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The aim of the present research work was to investigate the variation in nutritional potential, phenolic profile, antioxidant, and free radical scavenging activities of four wildly grown accessions of Cucumis melo var. Agrestis. The accessions of Cucumis melo var. Agrestis were collected from different areas of the district Faisalabad and Layyah of Punjab province (Pakistan). Mineral profile and amino acid analysis were examined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and an amino acid analyzer. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the separation and quantification of polyphenols from chloroform and methanol fractions of Cucumis melo. ICP-OES was used for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of elements, and results showed that magnesium (533.6–663.2 ppm) and iron (308.1–590.8 ppm) were the most abundant minerals. Amino acids analyzer showed that valine (0.03–45.58 mmol/L) and taurine (0.03–2.34 mmol/L) were present in the highest concentration. The methanol extract yield of the accessions was in the range of 14.00–17.03 g/100 g of plant material. HPLC analysis showed the detection of eleven phenolic compounds, and the most abundant compound was chlorogenic acid (1120.53–1237.52 µg/g), followed by gallic acid (188.14–930.74 µg/g) and vanillic acid (6.35–298.81 µg/g). Chloroform and methanol fractions were analyzed for antioxidant activity, and results showed that all the fractions were rich in total phenolic content (TPC) (26.6–112.00 mg/100 g) and total flavonoid content (TFC) (20.5–77.9 mg/100 g). Methanol fraction of accession-1 showed the best free radical scavenging capacity (82.2 %) and % inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation activity (84.4 %) than other fractions. Statistical analysis revealed significant variation among the nutritional potential and antioxidant activity of all the accessions.

Studies on floral morphology, phenology and biology of wild melon revealed that the ratio of staminate and pistillate flowers was 3.40:1. The longevity of the male flowers were between 5 and 6 days, whereas, female flowers between 6 and 7 days. Anthesis was observed from 4.00 am to 10.00 am, while, the anther dehiscence started from 5.00 am which was continued to 7.00 am. The peak anthesis was observed from 8.00 am to 9.00 am and anther dehiscence from 6.00 am to 6.30 am. Freshly opened flowers showed pollen viability up to 98.35%, decreased upon closure and crashed to 17.48% in 3 days. Pollen germination was occurred after 15 minutes of incubation and continued up to 24 h of incubation. The stigma receptivity lasts from one to two days of anthesis. Major pollinator of wild melons observed was honey bee, mostly visited between 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allelopathic effect of weeds is one of the important factors limiting the growth and yields in crops. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of shoots (leaves and stems) of wild melon (Cucumis melo L.) on growth indices and antioxidant system of rapeseed and its accompanying wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis). This study was conducted as a split-split plot in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications at the field level. The main plot included the target plant type at two levels (rapeseed RGS cultivar and Sinapis arvensis weed), the sub-plot included the type of organ at two levels (leaf and stem extract of wild melon) and the sub-plot of extract concentration at four levels (0 (control)) 2.5, 5, and 10%). The results showed that with increasing the concentration of wild melon leaf extract, most of the growth parameters in both target plants decreased and the intensity of this decrease was higher on the growth of Sinapis arvensis compared to rapeseed, while wild melon stem extract caused a more severe decrease in rapeseed growth parameters compared with Sinapis arvensis. Also, wild melon stem extract significantly increased catalase activity in canola compared to control and decreased peroxidase while the activity of peroxidase enzyme increased in Sinapis arvensis. Also, the increasing trend of phenolic compounds and decreasing flavonoid compounds of rapeseed leaves with increasing the concentration of extract was more dramatic and intense than Sinapis arvensis. According to the results of this study, the sensitivity of rapeseed and its associated weeds to the extracts of two wild melon organs was not the same, which should be considered in managing the use of plant allelopathy as an herbicide at field level.

