Trichomes are specialized epidermal cells located in aerial parts of plants that function in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. The simple unicellular trichomes of Arabidopsis serve as an excellent model to study the molecular mechanism of cell differentiation and pattern formation in plants. Loss-of-function mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana have suggested that the core genes G...

A comparative study on the effect of chemical fertilizers and bio-fertilizers was done on growth and biochemical parameters in cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus L.). An experiment was conducted in randomized completely blocks design (RCBD) with four replicates. The treatment were (T1= control, T2= bio-fertilizer, T3= chemical and T4= combination treatment (biofertilizer and 1⁄2 chemical)) at Agri...

BACKGROUND Sweet melons, Cucumis melo, are a widely grown and highly prized crop. While melons were familiar in antiquity, they were grown mostly for use of the young fruits, which are similar in appearance and taste to cucumbers, C. sativus. The time and place of emergence of sweet melons is obscure, but they are generally thought to have reached Europe from the east near the end of the 15th c...

Proteinase inhibitors are ubiquitous proteins that block the active center or interact allosterically with proteinases and are involved in plant physiological processes and defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. The CmSPI gene identified from Cucumis metuliferus encodes a serine type PI (8 kDa) that belongs to potato I type family. To evaluate the effect of silencing CmSPI gene on Pa...

Five-day-old etiolated cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. var. Alpha Green) cotyledons produced more chlorophyll over a 4-hour illumination period after a prolonged exposure (12 to 72 hours) in the dark to ethylene concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 mul/l. Intact seedlings and excised cotyledons responded in the same way to this treatment. This effect does not involve a shortening of the lag phase...

Human urine obtained from separating toilets was tested as a fertiliser for cultivation of outdoor cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in a Nordic climate. The urine used contained high amounts of nitrogen with some phosphorus and potassium, but numbers of enteric microorganisms were low even though urine had not been preserved before sampling. The cucumber yield after urine fertilisation was similar...

Exogenous [1-(14)C]oleic acid and [1-(14)C]linoleic acid were taken up and esterified to complex lipids by greening cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cotyledons. Both (14)C-labeled fatty acids were initially esterified to phosphatidylcholine prior to eventual accumulation in triacylglycerols and galactolipids. Kinetic data suggest that esterification occurs prior to desaturation and that phosphatid...

Most contemporary studies of photoperiodism in plants have dealt with species which normally flower either in long or short day conditions. There is great experimental convenience and clarity of response in the employment of species which can be qualitatively distinguished as reproductive in a short photoperiod and vegetative in a long photoperiod or vice versa. Phenomenal improvement in our kn...

A comparative study on the effect of chemical fertilizers and bio-fertilizers was done on growth and biochemical parameters in cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus). An experiment was conducted in Randomized Completely Blocks Design (RCBD) with four replicates. The treatment were (T1 = Control, T2 = Bio-fertilizer, T3 = Chemical and T4 = Combination treatment (biofertilizer and 1/2 chemical)) at Agr...

Based on results obtained with leaf discs exposed to sulfate, leaves on cucurbit plants (Cucurbita pepo L. cv Small Sugar Pumpkin and Cucumis sativus cv Chipper) 1 to 2.5 weeks old have a low potential for H(2)S emission (less than 10 picomoles per min per cm(2) leaf area) in response to sulfate, whereas discs from most of the leaves on plants 3 to 4 weeks old emit H(2)S at a higher rate (50 to...