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Sample records for pickling melon cucumis

  1. Medieval herbal iconography and lexicography of Cucumis (cucumber and melon, Cucurbitaceae) in the Occident, 1300-1458.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paris, Harry S; Janick, Jules; Daunay, Marie-Christine

    2011-09-01

    The genus Cucumis contains two species of important vegetable crops, C. sativus, cucumber, and C. melo, melon. Melon has iconographical and textual records from lands of the Mediterranean Basin dating back to antiquity, but cucumber does not. The goal of this study was to obtain an improved understanding of the history of these crops in the Occident. Medieval images purportedly of Cucumis were examined, their specific identity was determined and they were compared for originality, accuracy and the lexicography of their captions. The manuscripts having accurate, informative images are derived from Italy and France and were produced between 1300 and 1458. All have an illustration of cucumber but not all contain an image of melon. The cucumber fruits are green, unevenly cylindrical with an approx. 2:1 length-to-width ratio. Most of the images show the cucumbers marked by sparsely distributed, large dark dots, but images from northern France show them as having densely distributed, small black dots. The different size, colour and distribution reflect the different surface wartiness and spininess of modern American and French pickling cucumbers. The melon fruits are green, oval to serpentine, closely resembling the chate and snake vegetable melons, but not sweet melons. In nearly all manuscripts of Italian provenance, the cucumber image is labelled with the Latin caption citruli, or similar, plural diminuitive of citrus (citron, Citrus medica). However, in manuscripts of French provenance, the cucumber image is labelled cucumeres, which is derived from the classical Latin epithet cucumis for snake melon. The absence of melon in some manuscripts and the expropriation of the Latin cucumis/cucumer indicate replacement of vegetable melons by cucumbers during the medieval period in Europe. One image, from British Library ms. Sloane 4016, has a caption that allows tracing of the word 'gherkin' back to languages of the geographical nativity of C. sativus, the Indian

  2. Medieval herbal iconography and lexicography of Cucumis (cucumber and melon, Cucurbitaceae) in the Occident, 1300–1458

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paris, Harry S.; Janick, Jules; Daunay, Marie-Christine

    2011-01-01

    Background The genus Cucumis contains two species of important vegetable crops, C. sativus, cucumber, and C. melo, melon. Melon has iconographical and textual records from lands of the Mediterranean Basin dating back to antiquity, but cucumber does not. The goal of this study was to obtain an improved understanding of the history of these crops in the Occident. Medieval images purportedly of Cucumis were examined, their specific identity was determined and they were compared for originality, accuracy and the lexicography of their captions. Findings The manuscripts having accurate, informative images are derived from Italy and France and were produced between 1300 and 1458. All have an illustration of cucumber but not all contain an image of melon. The cucumber fruits are green, unevenly cylindrical with an approx. 2:1 length-to-width ratio. Most of the images show the cucumbers marked by sparsely distributed, large dark dots, but images from northern France show them as having densely distributed, small black dots. The different size, colour and distribution reflect the different surface wartiness and spininess of modern American and French pickling cucumbers. The melon fruits are green, oval to serpentine, closely resembling the chate and snake vegetable melons, but not sweet melons. In nearly all manuscripts of Italian provenance, the cucumber image is labelled with the Latin caption citruli, or similar, plural diminuitive of citrus (citron, Citrus medica). However, in manuscripts of French provenance, the cucumber image is labelled cucumeres, which is derived from the classical Latin epithet cucumis for snake melon. The absence of melon in some manuscripts and the expropriation of the Latin cucumis/cucumer indicate replacement of vegetable melons by cucumbers during the medieval period in Europe. One image, from British Library ms. Sloane 4016, has a caption that allows tracing of the word ‘gherkin’ back to languages of the geographical nativity of C

  3. Medieval emergence of sweet melons, Cucumis melo (Cucurbitaceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paris, Harry S; Amar, Zohar; Lev, Efraim

    2012-07-01

    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 century. The objective of the present work was to determine where and when truly sweet melons were first developed. Given their large size and sweetness, melons are often confounded with watermelons, Citrullus lanatus, so a list was prepared of the characteristics distinguishing between them. An extensive search of literature from the Roman and medieval periods was conducted and the findings were considered in their context against this list and particularly in regard to the use of the word 'melon' and of adjectives for sweetness and colour. Medieval lexicographies and an illustrated Arabic translation of Dioscorides' herbal suggest that sweet melons were present in Central Asia in the mid-9th century. A travelogue description indicates the presence of sweet melons in Khorasan and Persia by the mid-10th century. Agricultural literature from Andalusia documents the growing of sweet melons, evidently casabas (Inodorous Group), there by the second half of the 11th century, which probably arrived from Central Asia as a consequence of Islamic conquest, trade and agricultural development. Climate and geopolitical boundaries were the likely causes of the delay in the spread of sweet melons into the rest of Europe.

  4. Pembuatan Fruit Leather dari Campuran Buah Sirsak (Annoma Muricata L.)dan Buah Melon (Cucumis Melo L.)

    OpenAIRE

    Risti, Andika Pranata; Herawati, Netti

    2017-01-01

    Theaim of this study wasto get the best treatment fruit leather from mixed soursop (Annoma muricata L.) and melon (Cucumis melo L.). The study used a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with 6 treatments and 3 replications.The treatments were SM1 (soursop 100 : melon 0), SM2 (soursop80 : melon 20), SM3 (soursop60 : melon40), SM4 (soursop40 : melon60) SM5 (soursop20 : melon80) and SM6 (soursop 0 : melon 100). The data were analyzed statistically using ANOVA and DNMRT at 5%. Thestudyshowed that ...

  5. Fine genetic mapping of a locus controlling short internode length in melon (Cucumis melo L.)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Compact and dwarfing vining habits in melon (Cucumis melo L.; 2n = 2x = 24) may have commercial importance since they can contribute to the promotion of concentrated fruit set and can be planted in higher plant densities than standard vining types. A diminutive (dwarf) melon mutant line (PNU-D1) wi...

  6. The Effect of Microwave Radiation on Prickly Paddy Melon (Cucumis myriocarpus

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    Graham Brodie

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The growing list of herbicide-resistant biotypes and environmental concerns about chemical use has prompted interest in alternative methods of managing weeds. This study explored the effect of microwave energy on paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus plants, fruits, and seeds. Microwave treatment killed paddy melon plants and seeds. Stem rupture due to internal steam explosions often occurred after the first few seconds of microwave treatment when a small aperture antenna was used to apply the microwave energy. The half lethal microwave energy dose for plants was 145 J/cm2; however, a dose of at least 422 J/cm2 was needed to kill seeds. This study demonstrated that a strategic burst of intense microwave energy, focused onto the stem of the plant is as effective as applying microwave energy to the whole plant, but uses much less energy.

  7. Identification of Local Melon (Cucumis melo L. var. Bartek Based on Chromosomal Characters

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    BUDI SETIADI DARYONO

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Bartek is one of local melon varieties mainly cultivated in Pemalang, Central Java. Bartek has three variations of fruits; Long-Green, Ellips-Green, and Yellow. Chromosome characterization of the Bartek was investigated to determine the genetic variation. The main purpose of this research was to determine the genetic characters of Bartek including chromosome number, mitosis, cell cycle, and karyotype. Squash method was used for chromosome preparation. The results showed that all of Bartek observed in this study have similar diploid (2n chromosome number = 24. According to the total number of chromosome, Bartek is closer to melon than cucumber. The mitotic analysis exhibited that the Bartek has similar karyotype formula, 2n = 2x = 24m. Based on the R value of the three kinds of Bartek (R < 0.27, it indicated that three kinds of Bartek were considered to be originated from similar species and one of melon varieties (Cucumis melo L. var. Bartek.

  8. Genetic Characterization of Turkish Snake Melon (Cucumis melo L. subsp. melo flexuosus Group) Accessions Revealed by SSR Markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solmaz, Ilknur; Kacar, Yildiz Aka; Simsek, Ozhan; Sari, Nebahat

    2016-08-01

    Snake melon is an important cucurbit crop especially in the Southeastern and the Mediterranean region of Turkey. It is consumed as fresh or pickled. The production is mainly done with the local landraces in the country. Turkey is one of the secondary diversification centers of melon and possesses valuable genetic resources which have different morphological characteristics in case of snake melon. Genetic diversity of snake melon genotypes collected from different regions of Turkey and reference genotypes obtained from World Melon Gene Bank in Avignon-France was examined using 13 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. A total of 69 alleles were detected, with an average of 5.31 alleles per locus. The polymorphism information content of SSR markers ranged from 0.19 to 0.57 (average 0.38). Based on cluster analysis, two major groups were defined. The first major group included only one accession (61), while the rest of all accessions grouped in the second major group and separated into different sub-clusters. Based on SSR markers, cluster analysis indicated that considerably high genetic variability exists among the examined accessions; however, Turkish snake melon accessions were grouped together with the reference snake melon accessions.

  9. Pemacuan Pertumbuhan Melon (Cucumis melo L. dengan Cendawan Mikoriza Arbuskula dan Bakteri Azospirillum sp.

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    Lady Diana Tetelepta

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACTMelon (Cucumis melo L. is a high economic value horticultural crop that is cultivated in some regions of Indonesia under fertilization management. Application of inorganic fertilizer continuously can reduce soil microbial abundance. One of the soil microbial that promote plant growth is arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF and Azospirillum sp. The aim of this study was to analysed the effect of AMF and Azospirillum sp. in promoting growth and production of melon. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse and was arranged in a completely randomized design with five replicates. Five treatments tested were: control, fertilized with NPK, inoculated with AMF, inoculated with Azospirillum sp., inoculated with AMF + Azospirillum sp. The results showed that the effect of AMF on root growth and shoot growth were similar to NPK fertilizer. Azospirillum sp. increased root growth. On the other side, the effect of Azospirillum sp. on shoot growth was similar to NPK fertilizer. However, AMF and Azospirillum sp. inoculation solely increased plant height, fruit weight, fruit diameter, flavor and length of fruit storage. Meanwhile, combination of AMF and Azospirillum sp. increased plant height, root growth, shoot growth, fruit weight, fruit diameter, flavor and length of fruit storage. This study revealed that application of AMF and Azospirillum sp. in melon cultivation was more effective and efficient than NPK fertilizer.Keywords: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Azospirillum sp., Cucumis melo L.

  10. Cucurbits [Cucumber, melon, pumpkin and squash

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    The focus of this chapter is on the edible members of the Cucurbitaceae family. The three important food-grade cucurbit genera Citrullus, Cucumis, and Cucurbita include the species Citrullus lanatus watermelons), Cucumis melo (cantaloupes and other sweet melons), Cucumis sativa (cucumbers and pick...

  11. Phylogenetics of Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae: Cucumber (C. sativus belongs in an Asian/Australian clade far from melon (C. melo

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    Schaefer Hanno

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Melon, Cucumis melo, and cucumber, C. sativus, are among the most widely cultivated crops worldwide. Cucumis, as traditionally conceived, is geographically centered in Africa, with C. sativus and C. hystrix thought to be the only Cucumis species in Asia. This taxonomy forms the basis for all ongoing Cucumis breeding and genomics efforts. We tested relationships among Cucumis and related genera based on DNA sequences from chloroplast gene, intron, and spacer regions (rbcL, matK, rpl20-rps12, trnL, and trnL-F, adding nuclear internal transcribed spacer sequences to resolve relationships within Cucumis. Results Analyses of combined chloroplast sequences (4,375 aligned nucleotides for 123 of the 130 genera of Cucurbitaceae indicate that the genera Cucumella, Dicaelospermum, Mukia, Myrmecosicyos, and Oreosyce are embedded within Cucumis. Phylogenetic trees from nuclear sequences for these taxa are congruent, and the combined data yield a well-supported phylogeny. The nesting of the five genera in Cucumis greatly changes the natural geographic range of the genus, extending it throughout the Malesian region and into Australia. The closest relative of Cucumis is Muellerargia, with one species in Australia and Indonesia, the other in Madagascar. Cucumber and its sister species, C. hystrix, are nested among Australian, Malaysian, and Western Indian species placed in Mukia or Dicaelospermum and in one case not yet formally described. Cucumis melo is sister to this Australian/Asian clade, rather than being close to African species as previously thought. Molecular clocks indicate that the deepest divergences in Cucumis, including the split between C. melo and its Australian/Asian sister clade, go back to the mid-Eocene. Conclusion Based on congruent nuclear and chloroplast phylogenies we conclude that Cucumis comprises an old Australian/Asian component that was heretofore unsuspected. Cucumis sativus evolved within this Australian

  12. Qualidade fisiológica e sanitária de sementes de melão (Cucumis melo Physiological and health quality of melon (Cucumis melo seeds

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    Marlove Fátima Brião Muniz

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência de diferentes testes na identificação do nível de vigor e da qualidade sanitária de lotes de sementes de melão (Cucumis melo L.. Foram avaliados quatro lotes de sementes das cultivares Gaúcho e Carvalho, submetidas aos testes de primeira contagem de germinação, emergência em campo, deterioração controlada, envelhecimento acelerado e sanidade. Os resultados indicaram que os testes de deterioração controlada e envelhecimento acelerado apresentam sensibilidade suficiente para avaliação do potencial fisiológico de sementes de melão, mas os testes de avaliação de plântulas não mostraram sensibilidade suficiente para realizar uma estratificação dos lotes pelo vigor. Aspergillus spp. e Fusarium oxysporum foram encontrados associados às sementes.The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of different vigour tests in the identification of vigour levels and health quality of melon (Cucumis melo L. seeds. Four seed lots of Gaúcho and Carvalho cultivars were evaluated. Seeds were submitted to the first germination counting, field emergence, controlled deterioration and aging, cold vigour and health tests. Results indicated that controlled deterioration and accelerated aging tests presented enough sensibility for evaluating the physiological potential of melon seeds. Tests of seedling evaluation did not show enough sensibility to identify hiht quality seed lots. Aspergillus ssp. and Fusarium oxysporum were detected associated with seeds.

  13. Postharvest firmness behaviour of near-isogenic lines of melon

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tijskens, L.M.M.; Dos-Santos, N.; Jowkar, M.M.; Obando-Ulloa, J.M.; Moreno, E.; Schouten, R.E.; Monforte, A.J.; Fernández-Trujillo, J.P.

    2009-01-01

    In two consecutive seasons the firmness of 13¿15 near-isogenic lines (NILs) of melons (Cucumis melo L.) was followed during storage at 21 °C. Firmness was measured using non-destructive compression of whole melon fruit to a predefined compression distance of 2 mm. The same individuals (about 6 per

  14. Pengaruh Pemberian Mikoriza Vesikula Arbuskula (MVA Campuran terhadap Kemunculan Penyakit Layu Fusarium pada Tanaman Melon (Cucumis melo L.

