Harnessing sponge gourd: an alternative source of oil and protein for nutritional security.

(L.) Roem. is an important cucurbit crop that assures food security and dietary diversity among the poor communities.

Inheritance and molecular mapping of solitary/cluster fruit-bearing habit in Luffa.

Fruiting behaviour and sex form are important goals for Luffa breeders and this study aimed to shed light upon inheritance patterns for both these traits. The hermaphrodite form of Luffa acutangula (known as Satputia) is an underutilized vegetable with a unique clustered fruiting habit. Its desirable traits, such as plant architecture, earliness, as well as contrasting traits like unique clustered fruiting, bisexual flower, and crossability with Luffa acutangula (monoecious ridge gourd with solitary fruits), make it a potential source for trait improvement and mapping of desirable traits in Luffa.

Molecular evidence for the occurrence of (PuYV), a new polerovirus species associated with pumpkin plants.

In India, cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus, a cucurbit-infecting polerovirus, is emerging in the recent past with respect to its occurrence on different crops and geographical locations. This emphasized the need for an investigation to search for the possible occurrence of the other related species In this view, different cucurbit hosts exhibiting severe chlorosis, bleaching, and yellowing symptoms were collected from the Vegetable Experimental Fields of IARI, New Delhi. The samples exhibiting yellowing and bleaching symptoms were associated with small isometric virions measuring ~ 25 nm under transmission electron microscope.

Assessment of genetic diversity of ninety-one bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.] genotypes from fourteen different agro-climatic zones of India using agro-morphological traits and SSR markers.

Background: The evaluation of the magnitude of genetic diversity present in the germplasm collection is prerequisite for bottle gourd improvement programme. The characterization of the diversity pattern of Indian bottle gourd accessions will facilitate the optimal use of genetic resources for breeding improved cultivars.

Methods: In the present study, the magnitude of genetic diversity was evaluated in ninety-one genotypes of bottle gourd collected across fourteen different agro-climatic zones of India.

Genetic diversity and population structure detection in sponge gourd () using ISSR, SCoT and morphological markers.

Investigation of genetic diversity is essential for the selection of parents for crop breeding and conservation of genetic resources. To estimate the genetic variability and population structure in the midst of 45 accessions of sponge gourd brought together from different geographical areas of India, morphological traits and two molecular markers, ISSR and SCoT markers were compared. Principal components analysis of 20 morphological traits showed 72.