[Display omitted] The aim of the present research work was to investigate the variation in nutritional potential, phenolic profile, antioxidant, and free radical scavenging activities of four wildly grown accessions of Cucumis melo var. Agrestis. The accessions of Cucumis melo var. Agrestis were collected from different areas of the district Faisalabad and Layyah of Punjab province (Pakistan). Mineral profile and amino acid analysis were examined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and an amino acid analyzer. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the separation and quantification of polyphenols from chloroform and methanol fractions of Cucumis melo. ICP-OES was used for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of elements, and results showed that magnesium (533.6–663.2 ppm) and iron (308.1–590.8 ppm) were the most abundant minerals. Amino acids analyzer showed that valine (0.03–45.58 mmol/L) and taurine (0.03–2.34 mmol/L) were present in the highest concentration. The methanol extract yield of the accessions was in the range of 14.00–17.03 g/100 g of plant material. HPLC analysis showed the detection of eleven phenolic compounds, and the most abundant compound was chlorogenic acid (1120.53–1237.52 µg/g), followed by gallic acid (188.14–930.74 µg/g) and vanillic acid (6.35–298.81 µg/g). Chloroform and methanol fractions were analyzed for antioxidant activity, and results showed that all the fractions were rich in total phenolic content (TPC) (26.6–112.00 mg/100 g) and total flavonoid content (TFC) (20.5–77.9 mg/100 g). Methanol fraction of accession-1 showed the best free radical scavenging capacity (82.2 %) and % inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation activity (84.4 %) than other fractions. Statistical analysis revealed significant variation among the nutritional potential and antioxidant activity of all the accessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taeng-Thai is the Thai name for oriental pickling melon or muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) which is a Cucumis species. Based on consumption as Thai traditional dessert, fruit characters at ripening stage are very important to improve the muskmelon cultivar. Understanding the genetic control of fruit traits is the key to a successful for crop improvement. Research aimed to determine the genetic effects, number of genes and heritability of fruit characters in muskmelon. The results have shown that both additive and dominant effects governed for fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width and fruit thickness with the number of gene as 40.26, 1.55, 10.70 and 11.10 genes, respectively. Simple phenotypic correlation coefficients shown, had a significant positive correlation among the four fruit traits. Due to the quantitative inheritance of fruit characters, quantitative traits loci (QTL) mapping of those traits were necessary to identify all controlling genes of fruit traits in further muskmelon improvement.

Cucumis melo var. agrestis, belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, is commonly known as wild melon, wild musk, small gourd, kachri or chibber. It is annual climber, monoecious, plant having thin stemmed and fruit with thin mesocarp and tiny seeds. Fruit possess variability in various morphological aspects. All the essential nutrients are present in adequate amount, so it is usually consumed as vegetable. Fruits are used as cooling light cleanser or moisturizer for skin and first aid treatment for burns and abrasions. It also possesses stomachic, digestive, febrifuge, vermifuge properties and show antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory activity. In this review we gave all-purpose outline of phyto-pharmacological aspects of Cucumis melo var. agrestis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taeng-Thai is the Thai name for oriental pickling melon or muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) which is a Cucumis species. Based on consumption as Thai traditional dessert, fruit characters at ripening stage are very important to improve the muskmelon cultivar. Understanding the genetic control of fruit traits is the key to a successful for crop improvement. Research aimed to determine the genetic effects, number of genes and heritability of fruit characters in muskmelon. The results have shown that both additive and dominant effects governed for fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width and fruit thickness with the number of gene as 40.26, 1.55, 10.70 and 11.10 genes, respectively. Simple phenotypic correlation coefficients shown, had a significant positive correlation among the four fruit traits. Due to the quantitative inheritance of fruit characters, quantitative traits loci (QTL) mapping of those traits were necessary to identify all controlling genes of fruit traits in further muskmelon improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenology is the study of periodic biological events. The time of weed appearance, growth and reproduction are very important for decisions on invasive weed management. Cucumis melo is an annual invasive weed of soybean fields in the north of Iran that reproduces and spreads predominately through seed production. In order to study the phenology of wild melon was conducted an experiment in CRD at Research Farm of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran, during 2012. Seeds first germinated after 10 days of planting, as soon as optimal soil temperatures were achieved. The weed exhibited monoecious tendencies, with production of male flowers rapidly followed by production of both male and female flowers on the same vine. Cucumis melo exhibited prolific fruit production, until senescence occurred at 75 and 92 days after establishment. First fruit formation was observed between 40 and 49 days after emergence, depending on temperature. To complete growth cycle, of Cucumis melo required about 448 and 733 degree days, respectively for late of May and 8 of June. The weed produced a maximum of 100 fruits/plant, but an average plant typically produced 48 fruits/plant. The seed number and seed weight was on average about 190 seeds/fruit and 0.55 g per 100 seeds, respectively. The results indicated that wild melon could produce a lot of fruits and seeds within a growth period of about 75 and 92 days.