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    Najmah Farhati

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Melon (Cucumis melo L. has economic potential to be cultivated because the fruit contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphor, fiber, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and niacin. Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum will decrease melon crop production. One of controlling method to Fusarium wilt diseases on melon plants which safe for environtmental by using biological control. One of microorganisms which can be biological control agent is Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM. This research use experimental method with a Completely Randomized Design (CRD. The experimental treatment consists of two types of treatment which combine 5 doses of VAM mixture ( 0 g/plant, 10 g/plant, 12,5 g/plant, 15 g/plant, 17,5 g/plant and two inoculation method VAM is inoculated when seeds are planted and inoculation when the seedlings are replanted. Each treatment was repeated 3 times and each unit consist of three plant, so there are 30 units of experiments or 90 plants. The main variabels are observed consist of the incubation periode of the disease and the intensity of fusarium wilt and the supporting variabels consist of pH, temperature, humidity, and the scale of infection. The mixed MVA 15 g/plant dosage inoculated when seeds are planted and 15 g/plant dosage inoculated when the seedlings are replanted is the most effective to suppress incubation period of Fusarium wilt disease.

  15. Instrumental and sensory analyses of quality attributes of grafted specialty melons.

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    Guan, Wenjing; Zhao, Xin; Huber, Donald J; Sims, Charles A

    2015-11-01

    Soilborne disease management remains a great challenge in melon production with the phaseout of soil fumigant methyl bromide. Grafting has been shown to be an effective approach to control soilborne diseases. However, previous research has yielded mixed results regarding the impacts of rootstock on fruit quality. Very few studies have assessed melon quality attributes using both sensory evaluation and instrumental methods. Galia melon 'Arava' (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Ser.) and honeydew melon 'Honey Yellow' (C. melo L. var. inodorus Naud.) were grafted onto commercial hybrid squash (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne × Cucurbita moschata Duchesne) rootstocks and root-knot nematode-resistant Cucumis metulifer E. Mey. ex Naud. rootstock. The grafting combinations were evaluated under different production conditions. Grafting with hybrid squash rootstocks resulted in reduced soluble solids content (SSC) and decreased sensory ratings of 'Arava' fruit. By contrast with grafted 'Arava', grafted 'Honey Yellow' did not exhibit significant differences in sensory properties and instrumental measurements regardless of production conditions and rootstock selection. The effects of grafting on fruit quality attributes differed between the two distinctive types of melon scion used. Potential negative impacts of rootstocks on melon fruit quality need to be considered in the selection and use of disease-resistant rootstocks. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  16. Heterologous Expression and Biochemical Characterization of Two Lipoxygenases in Oriental Melon, Cucumis melo var. makuwa Makino.

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    Songxiao Cao

    Full Text Available Lipoxygenases (LOXs are a class of non-heme iron-containing dioxygenases that catalyse oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids to produce hydroperoxidation that are in turn converted to oxylipins. Although multiple isoforms of LOXs have been detected in several plants, LOXs in oriental melon have not attracted much attention. Two full-length LOX cDNA clones, CmLOX10 and CmLOX13 which have been isolated from oriental melon (Cucumis melo var. makuwa Makino cultivar "Yumeiren", encode 902 and 906 amino acids, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis showed that CmLOX10 and CmLOX13 included all of the typical LOX domains and shared 58.11% identity at the amino acid level with each other. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that CmLOX10 and CmLOX13 were members of the type 2 13-LOX subgroup which are known to be involved in biotic and abiotic stress. Heterologous expression of the full-length CmLOX10 and truncated CmLOX13 in Escherichia coli revealed that the encoded exogenous proteins were identical to the predicted molecular weights and possessed the lipoxygenase activities. The purified CmLOX10 and CmLOX13 recombinant enzymes exhibited maximum activity at different temperature and pH and both had higher affinity for linoleic acid than linolenic acid. Chromatogram analysis of reaction products from the CmLOX10 and CmLOX13 enzyme reaction revealed that both enzymes produced 13S-hydroperoxides when linoleic acid was used as substrate. Furthermore, the subcellular localization analysis by transient expression of the two LOX fusion proteins in tobacco leaves showed that CmLOX10 and CmLOX13 proteins were located in plasma membrane and chloroplasts respectively. We propose that the two lipoxygenases may play different functions in oriental melon during plant growth and development.

  17. Metabolomic and elemental profiling of melon fruit quality as affected by genotype and environment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bernillon, Stéphane; Biais, Benoit; Deborde, Catherine

    2013-01-01

    Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a global crop in terms of economic importance and nutritional quality. The aim of this study was to explore the variability in metabolite and elemental composition of several commercial varieties of melon in various environmental conditions. Volatile and non...

  18. Metabolomic and elemental profiling of melon fruit quality as affected by genotype and environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bernillon, S.; Biais, B.; Deborde, C.; Maucort, M.; Cabasson, C.; Gibon, Y.; Hansen, T.; Husted, S.; Vos, de R.C.H.; Mumm, R.; Jonker, H.; Ward, J.L.; Miller, S.J.; Baker, J.M.; Burger, J.; Tadmor, Y.; Beale, M.H.; Schjoerring, J.K.; Schaffer, A.; Rolin, D.; Hall, R.D.; Moing, A.

    2013-01-01

    Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a global crop in terms of economic importance and nutritional quality. The aim of this study was to explore the variability in metabolite and elemental composition of several commercial varieties of melon in various environmental conditions. Volatile and non-volatile

  19. CmMDb: a versatile database for Cucumis melo microsatellite markers and other horticulture crop research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhawna; Chaduvula, Pavan K; Bonthala, Venkata S; Manjusha, Verma; Siddiq, Ebrahimali A; Polumetla, Ananda K; Prasad, Gajula M N V

    2015-01-01

    Cucumis melo L. that belongs to Cucurbitaceae family ranks among one of the highest valued horticulture crops being cultivated across the globe. Besides its economical and medicinal importance, Cucumis melo L. is a valuable resource and model system for the evolutionary studies of cucurbit family. However, very limited numbers of molecular markers were reported for Cucumis melo L. so far that limits the pace of functional genomic research in melon and other similar horticulture crops. We developed the first whole genome based microsatellite DNA marker database of Cucumis melo L. and comprehensive web resource that aids in variety identification and physical mapping of Cucurbitaceae family. The Cucumis melo L. microsatellite database (CmMDb: http://65.181.125.102/cmmdb2/index.html) encompasses 39,072 SSR markers along with its motif repeat, motif length, motif sequence, marker ID, motif type and chromosomal locations. The database is featured with novel automated primer designing facility to meet the needs of wet lab researchers. CmMDb is a freely available web resource that facilitates the researchers to select the most appropriate markers for marker-assisted selection in melons and to improve breeding strategies.

  20. Determination of changes in tastes of İpsala and Kırkağaç melons against Melon fly [Myiopardalis pardalina (Bigot, 1891

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    Aydemir BARIŞ

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Melon fly [Myiopardalis pardalina (Bigot, 1891 (Diptera: Tephritidae] is the most important pest of the melons (Cucumis melo L. (Cucurbitaceae: Cucurbitales. The larvae cause to damage by feeding in seed cavity. Also, the tissues damaged by larvae turn brown and occurring scent spread in melon. This study aims to determine change in the taste of melon tissues damaged by larvae for the first time in Turkey. For this purpose, Kırkağaç and İpsala variety melons widely utilized in the province Ankara were selected in this study. Fruit taste (points, water-soluble dry matter, titratable acidity (TA and pH measurements were included in analysis of melon. Statistical differences were determined in Kırkağaç melon with melon fly with respect to control in terms of all of the features discussed in the fruit analysis. A statistically significant difference was observed compared to the control in the other measurements excluding the only titratable acidity in İpsala melon with melon fly.

  1. 7 CFR 319.56-26 - Melon and watermelon from certain countries in South America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Melon and watermelon from certain countries in South... and Vegetables § 319.56-26 Melon and watermelon from certain countries in South America. (a) Cantaloupe and watermelon from Ecuador. Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) and watermelon (fruit) (Citrullus lanatus...

  2. A conserved ethylene biosynthesis enzyme leads to andromonoecy in two cucumis species.

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    Adnane Boualem

    Full Text Available Andromonoecy is a widespread sexual system in angiosperms, characterized by plants carrying both male and bisexual flowers. Monoecy is characterized by the presence of both male and female flowers on the same plant. In cucumber, these sexual forms are controlled by the identity of the alleles at the M locus. In melon, we recently showed that the transition from monoecy to andromonoecy result from a mutation in 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS gene, CmACS-7. To isolate the andromonoecy gene in cucumber we used a candidate gene approach in combination with genetical and biochemical analysis. We demonstrated co-segregation of CsACS2, a close homolog of CmACS-7, with the M locus. Sequence analysis of CsACS2 in cucumber accessions identified four CsACS2 isoforms, three in andromonoecious and one in monoecious lines. To determine whether the andromonoecious phenotype is due to a loss of ACS enzymatic activity, we expressed the four isoforms in Escherichia coli and assayed their activity in vitro. Like in melon, the isoforms from the andromonoecious lines showed reduced to no enzymatic activity and the isoform from the monoecious line was active. Consistent with this, the mutations leading andromonoecy were clustered in the active site of the enzyme. Based on this, we concluded that active CsACS2 enzyme leads to the development of female flowers in monoecious lines, whereas a reduction of enzymatic activity yields hermaphrodite flowers. Consistent with this, CsACS2, like CmACS-7 in melon, is expressed specifically in carpel primordia of buds determined to develop carpels. Following ACS expression, inter-organ communication is likely responsible for the inhibition of stamina development. In both melon and cucumber, flower unisexuality seems to be the ancestral situation, as the majority of Cucumis species are monoecious. Thus, the ancestor gene of CmACS-7/CsACS2 likely have controlled the stamen development before speciation of

  3. 7 CFR 319.56-36 - Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from... QUARANTINE NOTICES Fruits and Vegetables § 319.56-36 Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), squash (Cucurbita maxima), cucumber (Cucumis...

  4. Qualidade de melão rendilhado (Cucumis melo L. em função do sistema de cultivo Quality of net melon (Cucumis melo L. in function of the culture system

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    Pablo Forlan Vargas

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar a qualidade de frutos de cinco cultivares de melão rendilhado (Cucumis melo L., cultivados em casa de vegetação, em função do sistema de produção. O experimento foi instalado em casa de vegetação na UNESP-FCAV, Jaboticabal-SP, no período de novembro de 2005 à fevereiro de 2006. O experimento foi delineado em esquema fatorial 5 X 2, em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos resultaram da combinação de cinco híbridos de melão rendilhado: Maxim, Bônus 2, Shinju 200, Fantasy e Louis e dois sistemas de cultivo: no solo e em substrato de fibra da casca de coco. As características avaliadas foram: massa fresca do fruto, espessura de mesocarpo, intensidade de rendilhamento da casca, pH, sólidos solúveis totais, acidez titulável, índice de maturação (RATIO, e vitamina C. Não houve interação significativa entre os sistemas de cultivo e cultivares para nenhuma das características avaliadas. O cultivo de melão em substrato resultou em frutos com qualidade superior ao cultivo em solo. Os híbridos Louis e Fantasy foram os que apresentaram melhor desempenho qualitativo de frutos.The aim of this study was to evaluate the fruit quality of five net melon (Cucumis melo L. cultivars, grown in a greenhouse, in function of production system. The study was carried out in a greenhouse at UNESP-FCAV, Jaboticabal-SP, Brazil, during the period of November, 2005 to February, 2006. The study was carried out using a 5 x 2 factorial scheme, in randomized complete block design with four repetitions. The treatments resulted the combination of five net melon hybrids: Maxim, Bônus 2, Shinju 200, Fantasy and Louis and two cultivations systems: in soil and in coconut fiber substrate. The characters evaluated were: fresh weight of fruit, mesocarp thickness, fruit shape index, pH, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, maturation index (RATIO; and vitamin C. No interactions were observed

  5. A consensus linkage map for molecular markers and Quantitative Trait Loci associated with economically important traits in melon (Cucumis melo L.)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background A number of molecular marker linkage maps have been developed for melon (Cucumis melo L.) over the last two decades. However, these maps were constructed using different marker sets, thus, making comparative analysis among maps difficult. In order to solve this problem, a consensus genetic map in melon was constructed using primarily highly transferable anchor markers that have broad potential use for mapping, synteny, and comparative quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, increasing breeding effectiveness and efficiency via marker-assisted selection (MAS). Results Under the framework of the International Cucurbit Genomics Initiative (ICuGI, http://www.icugi.org), an integrated genetic map has been constructed by merging data from eight independent mapping experiments using a genetically diverse array of parental lines. The consensus map spans 1150 cM across the 12 melon linkage groups and is composed of 1592 markers (640 SSRs, 330 SNPs, 252 AFLPs, 239 RFLPs, 89 RAPDs, 15 IMAs, 16 indels and 11 morphological traits) with a mean marker density of 0.72 cM/marker. One hundred and ninety-six of these markers (157 SSRs, 32 SNPs, 6 indels and 1 RAPD) were newly developed, mapped or provided by industry representatives as released markers, including 27 SNPs and 5 indels from genes involved in the organic acid metabolism and transport, and 58 EST-SSRs. Additionally, 85 of 822 SSR markers contributed by Syngenta Seeds were included in the integrated map. In addition, 370 QTL controlling 62 traits from 18 previously reported mapping experiments using genetically diverse parental genotypes were also integrated into the consensus map. Some QTL associated with economically important traits detected in separate studies mapped to similar genomic positions. For example, independently identified QTL controlling fruit shape were mapped on similar genomic positions, suggesting that such QTL are possibly responsible for the phenotypic variability observed for this trait in

  6. A consensus linkage map for molecular markers and Quantitative Trait Loci associated with economically important traits in melon (Cucumis melo L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schaffer Arthur

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A number of molecular marker linkage maps have been developed for melon (Cucumis melo L. over the last two decades. However, these maps were constructed using different marker sets, thus, making comparative analysis among maps difficult. In order to solve this problem, a consensus genetic map in melon was constructed using primarily highly transferable anchor markers that have broad potential use for mapping, synteny, and comparative quantitative trait loci (QTL analysis, increasing breeding effectiveness and efficiency via marker-assisted selection (MAS. Results Under the framework of the International Cucurbit Genomics Initiative (ICuGI, http://www.icugi.org, an integrated genetic map has been constructed by merging data from eight independent mapping experiments using a genetically diverse array of parental lines. The consensus map spans 1150 cM across the 12 melon linkage groups and is composed of 1592 markers (640 SSRs, 330 SNPs, 252 AFLPs, 239 RFLPs, 89 RAPDs, 15 IMAs, 16 indels and 11 morphological traits with a mean marker density of 0.72 cM/marker. One hundred and ninety-six of these markers (157 SSRs, 32 SNPs, 6 indels and 1 RAPD were newly developed, mapped or provided by industry representatives as released markers, including 27 SNPs and 5 indels from genes involved in the organic acid metabolism and transport, and 58 EST-SSRs. Additionally, 85 of 822 SSR markers contributed by Syngenta Seeds were included in the integrated map. In addition, 370 QTL controlling 62 traits from 18 previously reported mapping experiments using genetically diverse parental genotypes were also integrated into the consensus map. Some QTL associated with economically important traits detected in separate studies mapped to similar genomic positions. For example, independently identified QTL controlling fruit shape were mapped on similar genomic positions, suggesting that such QTL are possibly responsible for the phenotypic variability

  7. Controlling fusarium wilt disease in melon(cucumis melo L.) using tilllered onion bulb extract

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yushu, Z.; Guo, Q.; Xuezheng, W.; Yanan, Z.; Yuting, Li.

