long, over 2 m, at physiologically maturity, but usually for fresh consumption the fruits are harvested at 50-100 cm long. The fruits can be consumed when immature, as it gets a bitter taste with age. The studies have completed so far with patenting of a new cultivar according DUS test, suitable for growing in greenhouse and field, conventional and organic farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was conducted to magnitude the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in snake gourd for identifying desirable parents. Fifty genotypes were evaluated for eleven characters through RBD during the year 2011–12. The phenotypic coefficient of variance (PCV) was slightly higher than their corresponding genotypic coefficient of variance (GCV) for all characters. Highest GCV and PCV values were observed for characters like fruit length, fruit weight and number of fruits per plant. Moderate phenotypic coefficient of variation and genotypic coefficient of variation for yield, fruit girth and number of seeds per fruit indicated the presence of high genetic variability for these traits in the material. High heritability along with high genetic advance observed for fruit length, yield, fruit girth and number of fruits per plant. Fruit yield had significant positive genotypic and phenotypic correlation with number of fruits per plant, fruit girth and vine length. Path coefficient analysis showed that fruit weight had maximum direct effect followed by number of fruits per plant. For selecting high yielding genotypes emphasis should be given on number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit weight, fruit girth and vine length.

Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. is an essential traditional Chinese medicine used for various diseases. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of T. kirilowii has been determined in this study. The total genome size is 157,481 bp in length and contains a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 26,268 bp, which were separated by large single copy (LSC) and small single copy (SSC) of 86,478 bp and 18,467 bp, respectively. A total of 130 genes were predicted including 85 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes and 37 tRNA genes. Further, phylogenetic analysis confirmed that T. kirilowii belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. The complete chloroplast genome of T. kirilowii would play a significant role in the development of molecular markers in plant phylogenetic and population genetic studies.

The present investigation was carried out with 36 hybrids and they were evaluated for growth, quality, mosaic disease incidence and yield through line x tester method to identify combinations expressing high hybrid vigour in snake gourd. The significant variation in gca, sca and heterosis over the standard variety were noticed for all the traits. The line IC 308557 (L4), IC 284753 (L5), IC 546083 (L6) and the testers Jeyamkondam Local (T2) and Kulithalai Local (T1) were found to be best general combiners for growth, quality, mosaic disease incidence and yield characters. Among the hybrids L2xT3, L7xT2, L2xT4, L5xT1 and L8xT4 were found to be the good specific combiners (gca) for most of the characters viz., growth, ascorbic acid, mosaic disease incidence and yield per vine. Among the 36 hybrids, seven viz., IC333314 x Kumbakonam Local (L2xT3), IC433526 x Kulithalai Local (L3xT1), IC546083 x Kulithalai Local (L6xT1), IC546083 x Kumbakonam Local (L6xT3), IC433526 x Kumbakonam Local (L3xT3), IC284753 x Kulithalai Local (L5xT1) and IC410160 x Jeyamkondam Local (L7xT2) exhibited highly significant positive standard heterosis for growth, quality, mosaic disease incidence and yield. These seven hybrids were found to be suitable for exploiting heterosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was conducted to thirty six hybrids and their parents were evaluated for yield and yield related traits through line x tester method. Significant variation in mean performance was noticed for all the yield and yield related traits studied. Different hybrids and parents were found best for different traits. The parent L2 had maximum fruit length (87.25 cm), The lines L4 (32.98cm) showed higher values for fruit girth, L9 recorded the highest fruit weight as 807.75g, maximum fruits per vine was recorded in L8 (30.05), L2 was found to be the less number of seeds per fruit (60.16) and the line L2 registered the highest yield (7.78 kg plant-1). The best performing hybrids for different characters include L8 X T4 recorded for highest fruit length (75.50cm), the maximum fruit girth was registered in L6 x T2 (21.60cm) L8 X T3 registered the maximum single fruit weight of 624.50g, maximum number of fruits per vine was recorded in cross L2 x T1 (45.45), Less number of seeds per fruit was found in the hybrid L5 x T3 (17.34) and the highest fruit yield of 7.24 kg vine-1 was recorded by L7 x T1 Based on mean performance of yield and yield characters, the best parents of L2, L4, L8, L9, T3 and the best hybrids of L2 x T1, L5 x T3, L6 x T2, L7 x T1, L8 x T3 are utilized for further improvement of this crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was conducted to magnitude the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in snake gourd for identifying desirable parents. Fifty genotypes were evaluated for eleven characters through RBD during the year 2011–12. The phenotypic coefficient of variance (PCV) was slightly higher than their corresponding genotypic coefficient of variance (GCV) for all characters. Highest GCV and PCV values were observed for characters like fruit length, fruit weight and number of fruits per plant. Moderate phenotypic coefficient of variation and genotypic coefficient of variation for yield, fruit girth and number of seeds per fruit indicated the presence of high genetic variability for these traits in the material. High heritability along with high genetic advance observed for fruit length, yield, fruit girth and number of fruits per plant. Fruit yield had significant positive genotypic and phenotypic correlation with number of fruits per plant, fruit girth and vine length. Path coefficient analysis showed that fruit weight had maximum direct effect followed by number of fruits per plant. For selecting high yielding genotypes emphasis should be given on number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit weight, fruit girth and vine length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical properties of snake gourd (Trancosanties cucumerina L) seed have been evaluated as a function of moisture contents,6.80%, 8.60%, 12.00%, 14.00% and 17.00% (db) moisture contents. The properties investigated include one thousand mass, dimensions (length, width and thickness), sphericity, volume, true density and bulk density. The results of the experiment showed that seed length increased from 11.30±0.3 to 12.4±0.50 mm, width (from 5.60±0.30 to 6.60± 0.30 mm), thickness (from 2.0±0.25 to 2.7±0.32 mm), one thousand mass (from 110.0±5.2 to 240.0±6.5 g), geometric mean diameter (from 5.02 ± 0.61 to 6.05±0.52 mm), sphericity (from 0.44±0.05 to 0.49±0.06), volume (from 38.98±4.1to 69.68±5.2 mm³), true density (from 0.91±0.26 to 0.97±0.30) and bulk density (from 0.3360±0.022 to 0.3519±0.012). The kernel evaluated in the same range of moisture content showed length (5.20±0.67 to 6.60±0.8 mm), width (2.0±0.3 to 3.0±0.6 mm), thickness (0.30 ±0.02 to 0.70 0.041 mm),one thousand mass (60.3±3.0 to 180.4±5 g), geometric mean diameter (0.68±0.05 to 1.11±0.03 mm), sphericity (0.13±0.012 to 0.17± 0.015), volume (8.0±1.22 to 38±4.3 mm³), true density (0.7563±0.12 to 0.8052 ±0.21 g mm-3) and bulk density (0.4132±0.021 to 0.4462±0.011 g cm-3). The result of analysis shows that the effect of moisture content is significant (p<0.05) on all the properties investigated. These data will be useful in design and development of grading and separation equipment for snake gourd seed and kernel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]