Submitted: Mar 17, 2013; Accepted: May 1, 2013; Published: Aug 5, 2013 Abstract: Twelve accessions of tropical pumpkin of South Eastern Nigeria were evaluated in 2010 and 2011 to determine the extent of variability that exit in fruit, seed and leaf yield of the crop and to constitute a germplasm collections. Results of the study show that there exists a sufficient genetic variability among the ...

Evaluation of Genetic Parameters Yield and Agronomic Characteristics in Domestic Foreign Hybrid Cultivars Cucurbita pepo L. Isfahan

Four cultigens of Cucurbita moschata resistant to zucchini yellow mosaic virus were crossed with the susceptible 'Waltham Butternut' and with each other in order to clarify the mode of inheritance of resistance and relationships among the genes involved. Five loci were segregating, with genes for resistance Zym-0 and Zym-4 carried by 'Nigerian Local' and one of them also carried by 'Nicklow's D...

Two populations of Cucurbita were studied for the inheritance of corolla pigments. Flowers from them were collected--classified as orange, yellow, or cream--and analyzed for total carotenoid pigments. In most cases, chemical analysis for total pigments agreed with observed color designations. The ? 2 and backcross results fitted the expected 1:2:1 and 1:1 segregations, respectively, found in th...

Protein isolates of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L) seeds were hydrolyzed by acid protease to prepare antioxidative peptides. The hydrolysis conditions were optimized through Box-Behnken experimental design combined with response surface method (RSM). The second-order model, developed for the DPPH radical scavenging activity of pumpkin seed hydrolysates, showed good fit with the experiment data with...

A spectral, immunochemical, and proteolytic characterization of native 120-kilodalton (kD) phytochrome from Cucurbita pepo L. is presented and compared with that previously reported for native 124-kD phytochrome from Avena sativa. The molecule was partially purified ( approximately 200-fold) in the phytochrome-far red-absorbing form (Pfr) in the presence of the protease inhibitor, phenylmethyls...

Low-pH and aluminum (Al) stresses are the major constraints that limit crop yield in acidic soils. Grafting vegetable elite cultivars onto appropriate rootstocks may represent an effective tool to improve crop tolerance to acidity and Al toxicity. Two greenhouse hydroponic experiments were performed to evaluate growth, yield, biomass production, chlorophyll index, electrolyte leakage, mineral c...