    2017-01-01

    Melon wilt disease is a soil-borne disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum. This disease incur of the heavy economic loss in melon crops. To decrease damage to melons, many control methods have been developed. However, many of the current control methods have limitations and disadvantages. For example, fungicides may cause health concerns for both humans and the environment due to high toxin content and the presence of residues. Therefore, biological control methods that reduce or eliminate the risk of environmental contamination and threats to human health are urgently needed to solve these issues and to protect melon crops from wilt disease.In this research, we assessed the efficacy of tillered onion bulb extract (TOE) for biocontrol of melon wilt disease in melon. Different concentrations of the TOE have been shown to have inhibitory effects on Fusariumspore germination and growth, pathogenic bacterial biomass, and fungal sporulation, with increased inhibitory effects at higher TOE concentrations. In melon wilt disease, concentrations of TOE greater than 250 mg/mL produced the highest protective effects in both susceptible and resistant melon cultivars. The disease index in resistant varieties was 18%, and the disease control effect was 63.51%, while the disease index in susceptible varieties was 21.41%, and the disease control effect reached 65.96%. These values indicate stronger control effects than those achieved using 40% Ning WP melon blight. High concentrations (over 500 mg/mL) of TOE had strong inhibitory effects on melon seed germination and the activity of protective enzymes in melon cultivars. (author)

  8. Protection of melon plants against Cucumber mosaic virus infection ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study was carried out to characterize a virus causing severe mosaic, yellowing, stunting and leaf deformation on melon (Cucumis melo L.), and evaluate the capacity of Pseudomonas fluorescens as biofertilizer to improve plant growth and restrict the accumulation of the virus in the plant. The virus was identified as an ...

  9. Construction of a genome-anchored, high-density genetic map for melon (Cucumis melo L.) and identification of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis race 1 resistance QTL.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branham, Sandra E; Levi, Amnon; Katawczik, Melanie; Fei, Zhangjun; Wechter, W Patrick

    2018-04-01

    Four QTLs and an epistatic interaction were associated with disease severity in response to inoculation with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis race 1 in a recombinant inbred line population of melon. The USDA Cucumis melo inbred line, MR-1, harbors a wealth of alleles associated with resistance to several major diseases of melon, including powdery mildew, downy mildew, Alternaria leaf blight, and Fusarium wilt. MR-1 was crossed to an Israeli cultivar, Ananas Yok'neam, which is susceptible to all of these diseases, to generate a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 172 lines. In this study, the RIL population was genotyped to construct an ultra-dense genetic linkage map with 5663 binned SNPs anchored to the C. melo genome and exhibits the overall high quality of the assembly. The utility of the densely genotyped population was demonstrated through QTL mapping of a well-studied trait, resistance to Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (Fom) race 1. A major QTL co-located with the previously validated resistance gene Fom-2. In addition, three minor QTLs and an epistatic interaction contributing to Fom race 1 resistance were identified. The MR-1 × AY RIL population provides a valuable resource for future QTL mapping studies and marker-assisted selection of disease resistance in melon.

  10. Induction of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase and phenylpropanoids in virus-infected cucumber and melon plants.

    OpenAIRE

    Belles Albert, José Mª; López-Gresa, María Pilar; Fayos, J.; Pallás Benet, Vicente; Rodrigo Bravo, Ismael; Conejero Tomás, Vicente

    2008-01-01

    [EN] In the present work, we have looked for the nature of the phenylpropanoids biosynthesized during the plant-pathogen reaction of two systems, Cucumis sativus and Cucumis melo infected with either prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) or melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV), respectively. An accumulation of p-coumaric, caffeic and/or ferulic acids was observed in infected plant extracts hydrolysed with P-glucosidase or esterase. Analysis of undigested samples by HPLC/ESI revealed that these c...

  11. Effect of CRC::etr1-1 transgene expression on ethylene production, sex expression, fruit set and fruit ripening in transgenic melon (Cucumis melo L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Switzenberg, Jessica A; Beaudry, Randy M; Grumet, Rebecca

    2015-06-01

    Ethylene is a key factor regulating sex expression in cucurbits. Commercial melons (Cucumis melo L.) are typically andromonoecious, producing male and bisexual flowers. Our prior greenhouse studies of transgenic melon plants expressing the dominant negative ethylene perception mutant gene, etr1-1, under control of the carpel- and nectary-primordia targeted CRAB'S CLAW (CRC) promoter showed increased number and earlier appearance of carpel-bearing flowers. To further investigate this phenomenon which could be potentially useful for earlier fruit production, we observed CRC::etr1-1 plants in the field for sex expression, fruit set, fruit development, and ripening. CRC::etr1-1 melon plants showed increased number of carpel-bearing open flowers on the main stem and earlier onset by 7-10 nodes. Additional phenotypes observed in the greenhouse and field were conversion of approximately 50% of bisexual buds to female, and elongated ovaries and fruits. Earlier and greater fruit set occurred on the transgenic plants. However, CRC::etr1-1 plants had greater abscission of young fruit, and smaller fruit, so that final yield (kg/plot) was equivalent to wild type. Earlier fruit set in line M5 was accompanied by earlier appearance of ripe fruit. Fruit from line M15 frequently did not exhibit external ripening processes of rind color change and abscission, but when cut open, the majority showed a ripe or overripe interior accompanied by elevated internal ethylene. The non-ripening external phenotype in M15 fruit corresponded with elevated etr1-1 transgene expression in the exocarp. These results provide insight into the role of ethylene perception in carpel-bearing flower production, fruit set, and ripening.

  12. DNA fingerprinting of Chinese melon provides evidentiary support of seed quality appraisal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Peng; Ma, Hongyan; Luan, Feishi; Song, Haibin

    2012-01-01

    Melon, Cucumis melo L. is an important vegetable crop worldwide. At present, there are phenomena of homonyms and synonyms present in the melon seed markets of China, which could cause variety authenticity issues influencing the process of melon breeding, production, marketing and other aspects. Molecular markers, especially microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are playing increasingly important roles for cultivar identification. The aim of this study was to construct a DNA fingerprinting database of major melon cultivars, which could provide a possibility for the establishment of a technical standard system for purity and authenticity identification of melon seeds. In this study, to develop the core set SSR markers, 470 polymorphic SSRs were selected as the candidate markers from 1219 SSRs using 20 representative melon varieties (lines). Eighteen SSR markers, evenly distributed across the genome and with the highest contents of polymorphism information (PIC) were identified as the core marker set for melon DNA fingerprinting analysis. Fingerprint codes for 471 melon varieties (lines) were established. There were 51 materials which were classified into17 groups based on sharing the same fingerprint code, while field traits survey results showed that these plants in the same group were synonyms because of the same or similar field characters. Furthermore, DNA fingerprinting quick response (QR) codes of 471 melon varieties (lines) were constructed. Due to its fast readability and large storage capacity, QR coding melon DNA fingerprinting is in favor of read convenience and commercial applications.

  13. DNA Fingerprinting of Chinese Melon Provides Evidentiary Support of Seed Quality Appraisal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Peng; Ma, Hongyan; Luan, Feishi; Song, Haibin

    2012-01-01

    Melon, Cucumis melo L. is an important vegetable crop worldwide. At present, there are phenomena of homonyms and synonyms present in the melon seed markets of China, which could cause variety authenticity issues influencing the process of melon breeding, production, marketing and other aspects. Molecular markers, especially microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are playing increasingly important roles for cultivar identification. The aim of this study was to construct a DNA fingerprinting database of major melon cultivars, which could provide a possibility for the establishment of a technical standard system for purity and authenticity identification of melon seeds. In this study, to develop the core set SSR markers, 470 polymorphic SSRs were selected as the candidate markers from 1219 SSRs using 20 representative melon varieties (lines). Eighteen SSR markers, evenly distributed across the genome and with the highest contents of polymorphism information (PIC) were identified as the core marker set for melon DNA fingerprinting analysis. Fingerprint codes for 471 melon varieties (lines) were established. There were 51 materials which were classified into17 groups based on sharing the same fingerprint code, while field traits survey results showed that these plants in the same group were synonyms because of the same or similar field characters. Furthermore, DNA fingerprinting quick response (QR) codes of 471 melon varieties (lines) were constructed. Due to its fast readability and large storage capacity, QR coding melon DNA fingerprinting is in favor of read convenience and commercial applications. PMID:23285039

  14. DNA fingerprinting of Chinese melon provides evidentiary support of seed quality appraisal.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng Gao

    Full Text Available Melon, Cucumis melo L. is an important vegetable crop worldwide. At present, there are phenomena of homonyms and synonyms present in the melon seed markets of China, which could cause variety authenticity issues influencing the process of melon breeding, production, marketing and other aspects. Molecular markers, especially microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs are playing increasingly important roles for cultivar identification. The aim of this study was to construct a DNA fingerprinting database of major melon cultivars, which could provide a possibility for the establishment of a technical standard system for purity and authenticity identification of melon seeds. In this study, to develop the core set SSR markers, 470 polymorphic SSRs were selected as the candidate markers from 1219 SSRs using 20 representative melon varieties (lines. Eighteen SSR markers, evenly distributed across the genome and with the highest contents of polymorphism information (PIC were identified as the core marker set for melon DNA fingerprinting analysis. Fingerprint codes for 471 melon varieties (lines were established. There were 51 materials which were classified into17 groups based on sharing the same fingerprint code, while field traits survey results showed that these plants in the same group were synonyms because of the same or similar field characters. Furthermore, DNA fingerprinting quick response (QR codes of 471 melon varieties (lines were constructed. Due to its fast readability and large storage capacity, QR coding melon DNA fingerprinting is in favor of read convenience and commercial applications.

  15. Penetration, Post-penetration Development, and Reproduction of Meloidogyne incognita on Cucumis melo var. texanus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faske, T R

    2013-03-01

    Cucumis melo var. texanus, a wild melon commonly found in the southern United States and two accessions, Burleson Co. and MX 1230, expressed resistance to Meloidogyne incognita in preliminary experiments. To characterize the mechanism of resistance, we evaluated root penetration, post-penetration development, reproduction, and emigration of M. incognita on these two accessions of C. melo var. texanus. Additionally, we evaluated 22 accessions of C. melo var. texanus for their reaction against M. incognita in a greenhouse experiment. Fewer (P ≤ 0.05) J2 penetrated the root system of C. melo var. texanus accessions (Burleson Co. and MX 1230) and C. metuliferus (PI 482452) (resistant control), 7 days after inoculation (DAI) than in C. melo 'Hales Best Jumbo' (susceptible control). A delayed (P ≤ 0.05) rate of nematode development was observed at 7, 14, and 21 DAI that contributed to lower (P ≤ 0.05) egg production on both accessions and C. metuliferus compared with C. melo. Though J2 emigration was observed on all Cucumis genotypes a higher (P ≤ 0.05) rate of J2 emigration was observed from 3 to 6 DAI on accession Burleson Co. and C. metuliferus than on C. melo. The 22 accessions of C. melo var. texanus varied relative to their reaction to M. incognita with eight supporting similar levels of nematode reproduction to that of C. metuliferus. Cucumis melo var. texanus may be a useful source of resistance against root-knot nematode in melon.

  16. Potencialidades fitoquímicas do melão (Cucumis melo L. na região Noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul - Brasil Phytochemical potentialities of melon (Cucumis melo L. in the northwest region of Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.G. Muller

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available O melão (Cucumis melo L. é uma fruta muito apreciada por suas qualidades e sua produção vem crescendo e ganhando espaço no mercado nacional e internacional. Em regiões como o Noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul, destaca-se como uma nova alternativa de renda para vários agricultores. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar o potencial fitoquímico de alguns cultivares de melão da região Noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul. A análise fitoquímica utilizando como farmacógeno as folhas, foi realizada para a verificação da presença de metabólitos secundários, tais como: saponinas, cumarinas, cardiotônicos, cianogenéticos, alcalóides, taninos, antraquinonas, flavonoides, e óleos voláteis. Também foi avaliado o teor de suco a partir dos frutos. Dentre os cinco cultivares analisados, Gaúcho, Imperial, Hy Mark, Magelan, e Cantaloupe, o cultivar Gaucho apresentou a maior variedade em metabólitos secundários. Na avaliação do teor de suco a cultivar Magelan se destacou em comparação às demais cultivares testadas.The melon (Cucumis melo L. is a fruit highly appreciated for its qualities and its production has been growing and gaining space in the national and in the international market. In regions like the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil, it stands out as a new income alternative for farmers. In this context, this study aimed to analyze the phytochemical potential of some melon cultivars in the northwest region of Rio Grande do Sul. The phytochemical analysis, using the leaves as pharmacogen, was performed to verify the presence of secondary metabolites such as saponins, coumarins, cardiac glycosides, cyanogenetic glicosides, alkaloids, tannins, anthraquinones, flavonoids and volatile oils. The juice content from the fruits was also evaluated. Among the five analyzed cultivars, Gaucho, Imperial, Hy Mark, Magelan and Cantaloupe, cultivar Gaucho had the greatest variety of secondary metabolites. In the

  17. BOTANICAL IDENTIFICATION AND GENETIC DIVERSITY IN MELONS FROM FAMILY FARMING IN THE STATE OF MARANHÃO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SIMONE DE SOUZA MACÊDO

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work was to perform botanical identification and to estimate genetic diversity in two sequential inbred generations (progenies S1 and S2 of melon accessions from traditional agriculture in the state of Maranhão, in order to generate useful information for commercial melon breeding. Two field experiments were carried out in a completely randomized block, using four replicates of 15 accessions from a first selfing cycle in 2013, and three replicates of 25 subaccessions (generation S2 in 2014. Flower and fruit descriptors were measured to obtain quantitative and qualitative data, in addition to a systematized photographic documentation of fruit for visually comparing the progenies S1 and S2. Distance matrices for quantitative and qualitative data were obtained and used to perform a joint analysis and UPGMA method. Large genetic diversity was found in the accessions analysed, since the presence of melon progenies was observed in the Cucumis melo ssp. agrestis, with its botanical varieties momordica and conomom, and of the Cucumis melo ssp. melo, with the botanical varieties cantalupensis and chandalak. Divergence analysis showed the formation of three groups in generation S1 and four groups in S2. However, the groups were not separated either by subspecies or by botanical variety. Thus, in addition to the large genetic diversity among and within melon accessions from family farming in the state of Maranhão, the progenies presented a large introgression of traits of the different subspecies and their botanical varieties due to the reproductive system and seed management of these species.

  18. Molecular characterization and expression studies during melon fruit development and ripening of L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pateraki, Irene; Sanmartin, Maite; Kalamaki, Mary S.

    2004-01-01

    of a GalLDH full-length cDNA from melon (Cucumis melo L.) are described. Melon genomic DNA Southern analysis indicated that CmGalLDH was encoded by a single gene. CmGalLDH mRNA accumulation was detected in all tissues studied, but differentially expressed during fruit development and seed germination....... It is hypothesized that induction of CmGalLDH gene expression in ripening melon fruit contributes to parallel increases in the AA content and so playing a role in the oxidative ripening process. Higher CmGalLDH message abundance in light-grown seedlings compared with those raised in the dark suggests that Cm......GalLDH expression is regulated by light. Finally, various stresses and growth regulators resulted in no significant change in steady state levels of CmGalLDH mRNA in 20-d-old melon seedlings. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of GalLDH transcript induction in seed germination and differential gene...

