Structural studies of a methyl galacturonosyl-methoxyxylan isolated from the stem of Lagenaria siceraria (Lau)

A water-soluble polysaccharide was isolated from the aqueous extract of the stem of Lagenaria siceraria. The polysaccharide was found to be constituted of methyl d-galacturonate, 2-O-methyl-D-xylose, and d-xylose in a ratio of 1:1:1. On the basis of total acid hydrolysis, methylation analysis, periodate oxidation, NMR studies ((1)H, (13)C, 2D-COSY, TOCSY, NOESY, HSQC, and HMBC), and MALDI-TOF MS analysis, the structure of the repeating unit of the polysaccharide is determined as.     

Cucurbits depicted in Byzantine mosaics from Israel, 350–600 ce

Background and Aims

Thousands of floor mosaics were produced in lands across the Roman and Byzantine empires. Some mosaics contain depictions of agricultural produce, potentially providing useful information concerning the contemporary presence and popularity of crop plants in a particular geographical region. Hundreds of floor mosaics produced in Israel during the Byzantine period have survived. The objective of the present work was to search these mosaics for Cucurbitaceae in order to obtain a more complete picture of cucurbit crop history in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Results and Conclusions

Twenty-three mosaics dating from 350–600 ce were found that had images positively identifiable as cucurbits. The morphological diversity of the cucurbit fruits in the mosaics of Israel is greater than that appearing in mosaics from any other Roman or Byzantine provincial area. The depicted fruits vary in shape from oblate to extremely long, and some are furrowed, others are striped and others lack definite markings. The cucurbit taxa depicted in the mosaics are Cucumis melo (melon), Citrullus lanatus (watermelon), Luffa aegyptiaca (sponge gourd) and Lagenaria siceraria (bottle gourd). Cucumis melo is the most frequently found taxon in the mosaics and is represented by round dessert melons and long snake melons. Fruits of at least two cultivars of snake melons and of watermelons are represented. To our knowledge, images of sponge gourds have not been found in Roman and Byzantine mosaics elsewhere. Indeed, the mosaics of Israel contain what are probably the oldest depictions of Luffa aegyptiaca in Mediterranean lands. Sponge gourds are depicted often, in 11 of the mosaics at eight localities, and the images include both mature fruits, which are useful for cleaning and washing, and immature fruits, which are edible. Only one mosaic has images positively identifiable as of bottle gourds, and these were round–pyriform and probably used as vessels.     

Hormonal Control of Sex Differentiation of Potentially Female Floral Buds of Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida In Vitro

In the present study, several kinds of phytohormones were used for the control of sex differentiation of the potentially female floral buds of Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida in vitro. It was shown that both GA3 and STS (silver thiosulphate) could effectively change the direction of sex differentiation of the potentially female floral buds in vitro. In the MS medium, supplemented with IAA, BA and ACC(1-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid) at l nmol/L, male flowers would be induced from the potentially female floral buds by the addition of GA3 (1–500μmol/L). Herein the male flowers were induced more effectively by GA3 within 5–-20 μmol/L but it was not as effective as STS. In the MS medium supplemented with IAA, BA and ACC at 1 nmol/L and with GA3 at 20 nmol/L more male flowers were differentiated from the potentially female floral buds with the addition of STS within 100–500 μmol/L. On the contrary, when the MS medium were supplemented with IAA and ACC at 1 nmol/L and with BA increased to 100 nmol/L more female flowers were differentiated from the potentially female floral buds, even with addition of 10–50 nmol/L of GA3.     

The bottle gourd genome provides insights into Cucurbitaceae evolution and facilitates mapping of a Papaya ring‐spot virus resistance locus

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is an important vegetable crop as well as a rootstock for other cucurbit crops. In this study, we report a high‐quality 313.4‐Mb genome sequence of a bottle gourd inbred line, USVL1VR‐Ls, with a scaffold N50 of 8.7 Mb and the longest of 19.0 Mb. About 98.3% of the assembled scaffolds are anchored to the 11 pseudomolecules. Our comparative genomic analysis identifies chromosome‐level syntenic relationships between bottle gourd and other cucurbits, as well as lineage‐specific gene family expansions in bottle gourd. We reconstructed the genome of the most recent common ancestor of Cucurbitaceae, which revealed that the ancestral Cucurbitaceae karyotypes consisted of 12 protochromosomes with 18 534 protogenes. The 12 protochromosomes are largely retained in the modern melon genome, while have undergone different degrees of shuffling events in other investigated cucurbit genomes. The 11 bottle gourd chromosomes derive from the ancestral Cucurbitaceae karyotypes followed by 19 chromosomal fissions and 20 fusions. The bottle gourd genome sequence has facilitated the mapping of a dominant monogenic locus, Prs, conferring Papaya ring‐spot virus (PRSV) resistance in bottle gourd, to a 317.8‐kb region on chromosome 1. We have developed a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker tightly linked to the Prs locus and demonstrated its potential application in marker‐assisted selection of PRSV resistance in bottle gourd. This study provides insights into the paleohistory of Cucurbitaceae genome evolution, and the high‐quality genome sequence of bottle gourd provides a useful resource for plant comparative genomics studies and cucurbit improvement.     

