Snake gourd

About: Snake gourd is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 566 publications have been published within this topic receiving 4369 citations.

Flavonoid (myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, and apigenin) content of edible tropical plants.

Abstract: Studies were conducted on the flavonoids (myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, and apigenin) contents of 62 edible tropical plants. The highest total flavonoids content was in onion leaves (1497.5 mg/kg quercetin, 391.0 mg/kg luteolin, and 832.0 mg/kg kaempferol), followed by Semambu leaves (2041.0 mg/kg), bird chili (1663.0 mg/kg), black tea (1491.0 mg/kg), papaya shoots (1264.0 mg/kg), and guava (1128.5 mg/kg). The major flavonoid in these plant extracts is quercetin, followed by myricetin and kaempferol. Luteolin could be detected only in broccoli (74.5 mg/kg dry weight), green chili (33.0 mg/kg), bird chili (1035.0 mg/kg), onion leaves (391.0 mg/kg), belimbi fruit (202.0 mg/kg), belimbi leaves (464.5 mg/kg), French bean (11.0 mg/kg), carrot (37.5 mg/kg), white radish (9.0 mg/kg), local celery (80.5 mg/kg), limau purut leaves (30.5 mg/kg), and dried asam gelugur (107.5 mg/kg). Apigenin was found only in Chinese cabbage (187.0 mg/kg), bell pepper (272.0 mg/kg), garlic (217.0 mg/kg), belimbi fruit (458.0 mg/kg), French peas (176.0 mg/kg), snake gourd (42.4 mg/kg), guava (579.0 mg/kg), wolfberry leaves (547.0 mg/kg), local celery (338.5 mg/kg), daun turi (39.5 mg/kg), and kadok (34.5 mg/kg). In vegetables, quercetin glycosides predominate, but glycosides of kaempferol, luteolin, and apigenin are also present. Fruits contain almost exclusively quercetin glycosides, whereas kaempferol and myricetin glycosides are found only in trace quantities.

Drumstick (Moringa oleifera): a multipurpose Indian vegetable.

Abstract: The Hindustan centre of crop origin is the cradle of many economically important vegetable crops. Ash gourd (Benincasa hispida Cogn.), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), kundru (Coccinia indica L.), pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica L.), snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina L.), egg plant (Solanum melongena L.), hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab L.), sword bean (Canavalia sp.) and many other vegetables originated in this part of the world. There is yet another vitamin-rich, mineral-packed and nutritious vegetable of this tropical and subtropical centre of crop origin grown by the dravidians and later by the aryans in each and every home yard, and presently disappearing from cultivation, called variously drumstick, horse radish tree, radish tree, and West Indian Ben. The name drumstick derives from the shape of the pod, resembling the slender and curved stick used for beating the drum. Probably the name radish tree originates from the pendulous, slender and thin shape of the immature fruits of the tree resembling very much the siliqua of the radish.

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae: a review of its biology and management.

Abstract: The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is distributed widely in temperate, tropical, and sub-tropical regions of the world. It has been reported to damage 81 host plants and is a major pest of cucurbitaceous vegetables, particularly the bitter gourd (Momordica charantia), muskmelon (Cucumis melo), snap melon (C. melo var. momordica), and snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina). The extent of losses vary between 30 to 100%, depending on the cucurbit species and the season. Its abundance increases when the temperatures fall below 32° C, and the relative humidity ranges between 60 to 70%. It prefers to infest young, green, soft-skinned fruits. It inserts the eggs 2 to 4 mm deep in the fruit tissues, and the maggots feed inside the fruit. Pupation occurs in the soil at 0.5 to 15 cm below the soil surface. Keeping in view the importance of the pest and crop, melon fruit fly management could be done using local area management and wide area management. The melon fruit fly can successfully be managed over a local area by bagging fruits, field sanitation, protein baits, cue-lure traps, growing fruit fly-resistant genotypes, augmentation of biocontrol agents, and soft insecticides. The wide area management program involves the coordination of different characteristics of an insect eradication program (including local area options) over an entire area within a defensible perimeter, and subsequently protected against reinvasion by quarantine controls. Although, the sterile insect technique has been successfully used in wide area approaches, this approach needs to use more sophisticated and powerful technologies in eradication programs such as insect transgenesis and geographical information systems, which could be deployed over a wide area. Various other options for the management of fruit fly are also discussed in relation to their bio-efficacy and economics for effective management of this pest.

Study of Nutritive Value and Medicinal Uses of Cultivated Cucurbits

Abstract: The present i nvestigation of t he nutritive value and medicinal use s o f t he cultivated cucurbits were carried out. A total o f 1 4 species u nder 8 genera of t he cultivated cucurbits were collected. In this research, we observed the b enefits of cultivated cucurbits, w hich are found in whi te go urd, water melon, cucumber, musk melon, pumpkin, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, sponge gourd, teasle gourd, bitter gourd, pointed gourd, snake gourd, in terms of human health. Cultivated cucurbits, which are really useful i n human hea lth, also t ake attention i n t erms of acid, vitamins and mineral substances in t hem. By observing the usefulness of cultivated c ucurbits, which can grow in our country mainly cultivated, our main aims is to convi nce that we should gr ow t hem more in c ountry wide.