Growth in diameter of the fig (Ficus carica L. cv. Mission) fruit takes place in three distinct periods; two periods (I and III) of rapid growth are separated by a period (II) of slow growth. With respect to exposure to ethylene, the fruit exhibits a two phase response. Ethylene inhibits fruit growth in phase A (period I), the period of cell division, stimulates growth in early phase B (early p...

Castor bean (Ricinus communis) is a member of the family Euphorbiaceae and native to tropical regions. The seed source castor oil which has variety pharmaceutical industrial uses. In India, used in alternative medicine as laxative, purgative, for curing arthritis. affected by pathogens, both fungal (Karan, 1966) viral, including Cucumber mosaic virus (Raj et al., 2010) Olive latent 2 (Grieco 20...

The distribution of carbon (C) into whole grapevine fruiting cuttings was investigated during flower development to determine the relative contribution of inflorescence and leaf photoassimilates in the total C balance and to investigate their partitioning towards other plant organs. A (13)C labelling procedure was used to label C photoassimilates by leaves and inflorescences in grapevine. Inves...

Three types of whole plant experiments are presented to substantiate the concept that an important function of ethylene in abscission is to reduce the transport of auxin from the leaf to the abscission zone. (a) The inhibitory effect of ethylene on auxin transport, like ethylene-stimulated abscission, persists only as long as the gas is continuously present. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. St...

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) was one of the first domesticated plants, and the only one with a global distribution during pre-Columbian times. Although native to Africa, bottle gourd was in use by humans in east Asia, possibly as early as 11,000 y ago (BP) and in the Americas by 10,000 BP. Despite its utilitarian importance to diverse human populations, it remains unresolved how the bottl...

Leaf hydraulic conductance (K leaf) is a major determinant of photosynthetic rate in plants. Previous work has assessed the relationships between leaf morpho-anatomical traits and K leaf with woody species, but there has been very little focus on cereal crops. The genus Oryza, which includes rice (Oryza sativa) and wild species (such as O. rufipogon cv. Griff), is ideal material for identifying...

Small bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L. var. muricata (Willd.) Chakrav.) is an under-utilized vegetable with ethnobotanical and therapeutic values, under domestication interphase. This taxon deserves a distinct crop status, owing to the existence of well-marked distinguishing morphological traits, unique flavour taste apart from M. charantia, wide variability within taxon, preferential culti...

Mice were inoculated intraperitoneally wih 34 different types of vegetable juices, and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were measured as markers for the induction of Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. Serum IFN-γ level was markedly increased in mice inoculated with bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) juice, but IL-4 levels were not increased with any of the 34 vegetable juices. Te...

Plants were regenerated from encapsulated shoot tips of pointed gourd. Shoot tips isolated from multiple shoot cultures of AM-8 and AM-15 cultivars of pointed gourd were encapsulated in sodium alginate beads. For germination and shoot proliferation, encapsulated shoot tips (artificial seed) were cultured in MS basal medium containing different concentrations and combinations of BAP and NAA. Use...