  19. Steel Pickling in Challenging Conditions

    OpenAIRE

    Maanonen, Mika

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis was to collect data on the pickling procedure and parameters especially in conditions where there are limited amount of power for heating, limited water treatment possibilities and equipment to maintain pickling processes. Information about steel pickling, alternative methods and processes before and after pickling was acquired. Data on most common chemicals for pickling were acquired and compared. Cleaning efficiency, ease of use, safety, price and availability...

  20. Allelopathy by extracts of Caatinga species on melon seeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreya Kalyana de Oliveira

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The melon crop is of great socioeconomic importance in Brazil and some species from the Caatinga biome show allelopathic effects on other species. The aim of this study was to assess leaf and seed extracts of cumaru (Amburana cearensis (Allemao A.C. Sm., the jujube tree (Zizyphus joazeiro Mart., Jucá (Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. Ex. Tul. Var. Ferrea and mulungu (Erythrina velutina Willd. on the emergence of melon seeds (Cucumis melo L.. Leaves and seeds were used to produce extracts for each species at concentrations of a 1%, b 0.5% c 0.25%, d 0.125% and e 0% (control. The experiment was conducted with each extract type and its respective concentrations in a completely randomized design, with four replicates, each of 20 seeds. The percentage emergence and rate index, percentage of abnormal seedlings, seedling dry matter and seedling shoot and root length were assessed. Seed extracts of A. cearensis prevented melon germination, whereas the other extracts had no effect on this variable. Leaf extracts of A. cearensis and leaf and seed extracts of Z. joazeiro, C. ferrea and E. velutina resulted in abnormal melon seedlings. The percentage of abnormal melon seedlings exceeded 30% when treated with C. ferrea seed extract at the highest concentration. Most extracts did not affect seedling dry matter, but E. velutina leaf and seed extract increased the dry matter accumulation of melon seedlings and Z. joazeiro seed extract decreased dry matter accumulation at a concentration of 0.25%. The highest concentrations of mulungu and jucá leaf extracts promoted the shoot growth of melon seedlings. The extract from E. velutina seeds negatively affected root length compared to the control, similar to the effect of C. ferrea and E. velutina leaf extracts at the highest concentrations. Extracts of different organs of Caatinga plants can affect the emergence and characteristics related to seedling growth, depending on the concentration. Most extracts did not affect

  1. Characteristics and composition of cucumis melo seed oil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mushtaq, S.; Batool, F.; Akhtar, T.; Tariq, M.I.

    2011-01-01

    A comprehensive characterization study was carried out on Cucumis melo seed oil, in order to evaluate its suitability as an edible vegetable oil. The oil was extracted by sohxlet apparatus using n-hexane as solvent that produced a yield of 47.33% (w/w). The oil was found to have light yellow colour and an agreeable odour, showing density up to 0.728 g/cm/sup 3/. The values of refractive index, iodine number and saponification number came out to be 1.466 (at 25 deg. C), 135.6 g/100 g and 301.6 mg KOH/100 g, respectively. GC-analysis gave total unsaturation content of 64.9% with linolenic acid (C18:3) being the predominant showing a proportion of 43.4%, followed by heptadecanoic acid (C17:0) with 23.1% and palmitic acid (C16:0) with 8.7%. The physicochemical properties of this oil are highly comparable to those of soybean and sunflower oils. Therefore, the test melon seed-oil could be developed into different commercial products to serve as an alternate vegetable oil in region like Pakistan, where this melon grows abundantly. (author)

  2. Sensory and quality analysis of different melon cultivars after prolonged storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoberg, Edelgard; Ulrich, Detlef; Schulz, Hartwig; Tuvia-Alkali, Sharon; Fallik, Elazar

    2003-10-01

    The purpose of this work was to evaluate the sensory and general quality of four different melon cultivars (Cucumis melo L.) immediately after harvest and at the end of storage and marketing simulation. After 16 days of storage at 5 degrees C and additional 3 days at 20 degrees C, only cultivar 'C-8' had a poor general appearance due to significant low firmness and relatively high decay incidence compared to the cultivars '5080', 'Ideal' and '7302'. The cultivar '7302' was found to have the higher overall quality. The human-sensory and organoleptic analyses revealed that the cultivars can be differentiated on the basis of retronasal odour. The texture of the melons seems to be dependent on the genotype. All the complex perceptions analysed in this work contribute to the acceptability, which is in the fresh fruits of '7302' the best and in 'Ideal' the worst. After storage and marketing simulation 'Ideal' and 'C-8' are no longer favoured, but '5080' and '7302', despite different characters, were found to be similarly accepted. It can be concluded that with the aid of the human-sensory method developed to characterize the melon varieties it is possible to distinguish the different genotypes.

  3. High-quality total RNA isolation from melon (Cucumis melo L. fruits rich in polysaccharides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabrielle Silveira de Campos

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Melon, a member of the family Cucurbitaceae, is the fourth most important fruit in the world market and, on a volume basis, is Brazil’s main fresh fruit export. Many molecular techniques used to understand the maturation of these fruits require high concentrations of highly purified RNA. However, melons are rich in polyphenolic compounds and polysaccharides, which interfere with RNA extraction. This study aimed to determine the most appropriate method for total RNA extraction from melon fruits. Six extraction buffers were tested: T1 guanidine thiocyanate/phenol/chloroform; T2 sodium azide/?-mercaptoethanol; T3 phenol/guanidine thiocyanate; T4 CTAB/PVP/?-mercaptoethanol; T5 SDS/sodium perchlorate/PVP/?-mercaptoethanol, and T6 sarkosyl/PVP/guanidine thiocyanate, using the AxyPrepTM Multisource Total RNA Miniprep Kit. The best method for extracting RNA from both mature and green fruit was based on the SDS/PVP/?-mercaptoethanol buffer, because it rapidly generated a high quality and quantity of material. In general, higher amounts of RNA were obtained from green than mature fruits, probably due to the lower concentration of polysaccharides and water. The purified material can be used as a template in molecular techniques, such as microarrays, RT-PCR, and in the construction of cDNA and RNA-seq data.

  4. Powdery Mildew Control and Yield Response of Inodorus Melon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ippolito Camele

    Full Text Available The research was carried out on melon (Cucumis melo L. var. inodorus Naud. in 2006 and 2007 at “Pantanello” Experimental Farm (40° 24’N; 16° 48’E; 10 m a.s.l.; Metaponto, southern Italy to evaluate the efficacy of a low environmental impact control strategy against powdery mildew of cucurbits. Winter melon was treated with a new anti-oidium formulation, called Stifénia, obtained from fenugreek seeds and stimulating the plant self-defence. The adopted experimental design included two control strategies (1. biological, using Stifénia and 2. conventional, using penconazole, myclobutanil and sulphur and an untreated control (treated with water alone applied to two cultivars of inodorus melon (cv ‘Amarillo’ and HF1 ‘Cocorito’, the latter a genotype resistant to powdery mildew. Stifénia applications were not effective against the disease; in fact, there were no differences in percentage of attacked plant surface between treated plots and untreated ones. The melon marketable yield was significantly higher with the conventional strategy respect to Stifénia and control. Repeated applications of Stifénia resulted in a significant decrease of marketable yield even in comparison with the untreated control. The cultivars significantly affected powdery mildew development, since the resistant one (‘Cocorito’ was attacked later and damaged always lower than the non-resistant genotype (‘Amarillo’. Laboratory analyses carried out on infected leaves always confirmed that Golovinomyces cichoracearum D.C. was responsible of the disease.

  5. Sodium and chloride exclusion and retention by non-grafted and grafted melon and Cucurbita plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edelstein, M.; Plaut, Z.; Ben-Hur, M.

    2011-01-01

    The effects of grafting on Na and Cl– uptake and distribution in plant tissues were quantified in a greenhouse experiment using six combinations of melon (Cucumis melo L. cv. Arava) and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne×Cucurbita moschata Duchesne cv. TZ-148): non-grafted, self-grafted, melons grafted on pumpkins, and pumpkins grafted on melons. Total Na concentration in shoots of plants with pumpkin or melon rootstocks was 400 mmol kg−1, respectively, regardless of the scion. In contrast, shoot Cl– concentrations were quite similar among the different scion–rootstock combinations. Na concentrations in exudates from cut stems of plants with a pumpkin rootstock were very low (<0.18 mM), whereas those in the exudates of plants with melon rootstocks ranged from 4.7 mM to 6.2 mM, and were quite similar to the Na concentration in the irrigation water. Root Na concentrations averaged 11.7 times those in the shoots of plants with pumpkin rootstocks, while in plants with melon rootstocks, values were similar. Two mechanisms could explain the decrease in shoot Na concentrations in plants with pumpkin rootstocks: (i) Na exclusion by the pumpkin roots; and (ii) Na retention and accumulation within the pumpkin rootstock. Quantitative analysis indicated that the pumpkin roots excluded ∼74% of available Na, while there was nearly no Na exclusion by melon roots. Na retention by the pumpkin rootstocks decreased its amount in the shoot by an average 46.9% compared with uniform Na distribution throughout the plant. In contrast, no retention of Na could be found in plants grafted on melons. PMID:20729482

  6. Sodium and chloride exclusion and retention by non-grafted and grafted melon and Cucurbita plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edelstein, M; Plaut, Z; Ben-Hur, M

    2011-01-01

    The effects of grafting on Na and Cl(-) uptake and distribution in plant tissues were quantified in a greenhouse experiment using six combinations of melon (Cucumis melo L. cv. Arava) and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne×Cucurbita moschata Duchesne cv. TZ-148): non-grafted, self-grafted, melons grafted on pumpkins, and pumpkins grafted on melons. Total Na concentration in shoots of plants with pumpkin or melon rootstocks was 400 mmol kg(-1), respectively, regardless of the scion. In contrast, shoot Cl(-) concentrations were quite similar among the different scion-rootstock combinations. Na concentrations in exudates from cut stems of plants with a pumpkin rootstock were very low (<0.18 mM), whereas those in the exudates of plants with melon rootstocks ranged from 4.7 mM to 6.2 mM, and were quite similar to the Na concentration in the irrigation water. Root Na concentrations averaged 11.7 times those in the shoots of plants with pumpkin rootstocks, while in plants with melon rootstocks, values were similar. Two mechanisms could explain the decrease in shoot Na concentrations in plants with pumpkin rootstocks: (i) Na exclusion by the pumpkin roots; and (ii) Na retention and accumulation within the pumpkin rootstock. Quantitative analysis indicated that the pumpkin roots excluded ∼74% of available Na, while there was nearly no Na exclusion by melon roots. Na retention by the pumpkin rootstocks decreased its amount in the shoot by an average 46.9% compared with uniform Na distribution throughout the plant. In contrast, no retention of Na could be found in plants grafted on melons.

  7. Volatile emerging contaminants in melon fruits, analysed by HS-SPME-GC-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cincotta, Fabrizio; Verzera, Antonella; Tripodi, Gianluca; Condurso, Concetta

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this research was to develop and validate a headspace-solid phase micro-extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) method for the determination of volatile emerging contaminants in fruit. The method showed good precision (RSD ≤ 14%) and satisfactory recoveries (99.1-101.7%) and LOD and LOQ values ranging between 0.011-0.033 μg kg -1 and 0.037-0.098 μg kg -1 , respectively. The method was applied to investigate the content of volatile emerging contaminants in two varieties of melon fruit (Cucumis melo L.) cultivated adjoining high-risk areas. Glycol ethers, BHT, BHA and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene) were determined in melon fruit pulps for the first time, with different sensitivities depending on sample and variety. Although the amount of the volatile contaminants in the melon samples were in the order of µg kg -1 , the safety of vegetable crops cultivated near risk areas should be more widely considered. The results showed that this accurate and reproducible method can be useful for routine safety control of fruits and vegetables.

  8. Marker-assisted selection of Fusarium wilt-resistant and gynoecious melon (Cucumis melo L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, P; Liu, S; Zhu, Q L; Luan, F S

    2015-12-08

    In this study, molecular markers were designed based on the sex determination genes ACS7 (A) and WIP1 (G) and the domain in the Fusarium oxysporum-resistant gene Fom-2 (F) in order to achieve selection of F. oxysporum-resistant gynoecious melon plants. Markers of A and F are cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences that distinguish alleles according to restriction analysis. Twenty F1 and 1863 F2 plants derived from the crosses between the gynoecious line WI998 and the Fusarium wilt-resistant line MR-1 were genotyped based on the markers. The results showed that the polymerase chain reaction and enzyme digestion results could be effectively used to identify plants with the AAggFF genotype in F2 populations. In the F2 population, 35 gynoecious wilt-resistant plants were selected by marker-assisted selection and were confirmed by disease infection assays, demonstrating that these markers can be used in breeding to select F. oxysporum-resistant gynoecious melon plants.

  9. Investigation about selecting strong type of melons by using melon paleness factor fusarium oxysporum f.sp.melonis and mutation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kantoglu, Y.; Secer, E.; Kunter, B.; Erzurum, K.; Maden, S.; Yanmaz, R.

    2009-01-01

    Fusarium wilt is a vascular disease of the Cucurbitaceae family, especially in muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), caused by the soil fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (FOM). This pathogen persists in the soil for extended periods of time, and the only effective control is the use of resistant varieties. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis is a very serious disease factor for farmers in Turkey. In this research, we show a method for mass-selection of melon mutants resistant to Fusarium wilt. In vitro selection of resistant cells, which are come from irradiated and non-irradiated explants, is done using culture filtrates of different FOM races. According to our results we determined effective irradiation doses and filtrate treatment dose by Linear Regression Analysis. According to our results 21.75 Gy is effective dose for in vitro Yuva cv. explants to induce mutation and for filtrate treatment 6.73% is the proper dose to select survive calluses and plantlets. We recommended using 10 and 20 Gy gamma ray doses for in vitro melon plantlets to induce mutation by our results. We succeed to regenerate 6% plantlets which were obtained and selected from irradiated plantlets and regenerated in in vitro medias which were include 6.73 % filtrate. Although 16.7% of resistant or tolerant plantlets can continue their viability in greenhouse conditions after disease inoculation treatment, we observed 4 plants had a surviving capability in a limited time. That is very important for breeding cycle and this research can lead to the development of new melon cultivars that will be resistant to Fusarium wilt.

