The mitochondrial genomes of seed plants are unusually large and vary in size by at least an order of magnitude. Much of this variation occurs within a single family, the Cucurbitaceae, whose genomes range from an estimated 390 to 2,900 kb in size. We sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of Citrullus lanatus (watermelon: 379,236 nt) and Cucurbita pepo (zucchini: 982,833 nt)--the two smallest cha...

Information on the mode of inheritance of powdery mildew resistance in watermelon is important for designing a breeding strategy for the development of new cultivars. Resistance in the watermelon accession PI 270545 was investigated by generation means analysis by crossing it with susceptible PI 267677. The analyses showed involvement of two genes, a recessive resistance gene, pmr-1, and a domi...

As fleshy fruits, two major melon genera are widely produced and consumed, including the watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] and muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.). As different cultivars, cultivated them according to consumer and grower’s choice, and market conditions (i.e. seedless varieties, good shelf life, etc.). China is the world’s largest producer of melons, accounted for o...

Manganese (Mn) toxicity in crops is a serious problem in Hawaii, especially Kauai and Oahu, where most soils are highly weathered. To devise a management strategy to control Mn toxicity, a greenhouse experiment was conducted on an acid (pH 4.4) Oxisol (Wahiawa series) having 15g·kg total Mn. Factorial combinations of lime (0, 2.0, and 4.0 g·kg CaCO3) and two composts (made from chicken manure a...

BACKGROUND The recent epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Africa, coupled with rampant poverty, is an indication of the urgent need to develop new efficacious, cheaper and more available drugs to face this growing public health challenge. A number of plants products among which the protein-rich Cucurbitaceae seeds are commonly used in traditional medicine with increasing acclaimed efficacy ag...