Cucumis melo L. subsp . agrestis var. agrestis (Naudin) Pangalo (wild melon) is an invasive plant in many parts of Asia and North America. The reproduction of this species is by seeds, thus laboratory experiments were conducted in order to determine the cardinal temperatures and the effects of fluctuating temperature, heat, flooding stress, pH, seed longevity, and depth of burial on wild melon seed germination and seedling emergence. Of the three models tested, the intersected lines model best estimated the cardinal temperatures. The base, optimum, and maximum temperatures for wild melon seed germination were estimated as 20, 35, and 45 °C, respectively. The highest germination rates of wild melon were obtained at 30/20 °C and 35/25 °C (day/night). Only long exposure periods (up to 10 days) at 90 °C or greater than 5 min at 120 °C were efficient at reducing the germination of wild melon seeds. Flooding had limited impact on reducing wild melon seed germination until the third month after the treatment. The seeds of this weed germinated across a wide range of pH values, but germination rates were higher under acidic (pH 5) rather than basic (pH 8 and 9) conditions. Seed germination of wild melon, declined to 50% by the 23rd month after burial in the soil at 15 cm depth. Emergence of wild melon seedlings was higher at shallower burial depths than at deeper ones. These results suggest that the successful invasion of wild melon in an area can be explained, in part, by its tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions. The combination of seed longevity, lack of seed dormancy and rapid seed germination under favourable climatic conditions may explain its rapid establishment as a weed in summer crops. Among the management strategies that can be used to limit the infestation of wild melon in the fields, burying seed deeply during soil preparation seems to be the most promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately representing plant development is essential for applying phenology knowledgement to investigate the effects of climate on weed management. Development in wild melon (Cucumis melo L.) is driven by temperature; thus, it could be simulated by thermal-time (TT) accumulation using limited accumulation when a lower optimum temperature (Topt) is exceeded. Experiments were conducted to investigate wild melon phenology (development rate) and seed production in soybean (Glycine max L.) at seven different sowing dates (April to August) in a completely randomised design (CRD) at Research Farm of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran, during 2012. Results indicated that a slight shift in developmental rates occurs among plantings dates, except for those plants sown in August. The estimated TT for April-August planting dates were ~411 Celcius degree days, 448 Celcius degree days, 733 Celcius degree days, 672 Celcius degree days, 604 Celcius degree days, 558 Celcius degree days and 251 Celcius degree days respectively. Depending on planting date, weed emergence occurred at 5-20 days after planting. During the 79, 75, 92, 81, 71, 67 and 61 days of wild-melon growth, the mean number of fruits per plant and seeds per fruit were significantly different at each sowing date. Wild melon could produce a lot of fruits and seeds (up to 5000) within a growth cycle (average in 75 days) and also weed management is needed during the May and June because of the highest seed production of wild melons that emerged during May. The results attained here suggest that temperature alone could not reflect the effect of environment on C. melo development at each given growth stage. Thus, other environmental factors, such as daylength, maybe needed to better estimate weed development. Future research may use multiplicative models to clarify this claim. These results highlighted the value of testing a model over a wide range of environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural occurrence of yellow mosaic disease was observed on Armenian cucumber (Cucumis melovar. flexuoses) and wild melon (C. callosusvar. agrestis) with disease incidences of ~36 and ~27%, respectively. Association of tomato leaf curl Palampur virus (ToLCPV) with the disease was investigated by Polymersae chain reaction (PCR) using begomovirus-specific primers. Full-length genome was amplified by rolling circle amplification (RCA) method from representative samples ofC. meloandC. callosus. RCA products obtained were cloned and sequenced. Analyses of sequence data revealed the presence of full-length begomoviral genome of 2756 nucleotides with the gene arrangement of a typical begomovirus: HQ848383 (C. melo) and GU253914 (C. callosus). Both the isolates shared 99% sequence identity together and high 97–99% identities and the closest phylogenetic relationships with ToLCPV strains reported worldwide, hence identified as two new members of ToLCPV. Natural occurrence of ToLCPV onC. meloandC. callosusis the first report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for disease resistance in wild types is continuing, in order to introduce resistant genes from wild relatives. In this study, we found that the wild melon Cucumis prophetarum was comparably more tolerant to salinity, the damping-off disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani and the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. The percentage of wild melon survival was 60% compared to that of the cultivated cucumber Cucumis sativus, which was 15%, when irrigated with NaCl at a concentration of 2500 ppm; and 96% for the wild melon compared with 44% for the cultivated cucumber when irrigated with CaSO4.2H2O at a concentration of 1000 ppm. Wild melon plants were more tolerant to R. solani attack, as only 20% of the plants were infested compared with 100% of infestation observed for the cultivated cucumber. The average number of nematode galls was 250 per plant on the cultivated cucumber when compared with 6.3 per plant on the wild species. Wild melon could be a potential source of resistant or tolerant genes that can be transferable to cultivated cucumbers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The in vivo and in vitro mechanistic anti-inflammatory actions of cucurbitacin E (CE) (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) were examined. The results showed that LPS/INF-γ increased NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages, whereas L-NAME and CE curtailed it. CE did not reveal any cytotoxicity on RAW264.7 and WRL-68 cells. CE inhibited both COX enzymes with more selectivity toward COX-2. Intraperitoneal injection of CE significantly suppressed carrageenan-induced rat''s paw edema. ORAC and FRAP assays showed that CE is not a potent ROS scavenger. It could be concluded that CE is potentially useful in treating inflammation through the inhibition of COX and RNS but not ROS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]