  10. Generation of a BAC-based physical map of the melon genome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Puigdomènech Pere

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cucumis melo (melon belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, whose economic importance among horticulture crops is second only to Solanaceae. Melon has high intra-specific genetic variation, morphologic diversity and a small genome size (450 Mb, which make this species suitable for a great variety of molecular and genetic studies that can lead to the development of tools for breeding varieties of the species. A number of genetic and genomic resources have already been developed, such as several genetic maps and BAC genomic libraries. These tools are essential for the construction of a physical map, a valuable resource for map-based cloning, comparative genomics and assembly of whole genome sequencing data. However, no physical map of any Cucurbitaceae has yet been developed. A project has recently been started to sequence the complete melon genome following a whole-genome shotgun strategy, which makes use of massive sequencing data. A BAC-based melon physical map will be a useful tool to help assemble and refine the draft genome data that is being produced. Results A melon physical map was constructed using a 5.7 × BAC library and a genetic map previously developed in our laboratories. High-information-content fingerprinting (HICF was carried out on 23,040 BAC clones, digesting with five restriction enzymes and SNaPshot labeling, followed by contig assembly with FPC software. The physical map has 1,355 contigs and 441 singletons, with an estimated physical length of 407 Mb (0.9 × coverage of the genome and the longest contig being 3.2 Mb. The anchoring of 845 BAC clones to 178 genetic markers (100 RFLPs, 76 SNPs and 2 SSRs also allowed the genetic positioning of 183 physical map contigs/singletons, representing 55 Mb (12% of the melon genome, to individual chromosomal loci. The melon FPC database is available for download at http://melonomics.upv.es/static/files/public/physical_map/. Conclusions Here we report the construction

  11. Analysis of expressed sequence tags generated from full-length enriched cDNA libraries of melon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bendahmane Abdelhafid

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Melon (Cucumis melo, an economically important vegetable crop, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family which includes several other important crops such as watermelon, cucumber, and pumpkin. It has served as a model system for sex determination and vascular biology studies. However, genomic resources currently available for melon are limited. Result We constructed eleven full-length enriched and four standard cDNA libraries from fruits, flowers, leaves, roots, cotyledons, and calluses of four different melon genotypes, and generated 71,577 and 22,179 ESTs from full-length enriched and standard cDNA libraries, respectively. These ESTs, together with ~35,000 ESTs available in public domains, were assembled into 24,444 unigenes, which were extensively annotated by comparing their sequences to different protein and functional domain databases, assigning them Gene Ontology (GO terms, and mapping them onto metabolic pathways. Comparative analysis of melon unigenes and other plant genomes revealed that 75% to 85% of melon unigenes had homologs in other dicot plants, while approximately 70% had homologs in monocot plants. The analysis also identified 6,972 gene families that were conserved across dicot and monocot plants, and 181, 1,192, and 220 gene families specific to fleshy fruit-bearing plants, the Cucurbitaceae family, and melon, respectively. Digital expression analysis identified a total of 175 tissue-specific genes, which provides a valuable gene sequence resource for future genomics and functional studies. Furthermore, we identified 4,068 simple sequence repeats (SSRs and 3,073 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in the melon EST collection. Finally, we obtained a total of 1,382 melon full-length transcripts through the analysis of full-length enriched cDNA clones that were sequenced from both ends. Analysis of these full-length transcripts indicated that sizes of melon 5' and 3' UTRs were similar to those of tomato, but

  12. Screening of melon genotypes for resistance to vegetable leafminer and your phenotypic correlations with colorimetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Frederico I C DE; Fiege, Leonardo B C; Celin, Elaine F; Innecco, Renato; Nunes, Glauber H S; Aragão, Fernando A S DE

    2017-01-01

    Melon is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world. With short cycle in a system of phased planting, phytosanitary control is compromised, and a great volume of agricultural chemicals is used to control vegetable leafminer. Genetic control is an ideal alternative to avoid the damage caused by this insect. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate Cucumis accessions in regard to resistance to leafminer and correlate the variables analyzed. Fifty-four accessions and four commercial hybrids of melon were tested. The study was divided into two experiments: with and with no choice. The following characteristics were evaluated: with choice, in field - subjective score based on the infestation and the number of mines per leaf; and with no choice, in cage - number of mines per leaf, chlorophyll content, and leaf colorimetry. The results showed variability among the accessions and some genotypes showed favorable results for resistance in both experiments. There was correlation between the two variables in the experiment in the field. The accessions CNPH 11-282, CNPH 06-1047, and CNPH 11-1077 are the most recommended for future breeding programs with aim on introgression of resistance to vegetable leafminer in melon.

  13. Identifikasi berat, diameter, dan tebal daging buah melon (Cucumis melo L. kultivar action 434 tetraploid akibat perlakuan kolkisin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Ulung Anggraito

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Indonesian farmers are very dependence on certificated seed from another countries. In the other side the natural resources andmen powers very abundance. For these reason it is properly developed the research in agriculture sector, especially on plants breeding.It can be hoped that in the future the dependence on certificated seed from another countries can be minimized. The objective of thisresearch were: (1 to find out the concentration and dipping period which is effective to induce polyploid in musk melon plant, (2identify the weight, diameter, dan flesh thickness of tetraploid musk melon as result of colchicines treatment. The sample of this researchwas Action 434 musk melon cultivar, product of Chia-Thai Seed, Thailand. The number of sample was 480 plants, which plants on fieldrandomly. There were four colchicines concentration as an independent variable: 0.0%, 0.05%, 0.10% and 0.2%. The dipping periodwere 12, 16, 20, and 24 hours for each concentration respectively. Completely Random Design was used in three replications. Datameasurement were analyzed with Two Way ANOVA, DMRT, and LSD. From this research can be concluded that: (1 0.2 % colchicinesis the most effective concentration to induce polyploid on musk melon, with dipping period effective varied from 16–24 hours, (2 thereare changes in weight, diameter, and flesh thickness characters, with the increased tendency of each character in definite norm.

  14. Functional method implementation of post-crop conservation of melon cantaloupe, using ionizing radiation as quality control technique in productive chain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siqueira, Alessandra A.Z. Cozzo de; Matraia, Clarice; Walder, Julio Marcos M.; Spoto, Marta H.F.; Silva, Paula P.M. da; Maretti, Marina S.

    2005-01-01

    The Brazilian fruit culture is an alternative to minimize the lack-of-food problem using management and post harvest appropriate techniques. Gamma radiation technology is a possible technique used for food, enlarging its shelf-life, eliminating pathogenic microorganisms and in the quarantine treatment. The irradiation with seven doses (150,300,450,600,750 and 900 Gy) was used in Cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melon var. Cantaloupensis) aiming to establish the minimum, maximum and ideal doses, according to Brazilian laws, analyzing weight, color, firmness, pulp and juice quantity and sensory aspects, using the Difference Control Test. The results indicate that storage influenced significantly the weight, color and pulp quantity parameters. Doses higher than 450 Gy however influenced the firmness, juice quantity and sensory aspects characteristics. These results are indicating that the minimum dose was 150 Gy, the maximum dose was 900 Gy and the ideal dose for the quarantine treatment and to increase shelf-life of the Cantaloupe melon was 450 Gy. The data obtained allowed us to conclude that the ionizing radiation can increase the shelf-life of the Cantaloupe melon using doses up to 450 Gy making it proper to exportation. (author)

  15. Biological effects and application of proton beam (H+) implantation on melon seeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Xun; Ren Ruixing; Meng Hui; Shi Jinguo; Tang Zhangxiong; Tao Xianping

    2006-01-01

    Various doses and energy of the proton beam (H + ) were used to treat dry seeds of melon (Cucumis melo L.). Results show that, the proton beam irradiation can induced structural variations of chromosomes and abnormal behaviors during mitosis and meiosis. The percentage of cells with chromosomal aberration increased with the increment of energy and dose of the proton. The micronuclei, chromosomal bridge and chromosomal fragments were included in chromosomal aberration. The proton beam was effective in inducing mutants of early maturity. A early maturity line T 63-1-17-8-1-3 was selected from the progenies of the seeds treated with the proton beam. (authors)

  16. Endogenous microbial contamination of melons (Cucumis melo) from international trade: an underestimated risk for the consumer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esteban-Cuesta, Irene; Drees, Nathalie; Ulrich, Sebastian; Stauch, Peter; Sperner, Brigitte; Schwaiger, Karin; Gareis, Manfred; Gottschalk, Christoph

    2018-03-31

    Fruits and vegetables have increasingly been related to foodborne outbreaks. Besides surface contamination, a possible internalization of microorganisms into edible parts of plants during growth has already been observed. To examine an actual risk for the consumer, microbial contamination of the rind and pulp of 147 muskmelons from international trade was assessed using cultural and biochemical methods, polymerase chain reaction and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. One hundred percent of the rind samples [3.69-8.92 log colony forming units (CFU) g -1 ] and 89.8% of the pulp samples (maximum load 3.66 log CFU g -1 ) were microbiologically contaminated. Among the 432 pulp isolates, opportunistic and potentially pathogenic bacteria were identified, mainly Staphylococcus spp. (48.9%), Clostridium spp. (42.9%) and Enterobacteriaceae (27.9%). Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and isolates of the Bacillus cereus group were found on the rind (1.4%, 0.7% and 42.9%, respectively) and in the pulp (0.7%, 1.4% and 4.7%). Clostridium perfringens was isolated from the rind of seven melons. The present study revealed a regularly occurring internal contamination of melons. Possible health risks for consumers because of an occurrence of microorganisms in melon pulp should be considered in future food safety assessments. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

  17. Whole Genome Re-Sequencing and Characterization of Powdery Mildew Disease-Associated Allelic Variation in Melon.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sathishkumar Natarajan

    Full Text Available Powdery mildew is one of the most common fungal diseases in the world. This disease frequently affects melon (Cucumis melo L. and other Cucurbitaceous family crops in both open field and greenhouse cultivation. One of the goals of genomics is to identify the polymorphic loci responsible for variation in phenotypic traits. In this study, powdery mildew disease assessment scores were calculated for four melon accessions, 'SCNU1154', 'Edisto47', 'MR-1', and 'PMR5'. To investigate the genetic variation of these accessions, whole genome re-sequencing using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform was performed. A total of 754,759,704 quality-filtered reads were generated, with an average of 82.64% coverage relative to the reference genome. Comparisons of the sequences for the melon accessions revealed around 7.4 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, 1.9 million InDels, and 182,398 putative structural variations (SVs. Functional enrichment analysis of detected variations classified them into biological process, cellular component and molecular function categories. Further, a disease-associated QTL map was constructed for 390 SNPs and 45 InDels identified as related to defense-response genes. Among them 112 SNPs and 12 InDels were observed in powdery mildew responsive chromosomes. Accordingly, this whole genome re-sequencing study identified SNPs and InDels associated with defense genes that will serve as candidate polymorphisms in the search for sources of resistance against powdery mildew disease and could accelerate marker-assisted breeding in melon.

  18. Whole Genome Re-Sequencing and Characterization of Powdery Mildew Disease-Associated Allelic Variation in Melon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Natarajan, Sathishkumar; Kim, Hoy-Taek; Thamilarasan, Senthil Kumar; Veerappan, Karpagam; Park, Jong-In; Nou, Ill-Sup

    2016-01-01

    Powdery mildew is one of the most common fungal diseases in the world. This disease frequently affects melon (Cucumis melo L.) and other Cucurbitaceous family crops in both open field and greenhouse cultivation. One of the goals of genomics is to identify the polymorphic loci responsible for variation in phenotypic traits. In this study, powdery mildew disease assessment scores were calculated for four melon accessions, 'SCNU1154', 'Edisto47', 'MR-1', and 'PMR5'. To investigate the genetic variation of these accessions, whole genome re-sequencing using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform was performed. A total of 754,759,704 quality-filtered reads were generated, with an average of 82.64% coverage relative to the reference genome. Comparisons of the sequences for the melon accessions revealed around 7.4 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 1.9 million InDels, and 182,398 putative structural variations (SVs). Functional enrichment analysis of detected variations classified them into biological process, cellular component and molecular function categories. Further, a disease-associated QTL map was constructed for 390 SNPs and 45 InDels identified as related to defense-response genes. Among them 112 SNPs and 12 InDels were observed in powdery mildew responsive chromosomes. Accordingly, this whole genome re-sequencing study identified SNPs and InDels associated with defense genes that will serve as candidate polymorphisms in the search for sources of resistance against powdery mildew disease and could accelerate marker-assisted breeding in melon.

  19. Differential metabolism of L-phenylalanine in the formation of aromatic volatiles in melon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonda, Itay; Davidovich-Rikanati, Rachel; Bar, Einat; Lev, Shery; Jhirad, Pliaa; Meshulam, Yuval; Wissotsky, Guy; Portnoy, Vitaly; Burger, Joseph; Schaffer, Arthur A; Tadmor, Yaakov; Giovannoni, James J; Fei, Zhangjun; Fait, Aaron; Katzir, Nurit; Lewinsohn, Efraim

    2018-04-01

    Studies on the active pathways and the genes involved in the biosynthesis of L-phenylalanine-derived volatiles in fleshy fruits are sparse. Melon fruit rinds converted stable-isotope labeled L-phe into more than 20 volatiles. Phenylpropanes, phenylpropenes and benzenoids are apparently produced via the well-known phenylpropanoid pathway involving phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and being (E)-cinnamic acid a key intermediate. Phenethyl derivatives seemed to be derived from L-phe via a separate biosynthetic route not involving (E)-cinnamic acid and PAL. To explore for a biosynthetic route to (E)-cinnamaldehyde in melon rinds, soluble protein cell-free extracts were assayed with (E)-cinnamic acid, CoA, ATP, NADPH and MgSO 4 , producing (E)-cinnamaldehyde in vitro. In this context, we characterized CmCNL, a gene encoding for (E)-cinnamic acid:coenzyme A ligase, inferred to be involved in the biosynthesis of (E)-cinnamaldehyde. Additionally we describe CmBAMT, a SABATH gene family member encoding a benzoic acid:S-adenosyl-L-methionine carboxyl methyltransferase having a role in the accumulation of methyl benzoate. Our approach leads to a more comprehensive understanding of L-phe metabolism into aromatic volatiles in melon fruit. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Electrolytic pickling of duplex stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ipek, N.; Holm, B.; Pettersson, R. [Swedish Institute for Metals Research, Drottning Kristinas vaeg 48, 11428 Stockholm (Sweden); Runnsjoe, G.; Karlsson, M. [Outokumpu Stainless AB, 77422 Avesta (Sweden)

    2005-08-01

    Pickling of duplex stainless steels has proved to be much more difficult than that of standard austenitic grades. Electrolytic pre-pickling is shown to be a key process towards facilitating the pickling process for material annealed both in the production-line and in laboratory experiments. The mechanism for the neutral electrolytic process on duplex 2205 and austenitic 316 steels has been examined and the oxide scale found to become thinner as a function of electrolytic pickling time. Spallation or peeling of the oxide induced by gas evolution did not play a decisive role. A maximum of about 20% of the current supplied to the oxidised steel surface goes to dissolution reactions whereas about 80% of the current was consumed in oxygen gas production. This makes the current utilisation very poor, particularly against the background of reports that in indirect electrolytic pickling only about 30% of the total current, supplied to the process, actually goes into the strip. A parametric study was therefore carried out to determine whether adjustment of process variables could improve the current utilisation. (Abstract Copyright [2005], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  1. Linkage Map Construction and QTL Analysis of Fruit Traits in Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Based on CAPS Markers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baloch, A. M.; Liu, S.; Wang, X.; Luan, F.; Baloch, A. W.; Baloch, M. J.

