"Completely updated with new content and full-colour figures throughout, this new edition provides succinct and authoritative knowledge relating to the production of cucurbits, including cucumbers, gourds, muskmelons, pumpkins, squashes and watermelons, and reflects on significant recent advances in the areas of production, breeding and evolution"--.

• Cucurbits
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• 1 What are Cucurbits?
  • Distribution and Ecology
  • Nomenclature
  • Taxonomy
  • Morphology and Anatomy
    • Seedlings
    • Roots
    • Stems
    • Leaves
    • Tendrils
    • Flowers
    • Fruit
    • Seeds
  • Growth and Development
    • Seed germination
    • Plant growth and movement
    • Sex expression
    • Fruit development
• 2 Crop Evolution and Diversity
  • Evolutionary History
  • Uses
  • Commercial Production Areas and Importance
  • Cucurbits as Weeds
• 3 Breeding and Genetics
  • The Mechanics of Plant Breeding
    • Manual pollination
    • Tissue culture
    • Achieving breeding objectives
    • Interspecific hybridization
  • Cytology
  • Genes
    • Cucumber
    • Melon
    • Squash
    • Watermelon
  • Genomics
  • Historical Breeding Techniques
  • Novel Breeding Techniques
• 4 Major Crops
  • Cucumber, Melon and Their Relatives
    • Introduction
  • Cucumber
    • Botany
    • Origin and history
    • Uses
    • Cultivars and breeding
    • Genetic diversity
    • Closely related species
    • Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (wild cucumber)
    • Cucumis sativus var. sikkimensis (Sikkim cucumber)
    • Cucumis sativus var. xishuangbannanensis (Xishuangbanna gourd)
    • Cucumis hystrix
  • Melon
    • Nomenclature
    • Botany
    • Origin
    • Classification, cultivars and uses
  • Squash and Pumpkin
    • Botany
    • Nomenclature
    • Origin and history
    • Species descriptions
    • Uses
    • Cultivars and breeding
  • Watermelon and Relatives
    • Introduction
    • Classification
    • Botany
    • Origin and history
    • Uses
    • Cultivars and breeding
    • Genetic diversity
    • Egusi watermelon (Citrullus mucosospermus)
    • Colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis)
• 5 Minor Crops
  • Benincasa hispida (Wax Gourd, Winter Melon)
  • Coccinia grandis (Ivy Gourd)
  • Cucumis anguria (West Indian Gherkin)
  • Cucumis metuliferus (Horned Melon)
  • Cucumis setosus
  • Cucurbita foetidissima (Buffalo Gourd)
  • Cyclanthera pedata var. edulis (Stuffing Cucumber)
  • Lagenaria siceraria (Bottle Gourd)
  • Luffa spp. (Luffa Sponge Gourd, Ridge Gourd)
  • Momordica angustisepala and M. cymbalaria
  • Momordica balsamina (Balsam Apple)
  • Momordica charantia (Bitter Gourd)
  • Momordica cochinchinensis (Gac)
  • Momordica dioica (Kaksa, Teasel Gourd)
  • Praecitrullus fistulosus (Round Melon)
  • Sechium edule (Chayote)
  • Sicana odorifera (Casabanana)
  • Telfairia spp. (Fluted Pumpkin and Oyster Nut)
  • Trichosanthes spp. (Snake Gourd and Pointed Gourd)
• 6 Cultural Requirements
  • Introduction
  • Effective Seed Germination
  • Land Preparation
  • Planting, Thinning and Spacing for Outdoor Crops
  • Mulches and Plant Covers
  • Glasshouse Culture
  • Grafting
  • Temperature
  • Daylength and Light Intensity
  • Soil
  • Fertilizer
  • Irrigation
  • Support, Training and Pruning
  • Weed Control
• 7 Fruit and Seed Production
  • Controlling Sex Expression
  • Pollination
  • Harvesting
  • Postharvest Handling and Storage
    • Fruit
    • Seeds
• 8 Cucurbits for Human Health
  • Introduction
  • Moisture and Solids Content in Fruit
  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins and Oils
  • Vitamins, Minerals and Secondary Compounds
    • Carotenoids
      • Carotenes
      • Xanthophylls
    • Citrulline
    • Flavonoids and phenolic acids
  • Antinutrients and Pharmacology
• 9 Diseases and Nematodes
  • Introduction
  • Bacterial and Phytoplasma Diseases
    • Angular leaf spot
    • Astor yellows (Phytoplasma)
    • Bacterial fruit blotch
    • Bacterial leaf spot
    • Bacterial rind necrosis
    • Bacterial wilt
    • Brown spot (internal fruit rot)
    • Salmonella
    • Soft rot
  • Fungal and Oomycete Diseases
    • Alternaria leaf blight
    • Anthracnose
    • Belly rot
    • Brown rot
    • Cercospora leaf spot
    • Charcoal rot
    • Cottony leak (oomycete pathogen)
    • Cottony soft rot
    • Damping off (oomycete pathogen)
    • Downy mildew (oomycete pathogen)
    • Fusarium fruit rot
    • Fusarium wilt
    • Grey mould
    • Gummy stem blight and black rot
    • Monosporascus root rot and vine decline
    • Net spot
    • Phomopsis black root rot of cucumber
    • Phytophthora root and crown rots (oomycete pathogen)
    • Powdery mildew
    • Rhizopus soft rot
    • Scab
    • Septoria leaf spot
    • Southern blight
    • Stem end rot
    • Sudden wilt (oomycete pathogen)
    • Target leaf spot
    • Ulocladium leaf spot
    • Verticillium wilt
  • Nematodes
  • Viral Diseases
    • Beet pseudo-yellows virus
    • Clover yellow vein virus
    • Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus
    • Cucumber mosaic virus
    • Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus
    • Melon necrotic spot virus
    • Melon virus
    • Papaya ringspot virus
    • Squash leaf curl virus
    • Squash mosaic virus
    • Tobacco ringspot virus
    • Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus
    • Tomato ringspot virus
    • Watermelon mosaic virus
    • Zucchini yellow mosaic virus
• 10 Insects and Spider Mites
  • Cucumber Beetles
  • Cucumber Moth (Cucurbit Caterpillar)
  • Cutworms
  • Darkling Ground Beetles
  • Epilachna Beetles
  • Glasshouse Whitefly
  • Leafminer
  • Leaf-footed Bug
  • Leafhoppers
  • Melon Aphid
  • Melon Fruit Fly
  • Oriental Fruit Fly
  • Pickleworm
  • Red Pumpkin Beetle
  • Spider Mites
  • Squash Bug
  • Squash Vine Borer
  • Sweet Potato Whitefly
  • Thrips
  • Wireworms
• 11 Abiotic Stresses
  • Bitter Fruit
  • Cold (Chilling Tolerance)
  • Drought (Water Deficit)
  • Flooding (Excess Water)
  • Heat
  • Nutrient Deficiencies and Excesses
  • Pollination Problems
  • Salinity
• Appendix: Common Cucurbit Names and their Scientific Name Equivalents
  • Sorted by Common Name
  • Sorted by Scientific Name
• References
• Index