Background: Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L) is one of the most popular cooked vegetables in many Asian countries. Its experimental use in mice has indicated improvement in glucose tolerance against Type II diabetes and reduction in blood cholesterol. However, it has not been proven which alkaloids, polypeptides, or their combinations in the Bitter Melon extract are responsible for the medi...

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a phenotypically diverse eudicot diploid (2n = 2x = 24) has climacteric and non-climacteric morphotypes and show wide variation for fruit firmness, an important trait for transportation and shelf life. We generated 13,789 SNP markers using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and anchored them to chromosomes to understand genome-wide fixation indices (Fst) between various m...

The effects of grafting on Na and Cl(-) uptake and distribution in plant tissues were quantified in a greenhouse experiment using six combinations of melon (Cucumis melo L. cv. Arava) and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne×Cucurbita moschata Duchesne cv. TZ-148): non-grafted, self-grafted, melons grafted on pumpkins, and pumpkins grafted on melons. Total Na concentration in shoots of plants wit...

Two years of field trials conducted in a Meloidogyne incognita-infested field evaluated grafting and Paladin Pic-21 (dimethyl disulfide:chloropicrin [DMDS:Pic] 79:21) for root-knot nematode and weed control in tomato and melon. Tomato rootstocks evaluated were; 'TX301', 'Multifort', and 'Aloha'. 'Florida 47' was the scion and the nongrafted control. A double crop of melon was planted into exist...

Vegetable crops hold a key position in agricultural production worldwide, and the Asian regions such as East, Southeast and South are among the top regions for their exports and imports. However, many pests and diseases threaten the profitability of this agricultural sector, and improving the productivity and quality of vegetables can enhance food security, employment and trade opportunities. F...

Postmortem changes in geometry, density, and sound speed within organs and tissues (melon, bone, blubber, and mandibular fat) of the dolphin head were evaluated using computed tomography (CT) scans of live and postmortem bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Specimens were classified into three different treatment groups: live, recently dead, and frozen followed by thawing. Organs and tissu...

Over the past few years, foodborne disease outbreaks linked to enteric pathogens present on cantaloupe and watermelon surfaces have raised concerns in the melon industry. This research evaluated the effectiveness of commercially available produce sanitizers against selected foodborne pathogens, both in cell suspensions and on the outer rind surface of melons. The sanitizers (65 and 200 ppm of c...

Plant residues of broccoli, melon, and tomato with or without addition of chicken manure were used as biofumigants in two pot experiments with Meloidogyne incognita-infested soils. The efficacy of these biofumigants in controlling M. incognita infestation in susceptible tomato bio-assay plants was studied at soil temperatures of 20 masculine, 25 masculine, and 30 masculineC. None of the plant r...

Root-knot nematode-susceptible melons (Cantaloupe) were grown in pots with varying levels of Meloidogyne incognita and were compared to susceptible melons that were grafted onto Cucumis metuliferus or Cucurbita moschata rootstocks. In addition, the effect of using melons as transplants in nematode-infested soil was compared to direct seeding of melons in nematode-infested soil. There were no di...