    2016-01-01

    In the current experiment, the quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was done by composite interval mapping method to detect QTLs in edge, central parts and fruit shape of melon. In this context, 235 F/sub 2/ populations along with their parents were evaluated for fruit size, shape and color under replicated trail at Horticulture Experimental Station of Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China, during the growing year 2014. Moreover, 96 pairs of CAPS markers were used to construct a linkage map using F/sub 2/ population that was derived from the cross between two contrasting parents (MR-1 and Topmark). The total length of linkage map was found to be 4984.1cM with an average of 51.9177 cM between the markers. In a total, we detected ten QTLs, in which one was major, while others were minor. Five QTLs were detected in the edge part of melon fruit and three QTLs were detected in central parts of melon and all were considered as Brix content. Two QTLs were related with fruit shape. Our present genetic and QTLs mapping would be proved useful in plant breeding programs for the improvement of economically important horticultural traits. (author)

  2. Pengaruh Kombinasi Komposisi Media Organik dan Konsentrasi Nutrisi terhadap Daya Hasil Tanaman Melon (Cucumis melo L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khoirul Bariyyah

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This research was addressed to study the effect of plant growth media composition and nutrients concentration on yield of Cucumis melo L. The research was designed in complete factorial test of 4x4 with three replicates. Mixed growth media of bokashi:cocopeat:husk charcoal were tested in four compositions, i.e. 90%:5%:5% (M1, 80%:10%:10%(M2, 70%:15%:15% (M3 and 60%:20%:20% (M4 respectively. The other tested factor was nutrients concentraion that consists of four levels, i.e. control/no nutrient given (K0, 2 g/L (K1, 4 g/L (K2 and 6 g/L (K3. The Action 434 variety of Cucumis melo L. seedlings were then transplanted into 10 kg’s polybag and allowed to grow till harvested. The results showed that Chlorophyll content of M1 plants were higher than others, but the highest sugar content was resulted by M3 plants, and the highest thick of flesh fruit was resulted by interaction 60% bokashi:20% cocopeat:20% husk charcoal with 4 g/L nutrient concentration.

  3. Study of Bokashi’s Type and Dosages to Growth and Harvest Yield Honey Dews (Cucumis Melo L. In Low Land

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Amiroh

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Recently, most cultivation and planting of Melon (Cucumis melo L. by farmers using inorganic fertilizers with an excessive dosage, and this causes the lowland productivity decrease with consequent. The soil organic matter decreased as low as time increasing. Application and using of mature organic matter are an alternative to solve these problems in order the lowland become more conducive and productive for growth of melon. But increasing pests and diseases attaching to the plants may caused by adding immature organic matters into soil. Sources to make bokashi like as paddy straw and water hyacinth is immense but it’s not yet used. This research was aimed to study, know and usage of paddy straw and water hyacinth bokashi’s on melon growing at lowland. Experiment was conducted at Lowland Experiment Station of Agricultural Faculty, Brawijaya, in Jatikerto Village, Kromengan Distric, Malang, from April-June 2015. Experiment was applied in a Randomized Block Design (RBD with double factors Types and Dosages of Bokashis. There is seven combinations of treatment with three replications, each treatment consisted four individual plants. Result showed there is significant difference between types and dosages of bokashi on plant length at 28, 35, 42 dan 49 days after planting (d,a,p respectively. The significant difference between treatment also shown by leaf area at 28 - 49 (d.a.p.. Application of paddy straw bokashi was better than hyacinth bokashi on melon growth. The best yield shows that by using paddy straw bokashi with 5 ton/ha of dosage gives melon with 2,56 kg /plant fresh weight.

  4. Cantaloupe melon ( Cucumis melo L. conservation using hydrocooling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edna Maria Mendes Aroucha

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Maintaining cantaloupe melon at field temperature impairs conservation as it speeds up cell metabolism and transpiration, and, consequently, reduces shelf life. This study aimed to evaluate the conservation of Torreon hybrid cantaloupe using the hydrocooling treatment. Fruits were harvested at the commercial maturity stage (60 days after planting, in the morning, at the Nova California Farm, municipality of Mossoró-RN, in September 2007. One set of fruit was immersed in chilled water at 5 ºC for 5 min, at the packing house, while the remaining set was not hydro cooled. Then, both sets (treated and untreated with hydrocooling were pre-cooled in air forced tunnels at 7 ºC, until the temperature in the pulp reached 10 ºC. Both fruit sets were stored for 0, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days under modified atmosphere at 3 ± 1 oC and 90 ± 5% RH. After each storage period, the fruits were incubated in an atmosphere-controlled chamber at 20 ± 2 oC and 80 ± 5% de RH, for seven days. The following characteristics were evaluated: external and internal appearance, mass loss, soluble solids, firmness and titrable acidity. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized split-plot design with four replications of three fruits. The plots consisted of the hydrocooling conditions (with and without fruit soaking in chilled water, and the sub-plots consisted of the storage times (0, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days.The treatment with hydrocooling was efficient in keeping the firmness and soluble solids of the fruits and shortened the pre-cooling time in the cooling tunnel. However, hydrocooling did not increase fruit shelf-life.

  5. Pewarisan Karakter Fenotip Melon (Cucumis melo L. ‘Hikapel Aromatis’ Hasil Persilangan ♀ ‘Hikapel’ dengan ♂ ‘Hikadi Aromatik’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budi Setiadi Daryono

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to develop cultivars with superior phenotypes of melon and high level of productivity. This research used the individual results of crossing between melon  ♀ ‘Hikapel' with ♂ 'Hikadi Aromatik'. The research included qualitative and quantitative phenotype characterization test. The research was conducted in Center of Agrotechnology Innovation University of Gadjah Mada (PIAT-UGM, Kalitirto, Berbah, Sleman, Yogyakarta and Laboratory of Genetics Faculty of Biology UGM on December 2016 until March 2017. Quantitative data analysis used ANOVA testing through PKBT-STAT 2.02 software with Random Complete Block Design (RCBD method at significance level of 1% and 5%. Melon 'Hikapel Aromatik' has several advantages including oval shape, without net, without lobes, crispy texture, skin-collored yellow RHS (6A, has a 7-14 brix, has volatile aromatic compound and transposon influenced. Based on the results of recapitulation of variance, the characters of 'Hikapel Aromatik' was not uniform.

  6. The quest for epigenetic regulation underlying unisexual flower development in Cucumis melo

    KAUST Repository

    Latrasse, David; Rodriguez-Granados, Natalia Y.; Veluchamy, Alaguraj; Mariappan, Kiruthiga Gayathri; Bevilacqua, Claudia; Crapart, Nicolas; Camps, Celine; Sommard, Vivien; Raynaud, Cé cile; Dogimont, Catherine; Boualem, Adnane; Benhamed, Moussa; Bendahmane, Abdelhafid

    2017-01-01

    BackgroundMelon (Cucumis melo) is an important vegetable crop from the Cucurbitaceae family and a reference model specie for sex determination, fruit ripening and vascular fluxes studies. Nevertheless, the nature and role of its epigenome in gene expression regulation and more specifically in sex determination remains largely unknown.ResultsWe have investigated genome wide H3K27me3 and H3K9ac histone modifications and gene expression dynamics, in five melon organs. H3K9ac and H3K27me3 were mainly distributed along gene-rich regions and constrained to gene bodies. H3K9ac was preferentially located at the TSS, whereas H3K27me3 distributed uniformly from TSS to TES. As observed in other species, H3K9ac and H3K27me3 correlated with high and low gene expression levels, respectively. Comparative analyses of unisexual flowers pointed out sex-specific epigenetic states of TFs involved in ethylene response and flower development. Chip-qPCR analysis of laser dissected carpel and stamina primordia, revealed sex-specific histone modification of MADS-box genes. Using sex transition mutants, we demonstrated that the female promoting gene, CmACS11, represses the expression of the male promoting gene CmWIP1 via deposition of H3K27me3.ConclusionsOur findings reveal the organ-specific landscapes of H3K9ac and H3K27me3 in melon. Our results also provide evidence that the sex determination genes recruit histone modifiers to orchestrate unisexual flower development in monoecious species.

  7. The quest for epigenetic regulation underlying unisexual flower development in Cucumis melo

    KAUST Repository

    Latrasse, David

    2017-05-08

    BackgroundMelon (Cucumis melo) is an important vegetable crop from the Cucurbitaceae family and a reference model specie for sex determination, fruit ripening and vascular fluxes studies. Nevertheless, the nature and role of its epigenome in gene expression regulation and more specifically in sex determination remains largely unknown.ResultsWe have investigated genome wide H3K27me3 and H3K9ac histone modifications and gene expression dynamics, in five melon organs. H3K9ac and H3K27me3 were mainly distributed along gene-rich regions and constrained to gene bodies. H3K9ac was preferentially located at the TSS, whereas H3K27me3 distributed uniformly from TSS to TES. As observed in other species, H3K9ac and H3K27me3 correlated with high and low gene expression levels, respectively. Comparative analyses of unisexual flowers pointed out sex-specific epigenetic states of TFs involved in ethylene response and flower development. Chip-qPCR analysis of laser dissected carpel and stamina primordia, revealed sex-specific histone modification of MADS-box genes. Using sex transition mutants, we demonstrated that the female promoting gene, CmACS11, represses the expression of the male promoting gene CmWIP1 via deposition of H3K27me3.ConclusionsOur findings reveal the organ-specific landscapes of H3K9ac and H3K27me3 in melon. Our results also provide evidence that the sex determination genes recruit histone modifiers to orchestrate unisexual flower development in monoecious species.

  8. Effects of gamma radiation on melon read-to-eat

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pires, Juliana A.; Polizel, Francine Fernanda, E-mail: jujuba_angelo@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: fran_sininho@hotmail.com [Faculdade de Tecnologia em Piracicaba (FATEP), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil); Harder, Marcia N.C.; Silva, Lucia C.A.S.; Arthur, Paula B.; Arthur, Valter, E-mail: mnharder@terra.com.br, E-mail: lcasilva@cena.usp.br, E-mail: paula.arthur@hotmail.com, E-mail: arthur@cena.usp.br [Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/USP), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil)

    2013-07-01

    This work comes from the irradiation of Cantaloupe melons (Cucumis melo L.), with the aid of gamma irradiation (Co60) to physical and chemical changes to assess their conservation. The research aimed to evaluate the effects of irradiation on melons, including the possibility of conservation, through pH, acidity, soluble solids and fresh squash. The samples were minimally processed and submitted to gamma radiation Co{sup 60} at doses of 0 (control); 1kGy and 2kGy. Physicochemical analyzes were made in periods of 1, 7 and 14 days after irradiation treatment. On day 1 and day 7, pH levels in irradiated samples had increased compared to control. Since the 14th day, the dose decreased 1kGy equaling the control. Soluble solids showed a statistical gradual decrease according to the increase of dose. The 14th had no significant difference while the 7th the dose was increased. The 1kGy sample decreased in another dose compared to the control. In fresh squash, absent statistics were observed for all samples in the three periods. And for the analysis of titratable acidity, there was observed no significant difference at day 1. There was observed a decrease in the 2kGy and 1kGy dose to 7 days compared to the control. On 14th day, a reduction in the dose of 2kGy and deterioration of 1kGy dose of the sample. Therefore, it demonstrates the irradiation doses of 2kGy, 1kGy physic-chemically alters the Cantaloupe melon pH, soluble solids content and acidity. And the dose of 2kGy is the one that longer preserves samples based on acidity values, greater and smaller values of soluble solids. (author)

  9. Effects of gamma radiation on melon read-to-eat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pires, Juliana A.; Polizel, Francine Fernanda; Harder, Marcia N.C.; Silva, Lucia C.A.S.; Arthur, Paula B.; Arthur, Valter

    2013-01-01

    This work comes from the irradiation of Cantaloupe melons (Cucumis melo L.), with the aid of gamma irradiation (Co60) to physical and chemical changes to assess their conservation. The research aimed to evaluate the effects of irradiation on melons, including the possibility of conservation, through pH, acidity, soluble solids and fresh squash. The samples were minimally processed and submitted to gamma radiation Co 60 at doses of 0 (control); 1kGy and 2kGy. Physicochemical analyzes were made in periods of 1, 7 and 14 days after irradiation treatment. On day 1 and day 7, pH levels in irradiated samples had increased compared to control. Since the 14th day, the dose decreased 1kGy equaling the control. Soluble solids showed a statistical gradual decrease according to the increase of dose. The 14th had no significant difference while the 7th the dose was increased. The 1kGy sample decreased in another dose compared to the control. In fresh squash, absent statistics were observed for all samples in the three periods. And for the analysis of titratable acidity, there was observed no significant difference at day 1. There was observed a decrease in the 2kGy and 1kGy dose to 7 days compared to the control. On 14th day, a reduction in the dose of 2kGy and deterioration of 1kGy dose of the sample. Therefore, it demonstrates the irradiation doses of 2kGy, 1kGy physic-chemically alters the Cantaloupe melon pH, soluble solids content and acidity. And the dose of 2kGy is the one that longer preserves samples based on acidity values, greater and smaller values of soluble solids. (author)

  10. Recovery of zirconium from pickling solution, regeneration and its reuse

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhattacharjee, D. [Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad 500062 (India); Mandal, D., E-mail: dmandal10@gmail.com [Alkali Material & Metal Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400085 (India); Visweswara Rao, R.V.R.L.; Sairam, S.; Thakur, S. [Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad 500062 (India)

    2017-05-15

    Graphical abstract: The following compares the performance of fresh pickling solution (PS) and regenerated and used pickling solution (UPS). - Highlights: • Pickling of zircaloy tubes and appendages is carried out to remove oxide layer. • The pickling solution become saturated with zirconium due to reuse. • As NaNO{sub 3} concentration increases, conc. of Zr in pickling solution decreases. • Experimental results shows that, used pickling solution can be regenerated. • Regenerated solution may be reused by adding makeup quantities of HF-HNO{sub 3}. - Abstract: The pressurized heavy water reactors use natural uranium oxide (UO{sub 2}) as fuel and uses cladding material made up of zircaloy, an alloy of zirconium. Pickling of zircaloy tubes and appendages viz., spacer and bearing pads is carried out to remove the oxide layer and surface contaminants, if present. Pickling solution, after use for many cycles i.e., used pickling solution (UPS) is sold out to vendors, basically for its zirconium value. UPS, containing a relatively small concentration of hydrofluoric acid. After repeated use, pickling solution become saturated with zirconium fluoride complex and is treated by adding sodium nitrate to precipitate sodium hexafluro-zirconate. The remaining solution can be recycled after suitable makeup for further pickling use. The revenue lost by selling UPS is very high compared to its zirconium value, which causes monetary loss to the processing unit. Experiments were conducted to regenerate and reuse UPS which will save a good amount of revenue and also protect the environment. Experimental details and results are discussed in this paper.