The cucurbit images (1515-1518) of the Villa Farnesina, Rome

BACKGROUND: The gorgeous frescoes organized by the master Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520) and illustrating the heavenly adventures of Cupid and Psyche were painted between 1515 and 1518 to decorate the Roman villa (now known as the Villa Farnesina) of the wealthy Sienese banker Agostino Chigi (1466-1520). Surrounding these paintings are festoons of fruits, vegetables and flowers painted by Giovanni Martini da Udine (1487-1564), which include over 170 species of plants. A deconstruction and collation of the cucurbit images in the festoons makes it possible to evaluate the genetic diversity of cucurbits in Renaissance Italy 500 years ago. FINDINGS: The festoons contain six species of Old World cucurbits, Citrullus lanatus (watermelon), Cucumis melo (melon), Cucumis sativus (cucumber), Ecballium elaterium (squirting cucumber), Lagenaria siceraria (bottle gourd) and Momordica balsamina (balsam apple), and two or three species of New World cucurbits, Cucurbita maxima, C. pepo and, perhaps, C. moschata (pumpkin, squash, gourd). The images of C. maxima are the first illustrations of this species in Europe.     

Discovery and genetic assessment of wild bottle Gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standley; Cucurbitaceae] from Zimbabwe

Bottle gourd /Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standley] is an edible, medicinal, and otherwise utilitarian domesticated cucurbit with an ancient pantropical distribution. This African native reached Asia and the Americas 9000 years ago, probably as a wild species whose fruits had floated across the seas. Independent domestications from wild populations are believed to have occurred in both the Old and New Worlds. However, few wild populations of L. siceraria have been found during recorded history and none has been verified or studied in detail. In 1992, Mary Wilkins-Ellert discovered an unusual free-living plant of Lagenaria in a remote region of southeastern Zimbabwe. Her morphological observations during several plantings of the collected seed, as well as results from two genetic analyses (random amplified polymorphic DNA and chloroplast sequencing), indicate that the Zimbabwe collection is part of a genetically distinct and wild lineage ofL. siceraria.     

CPPU对瓠瓜单性结实的诱导作用及对细胞分裂和内源激素水平的影响

NAA和GA3处理未经授粉的瓠瓜子房不能显著促进其细胞分裂和膨大而产生单性结实果,而CP-PU处理未经授粉的瓠瓜子房则使其细胞数目和中果皮单个细胞横切面积以及单果重都显著高于未授粉和人工授粉果.经CPPU诱导座果而产生的单性结实果中IAA、ABA和t-zeatin的浓度均不同程度地低于人工授粉和不授粉果实.     

不同产地瓠瓜品种ITS序列的遗传多样性分析

对国产29个瓠瓜也Lagenariasiceraria（Molina）Standl.页品种的ITS序列进行了扩增及测序,并结合引自GenBank的国产9个瓠瓜品种以及国外6个瓠瓜品种和3个同属种类的ITS序列,对它们的ITS序列长度和GC含量以及变异位点进行比较,在此基础上构建系统发育树并对47个样本间的遗传关系进行研究。结果显示：供试47个样本的ITS序列均由ITS1、5.8SrDNA及ITS2组成,各样本间的ITS序列长度、GC含量以及变异位点差异明显。国产38个瓠瓜品种的ITS序列（包括ITS1、5.8SrDNA及ITS2）长度为619-627bp、GC含量为58.00%-63.32%;国外9个样本的ITS序列长度为591-626bp,GC含量为54.17%-63.26%。序列比对结果显示：国产38个瓠瓜品种的ITS序列同源率为84.6%-100.0%,包含221个变异位点;其中,来源于山东的品种‘砧木2’（‘ZhenmuNo.2’）的ITS序列包含的变异位点最多,与其他品种间的同源率也最低。在系统发育树上,国产38个瓠瓜品种可分为3个分支,来源于山东的品种‘砧木2’和来源于河南的品种‘西瓜砧木1’（‘XiguazhenmuNo.1’）各自聚为第1和第2分支;其余36个品种聚为第3分支。而供试的47个样本则可分为2个分支和5个亚组,第1分支可分为2个亚组,包括国产品种‘砧木2’和产自日本的2个品种;第2分支包含的44个样本则进一步分为3个亚组,国产品种‘西瓜砧木1’和产自法国的品种‘白花瓠瓜’（‘White-floweredgourd’）各自聚为第1和第2亚组,其余的42个样本聚为第3亚组。研究结果表明：供试的不同产地瓠瓜品种间存在丰富的遗传变异和地理分化现象,其ITS序列差异与地理分布有一定关系。     

Efficient plant regeneration from cotyledon explants of bottle gourd (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lagenaria siceraria</Emphasis> Standl.)

Using cotyledon explants excised from seedlings germinated in vitro, an efficient plant regeneration system via organogenesis was established for bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria Standl.). Maximum shoot regeneration was obtained when the proximal parts of cotyledons from 4-day-old seedlings were cultured on MS medium with 3 mg/l BA and 0.5 mg/l AgNO₃ under a 16-h photoperiod. After 3–4 weeks of culture, 21.9–80.7% of explants from the five cultivars regenerated shoots. Adventitious shoots were successfully rooted on a half-strength MS medium with 0.1 mg/l IAA for 2–3 weeks. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that most of the regenerated plants derived from culture on medium with AgNO₃ were diploid.     

Existing competitive indices in the intercropping system of Manihot esculenta Crantz and Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley

An assessment of the competitive indices in intercropping between cassava (Manihot esculenta) and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) was conducted with the aim of increasing the productivity of these crops. For this purpose, three farmers preferred landraces of cassava (yacé, blêbou and six mois) and three morphotypes of gourd (dark green and round fruit, light green and round fruit, light green and long fruit) were used to test the three intercropping ratios (gourd:cassava with 6:42, 6:24 and 6:18). Intercropping systems were assessed by land equivalent ratio (LER), area time equivalent ratio (ATER), relative crowding coefficient (K), actual yield loss (AYL), aggressivity (A) and competition ratio (CR). LER, ATER and K values were greater than 1 for gourd-cassava (6:24). These findings indicate an advantage of intercropping for exploiting the resources of the environment. Cassava clones were more competitive than gourd component.