  11. Determination of Benzoate Level in Canned Pickles and Pickled Cucumbers in Food Producing Factories in Markazi Province and those that their Products were Sold in Arak City, Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mostafa Delavar

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Anecdotal information has suggested that sodium benzoate is used with more than permissible doses during production steps of food products especially pickles and pickled cucumbers in food producing factories in Markazi province and other food producing factories . The present study was done to evaluate factual concentration of sodium benzoate in these products. Methods: In this study, 8 samples from canned pickled cucumbers and 10 samples from canned pickles were randomly gathered from food production factories in Markazi province between March and September 2010. Also, 25 samples from canned pickled cucumbers and 15 samples from canned pickles and 7 samples of bulk cargo pickled cucumbers were collected from the other provinces in Arak city. Sodium benzoate level was determined in the samples using UV-VIS spectrophotometry method. The determined values were analyzed by N-par test using SPSS software version 16.0. Results: Sodium benzoate level was near zero in the samples of canned pickles and pickled cucumbers from producing factories. This was 200-400 PPM in 7 samples from bulk cargo pickled cucumbers which was higher than permissible dose. There was not a statistically significant difference between mean benzoate level of canned pickles and pickled cucumbers produced in Markazi providence factories and other food factories. Benzoate level was significantly higher than permissible dose in bulk cargo pickled cucumbers. Conclusion: Food products from production factories do not have higher than permissible level of sodium benzoate; however, this is higher in bulk cargo pickled cucumbers. Hence, stricter control on bulk cargo pickled cucumber products is recommended.

  12. [Host plants of Aphis gossypii (Aphididae), vector of virus of Cucumis melo melon (Cucurbitaceae) in Costa Rica].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez, M V; Agüero, R; Rivera, C

    2001-03-01

    Plant species associated with commercial melon crops and surrounding areas were examined to identity the natural host plants of Aphis gossypii Glover. The study was conducted in two farms located in different melon production areas and plant life zones of Costa Rica. Plant species diversity, percent coverage and distribution over time were recorded during one year. Differences between locations were observed. A total of 86 plant species (49 families) and 72 plant species (40 families) were identified associated to the crop in farms A and B, respectively. In both farms a total of 24 species plants (16 families) were colonized by A. gossypii and 16 (10 families) are new reports of host plant species for this aphid. The new reports are: Justicia comata, Tetramerium nervosum, Alternanthera pubiflora, Cassia massoni, C. reticulata, Cleome viscosa, C. spinosa, Croton argenteus, Caperonia palustris, Chamaesyce gyssopilopia, Phyllantus amarus, Sida decumbens, Ludwigia erecta, Passiflora foetida, Guazuma ulmifolia and Corchorus orinocensis.

  13. Plantas hospederas de los virus más importantes que infectan el melón, Cucumis melo (Cucurbitaceae) en Costa Rica

    OpenAIRE

    Sánchez, M.V.; Agüero, R.; Rivera, C.

    1998-01-01

    Las especies hospederas naturales de los virus (PRSV, WMV-2, CMV y ZYMV) que infectan el cultivo de melón (Cucumis melo L.) para la exportación en Costa Rica se identificaron en plantaciones comerciales de dos fincas ubicadas, una en la provincia de Guanacaste, y la otra en la provincia de Puntarenas. En ambas fincas se cultiva el melon con irrigación durante la época seca, pero su manejo cultural es diferente. La finca A con una larga trayectoria en el cultivo de melón en rotación con maíz, ...

  14. Relaxin and atrial natriuretic peptide pathways participate in the anti-fibrotic effect of a melon concentrate in spontaneously hypertensive rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Carillon

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: In spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR, a model of human essential hypertension, oxidative stress is involved in the development of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis associated with hypertension. Dietary supplementation with agents exhibiting antioxidant properties could have a beneficial effect in remodeling of the heart. We previously demonstrated a potent anti-hypertrophic effect of a specific melon (Cucumis melo L. concentrate with antioxidant properties in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Relaxin and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP were reported to reduce collagen deposition and fibrosis progression in various experimental models. Objective: The aim of the present investigation was to test the hypothesis that, beside reduction in oxidative stress, the melon concentrate may act through relaxin, its receptor (relaxin/insulin-like family peptide receptor 1, RXFP1, and ANP in SHR. Design and results: The melon concentrate, given orally during 4 days, reduced cardiomyocyte size (by 25% and totally reversed cardiac collagen content (Sirius red staining in SHR but not in their normotensive controls. Treatment with the melon concentrate lowered cardiac nitrotyrosine-stained area (by 45% and increased by 17–19% the cardiac expression (Western blot of superoxide dismutase (SOD and glutathione peroxidase. In addition, plasma relaxin concentration was normalized while cardiac relaxin (Western blot was lowered in treated SHR. Cardiac relaxin receptor level determined by immunohistochemical analysis increased only in treated SHR. Similarly, the melon concentrate reversed the reduction of plasma ANP concentration and lowered its cardiac expression. Conclusions: The present results demonstrate that reversal of cardiac fibrosis by the melon concentrate involves antioxidant defenses, as well as relaxin and ANP pathways restoration. It is suggested that dietary SOD supplementation could be a useful additional strategy against cardiac hypertrophy

  15. Identification and Molecular Characterization of the cDNA Encoding Cucumis melo Allergen, Cuc m 3, a Plant Pathogenesis-Related Protein

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojtaba Sankian

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Melon (Cucumis melo allergy is one of the most common food allergies, characterized by oral allergy syndrome. To date, two allergen molecules, Cuc m 1 and Cuc m 2, have been fully characterized in melon pulp, but there are few reports about the molecular characteristics of Cuc m 3. Methods:The Cuc m 3 cDNA has been characterized by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE, which revealed a 456 base-pair (bp fragment encoding a 151-amino acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 16.97 kDa, and identified 79 and 178 bp untranslated sequences at the 5′ and 3´ ends, respectively. Results: In silico analysis showed strong similarities between Cuc m 3 and other plant pathogen-related protein 1s from cucumber, grape, bell pepper, and tomato. Conclusion: Here we report the identification and characterization of the Cuc m 3 cDNA, which will be utilized for further analyses of structural and allergenic features of this allergen

  16. Relishes: The new pickled vegetables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tepić Aleksandra N.

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available There have been an increasing interest of consumers for a ide variety of pickled vegetable products worldwide. Regarding the regional vegetable supplies and relatively poor assortment of ready-to-use products, the need to broaden the offer of domestic pickled vegetables at the market came out. In this work recipes for different vegetables, spices and condiments were developed. The best graded samples were analyzed for their main chemical composition (dry matter, proteins, oils and fats, total acidity, total sugars, sucrose, starch, cellulose, pH and energy- values.

  17. Filamentous fungi isolated from the rhizosphere of melon plants (Cucumis melo L. cv. Gold Mine cultivated in soil with organic amendments Fungos filamentosos isolados da rizosfera de meloeiros (Cucumis melo L. cv. Gold Mine cultivados em solo com compostos orgânicos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flavia Paiva Coutinho

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Rhizosphere soil samples were collected in a semiarid area, in the region of the São Francisco River valley, Petrolina, Pernambuco state, Brazil, to study the diversity of filamentous fungi in a soil cultivated with melon (Cucumis melo L. cv. Gold Mine and receiving different organic amendments: Treatment 1 (control, without organic compost; T2 (77% coconut fiber, 20% goat manure and 3% K2SO4; T3 (10% Ricinus communis leaves and stems, 50% Pennisetum purpureum leaves and 40% goat manure; T4 (77% coconut fiber, 20% goat manure and 3% termophosphate; T5 (47% Pennisetum purpureum leaves, 50% goat manure and 3% K2SO4; and T6 (57% Pennisetum purpureum leaves, 40% goat manure and 3% termophosphate. Fungal isolation was carried out by the serial dilution technique to 1:1000. The Sorensen index of similarity, frequency and distribution of the fungi were evaluated. Seventy-eight species of filamentous fungi were isolated and identified, plus several Basidiomycota (04 and Mycelia sterilia (02. The predominant genera were Aspergillus and Penicillium, with 15 and 13 species, respectively. A greater number of species was found in the sowing period (49, and in relation to the organic fertilization, treatment 6 provided the greatest species diversity (43 species. Most of the species are saprobes and only a few are considered to be potential pathogens on melon plants, such as Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani and Myrothecium roridum.Foram coletadas amostras de solo rizosférico em uma área semiárida, na região do Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brasil, com o objetivo de conhecer a diversidade dos fungos filamentosos presentes em solo cultivado com melão (Cucumis melo cv. Gold Mine e adubado com diferentes compostos orgânicos: Tratamento 1 (controle, sem adição de compostos orgânicos; T2 (77% de bagaço de côco, 20% de esterco de caprino e 3% de K2SO4; T3 (10% de torta de mamona, 50% de capim elefante e 40% de esterco de caprino; T4 (77% de

  18. Qualidade dos frutos de tipos de melão,produzidos em ambiente protegido Quality of melon fruit type produced under protected system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Micheline Tavares Paduan

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available O interesse pela cultura do melão no Brasil tem aumentado muito nos últimos anos, pelas crescentes exportações e pelo incremento no consumo do mercado interno. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as características físicas e químicas, assim como a atividade da pectinametilesterase dos frutos de tipos de melão (Cucumis melo L., produzidos em ambiente protegido, no município de Centenário do Sul-PR. Os tipos estudados foram: Valenciano ('Amarelo-Ouro', Caipira ('Gaúcho Caipira', Net Melon ('Net Galia', Orange ('Orange Melon' e Pele-de-Sapo ('Filipo', com cinco repetições, utilizando seis frutos por repetição em delineamento inteiramente casualizado. Os frutos do Valenciano e Pele-de-Sapo destacaram-se quanto à massa, com valores 2,02 e 2,07 kg, respectivamente, e formatos alongados, enquanto os demais tipos apresentaram formatos arredondados e massa em torno de 1,4 kg. Os melões Pele-de-Sapo apresentaram espessura da polpa de 43,36 mm, estatisticamente superior à dos frutos Valenciano, com 38,98 mm. A menor espessura de polpa, 24,78 cm, e a maior espessura de casca, 9,74 mm, foram encontradas nos frutos do tipo Caipira que diferiu estatisticamente dos outros tipos. Os valores de pH não se apresentaram estatisticamente diferentes e variaram de 6,24 a 6,48. O Net Melon apresentou polpa com 12,3ºBrix e diferiu estatisticamente do Orange, Valenciano e Pele-de-Sapo, com 11;12; 10,34 e 9,94 ºBrix, respectivamente. O Caipira atingiu 5,06ºBrix, e também o menor conteúdo de acidez, 0,10 g de ac. cítrico.100-1 g de suco, o que inviabiliza sua comercialização. A atividade da pectinametilesterase na polpa dos frutos foi muito baixa, inferior a 0,005 PEu x 10(4 mL-1, nos cinco tipos avaliados. Na região norte do Paraná (Vale do Paranapanema, sob condições de cultivo protegido, os melões Pele-de-Sapo, Net Melon, Orange e Valenciano apresentaram boas características físicas e químicas dos frutos, destacando-se o Net Melon

  19. Light-Emitting Pickles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vollmer, M.; Mollmann, K-P.

    2015-01-01

    We present experiments giving new insights into the classical light-emitting pickle experiment. In particular, measurements of the spectra and temperatures, as well as high-speed recordings, reveal that light emission is connected to the polarity of the electrodes and the presence of hydrogen.

  20. Genetic diversity of cucumber estimated by morpho-physiological and EST-SSR markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandey, Sudhakar; Ansari, Waquar Akhter; Pandey, Maneesh; Singh, Bijendra

    2018-02-01

    In the present study, genetic variation among 40 cucumber genotypes was analyzed by means of morpho-physiological traits and 21 EST-SSR markers. Diversity was observed for morpho-physiological characters like days to 50% female flowering (37-46.9, number of fruits/plant (1.33-5.80), average fruit weight (41-333), vine length (36-364), relative water content (58.5-92.7), electrolyte leakage (15.9-37.1), photosynthetic efficiency (0.40-0.75) and chlorophyll concentration index (11.1-28.6). The pair wise Jaccard similarity coefficient ranged from 0.00 to 0.27 for quantitative traits and 0.24 to 0.96 for EST-SSR markers indicating that the accessions represent genetically diverse populations. With twenty-one EST-SSR markers, polymorphism revealed among 40 cucumber genotypes, number of alleles varied 2-6 with an average 3.05. Polymorphism information content varied from 0.002 to 0.989 (mean = 0.308). The number of effective allele (Ne), expected heterozygosity (He) and unbiased expected heterozygosity (uHe) of these EST-SSRs were 1.079-1.753, 0.074-0.428 and 0.074-0.434, respectively. Same 21 EST-SSR markers transferability checked in four other Cucumis species: snapmelon ( Cucumis melo var. momordica ), muskmelon ( Cucumis melo L.), pickling melon ( Cucumis melo var. conomon ) and wild muskmelon ( Cucumis melo var. agrestis ) with frequency of 61.9, 95.2, 76.2, and 76.2%, respectively. Present study provides useful information on variability, which can assist geneticists with desirable traits for cucumber germplasm utilization. Observed physiological parameters may assists in selection of genotype for abiotic stress tolerance also, EST-SSR markers may be useful for genetic studies in related species.

  1. Development of a Novel, Sensitive, Selective, and Fast Methodology to Determine Malondialdehyde in Leaves of Melon Plants by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melisa E. Yonny

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Early production of melon plant (Cucumis melo is carried out using tunnels structures, where extreme temperatures lead to high reactive oxygen species production and, hence, oxidative stress. Malondialdehyde (MDA is a recognized biomarker of the advanced oxidative status in a biological system. Thus a reliable, sensitive, simple, selective, and rapid separative strategy based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to positive electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-(+ESI-MS/MS was developed for the first time to measure MDA, without derivatization, in leaves of melon plants exposed to stress conditions. The detection and quantitation limits were 0.02 μg·L−1 and 0.08 μg·L−1, respectively, which was demonstrated to be better than the methodologies currently reported in the literature. The accuracy values were between 96% and 104%. The precision intraday and interday values were 2.7% and 3.8%, respectively. The optimized methodology was applied to monitoring of changes in MDA levels between control and exposed to thermal stress conditions melon leaves samples. Important preliminary conclusions were obtained. Besides, a comparison between MDA levels in melon leaves quantified by the proposed method and the traditional thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS approach was undertaken. The MDA determination by TBARS could lead to unrealistic conclusions regarding the oxidative stress status in plants.

  2. Mapping the Flavor Contributing Traits on "Fengwei Melon" (Cucumis melo L. Chromosomes Using Parent Resequencing and Super Bulked-Segregant Analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Zhang

    Full Text Available We used a next-generation high-throughput sequencing platform to resequence the Xinguowei and Shouxing melon cultivars, the parents of Fengwei melon. We found 84% of the reads (under a coverage rate of "13×" placed on the reference genome DHL92. There were 2,550,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and 140,000 structural variations in the two genomes. We also identified 1,290 polymorphic genes between Xinguowei and Shouxing. We combined specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq and bulked-segregant analysis (super-BSA to analyze the two parents and the F2 extreme phenotypes. This combined method yielded 12,438,270 reads, 46,087 SLAF tags, and 4,480 polymorphic markers (average depth of 161.81×. There were six sweet trait-related regions containing 13 differential SLAF markers, and 23 sour trait-related regions containing 48 differential SLAF markers. We further fine-mapped the sweet trait to the genomic regions on chromosomes 6, 10, 11, and 12. Correspondingly, we mapped the sour trait-related genomic regions to chromosomes 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 12. Finally, we positioned nine of the 61 differential markers in the sweet and sour trait candidate regions on the parental genome. These markers corresponded to one sweet and eight sour trait-related genes. Our study provides a basis for marker-assisted breeding of desirable sweet and sour traits in Fengwei melons.

  3. Electrochemical Determination of Hydrogen Entry to HSLA Steel during Pickling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jari Aromaa

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Pickling with hydrochloric acid is a standard method to clean steel surfaces before hot-dip galvanizing. When normal low strength steels are pickled, hydrogen formed in pickling reactions does not have any significant harmful effect on the mechanical properties of steel. However, in pickling of steels with higher strength, the penetration of hydrogen into the steel may cause severe damages. The effect of pickling of high-strength low-alloy (HSLA steels was investigated using a cell construction based on the Devanathan-Stachurski method with modified anodic surface treatment and hydrogen production using acid. The penetration and the permeability of hydrogen were measured using an electrochemical cell with hydrochloric acid on the one side of the steel sample and a solution of NaOH on the other side. No protective coating, for example, palladium on the anodic side of the sample, is needed. The penetration rate of hydrogen into the steel and exit rate from the steel were lower for higher strength steel.

  4. Qualidade de melões (Cucumis melo L. var. cantalupensis Naud., híbrido Torreon, produzidos em hidroponia e armazenados em embalagens de polietileno Quality of Torreon hybrid melon fruits (Cucumis melo L. var. cantalupensis Naud. grown in hydroponic system and stored in polyethylene packaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Auri Brackmann

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Este experimento teve por objetivos avaliar a permeabilidade de filmes de polietileno de diferentes espessuras e densidades ao O2 e ao CO2, a composição gasosa (O2, CO2 e etileno formada no interior das embalagens e a qualidade físico-química de melões (Cucumis melo L. var. cantalupensis Naud., híbrido Torreon, produzidos no sistema hidropônico "Nutrient Film Technique" (NFT e armazenados em embalagens de polietileno. Os tratamentos avaliados foram: (1 armazenamento refrigerado (sem uso de filme; (2 polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD de 40µm; (3 PEBD de 60µm; (4 PEBD de 90µm; (5 polietileno de média densidade (PEMD de 40µm; (6 PEMD de 60µm. Os frutos permaneceram armazenados durante 25 dias a 3,8±0,2°C e por mais dois dias a 20°C. Os filmes de PEBD de 60 e 90µm e o PEMD de 60µm apresentaram menor permeabilidade ao CO2, mantendo as maiores concentrações de CO2 nas embalagens. O filme de PEBD de 90µm apresentou menor permeabilidade ao O2. A menor concentração de etileno foi obtida com o uso de PEBD de 40µm. O uso de filmes reduziu drasticamente a perda de massa dos frutos, quando comparados aos frutos não embalados. Os frutos acondicionados na embalagem de PEBD de 40µm mantiveram uma maior firmeza da polpa após o período de armazenamento, não diferindo estatisticamente dos frutos armazenados em PEMD de 40µm. Já a incidência de podridões foi significativamente menor nos frutos armazenados em PEMD de 60µm. De modo geral, os filmes avaliados mantêm semelhante a qualidade físico-química de melões híbrido Torreon produzidos hidroponicamente no sistema NFT.This study was carried out to evaluate the permeability to O2 and CO2, and gas composition (O2, CO2 and ethylene inside packages of different thickness and density polyethylene films. Moreover, the physical and chemical quality of Torreon hybrid melon fruit (Cucumis melo L. var. cantalupensis Naud. grown in a Nutrient Film Technique hydroponic system and stored

  5. Evaluation of an analytical methodology using QuEChERS and GC-SQ/MS for the investigation of the level of pesticide residues in Brazilian melons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Silva Sousa, Jonas; de Castro, Rubens Carius; de Albuquerque Andrade, Gilliane; Lima, Cleidiane Gomes; Lima, Lucélia Kátia; Milhome, Maria Aparecida Liberato; do Nascimento, Ronaldo Ferreira

    2013-12-01

    A multiresidue method based on the sample preparation by modified QuEChERS and detection by gas chromatography coupled to single quadruple mass spectrometers (GC-SQ/MS) was used for the analysis of 35 multiclass pesticides in melons (Cucumis melo inodorus) produced in Ceara-Brazil. The rates of recovery for pesticides studied were satisfactory (except for the etridiazole), ranging from 85% to 117% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 15%, at concentrations between 0.05 and 0.20 mg kg(-1). The limit of quantification (LOQ) for most compounds was below the MRLs established in Brazil. The combined relative uncertainty (Uc) and expanded uncertainty (Ue) was determined using repeatability, recovery and calibration curves data for each pesticide. Analysis of commercial melons samples revealed the presence of pesticides bifenthrin and imazalil at levels below the MRLs established by ANVISA, EU and USEPA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. The Alcohol Dehydrogenase Gene Family in Melon (Cucumis melo L.: Bioinformatic Analysis and Expression Patterns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yazhong eJin

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH, encoded by multigene family in plants, play a critical role in plant growth, development, adaptation, fruit ripening and aroma production. Thirteen ADH genes were identified in melon genome, including 12 ADHs and one formaldehyde dehydrogenease (FDH, designated CmADH1-12 and CmFDH1, in which CmADH1 and CmADH2 have been isolated in Cantaloupe. ADH genes shared a lower identity with each other at the protein level and had different intron-exon structure at nucleotide level. No typical signal peptides were found in all CmADHs, and CmADH proteins might locate in the cytoplasm. The phylogenetic tree revealed that 13 ADH genes were divided into 3 groups respectively, namely long-, medium- and short-chain ADH subfamily, and CmADH1,3-11, which belongs to the medium-chain ADH subfamily, fell into 6 medium-chain ADH subgroups. CmADH12 may belong to the long-chain ADH subfamily, while CmFDH1 may be a Class III ADH and serve as an ancestral ADH in melon. Expression profiling revealed that CmADH1, CmADH2, CmADH10 and CmFDH1 were moderately or strongly expressed in different vegetative tissues and fruit at medium and late developmental stages, while CmADH8 and CmADH12 were highly expressed in fruit after 20 days. CmADH3 showed preferential expression in young tissues. CmADH4 only had slight expression in root. Promoter analysis revealed several motifs of CmADH genes involved in the gene expression modulated by various hormones, and the response pattern of CmADH genes to ABA, IAA and ethylene were different. These CmADHs were divided into ethylene-sensitive and –insensitive groups, and the functions of CmADHs were discussed.

  7. A comparative analysis of phloem exudate proteins from Cucumis melo, Cucumis sativus and Cucurbita maxima by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabnis, D D; Hart, J W

    1976-01-01

    Proteins in sieve tube exudate from Cucumis melo L., Cucumis sativus L. and Cucurbita maxima Duch. were analysed by gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. Estimated molecular weights and isoelectric points for the major and minor proteins from each plant species are presented. Electrophoresis revealed striking differences between the protein complements of exudatc from the two genera investigated. Similarly, although a few exudate proteins from the two species of Cucumis possessed identical molecular weights, several major proteins were peculiar to each species. Isoelectric focusing of proteins in exudate samples from the three plants confirmed the marked differences in their protein complements. Furthermore, focusing also revealed differences between cultivars of Cucumis sativus. Both Cucumis sativus and Cucurbita maxima possessed relatively large amounts of basic proteins; these were absent in exudate from Cucumis melo. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to present concepts regarding the interrelationships and possible functional roles of P-proteins.

  8. Lactobacilli and tartrazine as causative agents of red-color spoilage in cucumber pickle products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-Díaz, I M; Kelling, R E; Hale, S; Breidt, F; McFeeters, R F

    2007-09-01

    The cucumber pickling industry has sporadically experienced spoilage outbreaks in pickled cucumber products characterized by development of red color on the surface of the fruits. Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus paracasei were isolated from 2 outbreaks of this spoilage that occurred about 15 y apart during the last 3 decades. Both organisms were shown to produce this spoilage when inoculated into pickled cucumbers while concomitantly degrading the azo dye tartrazine (FD&C yellow nr 5). This food dye is used as a yellow coloring in the brine cover solutions of commercial pickled cucumber products. The red color does not occur in the absence of tartrazine, nor when turmeric is used as a yellow coloring in the pickles. Addition of sodium benzoate to the brine cover solutions of a pickled cucumber product, more specifically hamburger dill pickles, prevented growth of these lactic acid bacteria and the development of the red spoilage.

  9. REQUERIMENTOS DE POLINIZAÇÃO DO MELOEIRO (Cucumis melo l. NO MUNICÍPIO DE ACARAÚ - CE - BRASIL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raimundo Maciel Sousa

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This work was carried in commercial areas cultivate with muskmelon (Cucumis melo L., variety AF- 646, in the municipal district of Acaraú, state of Ceará, Brazil. The investigation was split in four treatments: hand cross pollination, open pollination in presence of the honey bee hives, open pollination and resricted pollination. The observed variables were: rate of fruit set, fruit weight and seed number of fruits. The hand cross pollination showed the best effect to number of fruit set, fruit weight and seed number of fruits, following to open pollination in presence of the honey bee hives, open pollination and resricted pollination, without fruit set. Considering the melon cultivated at open fields and during the dry season in NE Brazil, it is possible to conclude that it depends on biotic pollinators and that honeybees promote efficientily the pollination.

  10. Identification of QTLs for resistance to powdery mildew and SSR markers diagnostic for powdery mildew resistance genes in melon (Cucumis melo L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukino, Nobuko; Ohara, Takayoshi; Monforte, Antonio J; Sugiyama, Mitsuhiro; Sakata, Yoshiteru; Kunihisa, Miyuki; Matsumoto, Satoru

    2008-12-01

    Powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera xanthii is an important foliar disease in melon. To find molecular markers for marker-assisted selection, we constructed a genetic linkage map of melon based on a population of 93 recombinant inbred lines derived from crosses between highly resistant AR 5 and susceptible 'Earl's Favourite (Harukei 3)'. The map spans 877 cM and consists of 167 markers, comprising 157 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), 7 sequence characterized amplified region/cleavage amplified polymorphic sequence markers and 3 phenotypic markers segregating into 20 linkage groups. Among them, 37 SSRs and 6 other markers were common to previous maps. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis identified two loci for resistance to powdery mildew. The effects of these QTLs varied depending on strain and plant stage. The percentage of phenotypic variance explained for resistance to the pxA strain was similar between QTLs (R (2) = 22-28%). For resistance to pxB strain, the QTL on linkage group (LG) XII was responsible for much more of the variance (41-46%) than that on LG IIA (12-13%). The QTL on LG IIA was located between two SSR markers. Using an independent population, we demonstrated the effectiveness of these markers. This is the first report of universal and effective markers linked to a gene for powdery mildew resistance in melon.

  11. Effect of different sources of fertilizers on the phosphorus absorption and the yield of the under irrigation melon (Cucumis melo L) sowing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villegas Ocampo, A.

    2002-01-01

    The fertilizer injection through irrigation system is a common practice in second melon sowings. Nevertheless, the application of some phosphoric sources by that way can have problems due to the absorption reactions and precipitation in the ground, which reduces its mobility and assimilation by the plants. Phosphoric sources of fertirrigation to diverse doses, were evaluated in melon (Cucusmis melo L.) Cantaloupe cv Hy Mark in second sowings, about the phosphoric absorption and the fruit commercial production , (b) the content of soluble P in the solution of the ground, to correlate this with the optimal production and thus obtain the external requirement of P and (c) to quantify the economic costs of the application of the different sources. The experiment took place in the ground of the Inceptisol order, sub-group Vertic Haplustepts in Carrillo, Guanacaste, in the property Melones de Sardinal S.A. The used sources of P2O5 were: Map(12-60-0) in doses of 36 and 54 kg/ha, H3PO4 to 36kg/ha and Fertg (8-24-0) in doses of 18 and 36 kg/ha. Besides, establishing in absolute witness 0 kg/ha. The melon redeeming was evaluated in number of cajas/ha, sizes 9, 12, 15 and 18. According to the dry weight and the nourishment concentration of the aerial biomass of each sample, the absorption of nourishment in the cultivation in kg/ha and g/ha was calculated, for a sowing density of 12940 plantas/ha. The external efficiency of phosphorus for melon with the different sources was determined, for getting this were made applications of progressively increasing doses of P. The dose of phosphorus to reach that requirement (concentration of P in the solution of the ground that is necessary for an optimal yield), in the balance point it's obtained by means of interpolation of the dose of P through the isotherm and the correlation of the optimal yield of the cultivation. The greater absorption of P took place in the stage of previous growth to the flowering and in the beginning and arrival

  12. Functional method implementation of post-crop conservation of melon cantaloupe, using ionizing radiation as quality control technique in productive chain; Implantacao de metodo funcional de conservacao pos-colheita de meloes cantaloupe, utilizando as radiacoes ionizantes como tecnica de controle de qualidade na cadeia produtiva

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Siqueira, Alessandra A.Z. Cozzo de; Matraia, Clarice; Walder, Julio Marcos M. [Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Irradiacao de Alimentos e Radioentomologia]. E-mail: aazcozzo@cena.usp.br; Spoto, Marta H.F.; Silva, Paula P.M. da; Maretti, Marina S. [Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Piracicaba, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Agroindustria, Alimentos e Nutricao

    2005-07-01

    The Brazilian fruit culture is an alternative to minimize the lack-of-food problem using management and post harvest appropriate techniques. Gamma radiation technology is a possible technique used for food, enlarging its shelf-life, eliminating pathogenic microorganisms and in the quarantine treatment. The irradiation with seven doses (150,300,450,600,750 and 900 Gy) was used in Cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melon var. Cantaloupensis) aiming to establish the minimum, maximum and ideal doses, according to Brazilian laws, analyzing weight, color, firmness, pulp and juice quantity and sensory aspects, using the Difference Control Test. The results indicate that storage influenced significantly the weight, color and pulp quantity parameters. Doses higher than 450 Gy however influenced the firmness, juice quantity and sensory aspects characteristics. These results are indicating that the minimum dose was 150 Gy, the maximum dose was 900 Gy and the ideal dose for the quarantine treatment and to increase shelf-life of the Cantaloupe melon was 450 Gy. The data obtained allowed us to conclude that the ionizing radiation can increase the shelf-life of the Cantaloupe melon using doses up to 450 Gy making it proper to exportation. (author)

  13. Modernizing Pickles - A Tool for Planning and Scheduling HST Astrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juarez, Aaron; McArthur, B.; Benedict, G. F.

    2007-12-01

    Pickles is a Macintosh program written in C that was developed as a tool for determining pointings and rolls of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to place targets and astrometric reference stars in the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) field of regard ("pickles"). The program was developed in the late 1980s and runs under the "Classic” System. Ongoing HST astrometry projects require that this code be ported to the Intel-Mac OSX, because the Classic System is now unsupported. Pickles is a vital part of HST astrometry research. It graphically aids the investigator to determine where, when, and how the HST/FGS combination can observe an object and associated astrometric reference stars. Presently, Pickles can extract and display star positions from Guide Star Catalogs, such as the ACRS, SAO, and AGK3 catalogs via CD-ROMs. Future improvements will provide access to these catalogs and others through the internet. As an example of the past utility of Pickles, we highlight the recent determination of parallaxes for ten galactic Cepheids to determine an improved solar-metallicity Period-Luminosity relation. Support for this work was provided by NASA through grants GO-10989, -11210, and -11211 from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.

  14. Technical Efficiency of Wet Season Melon Farming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ananti Yekti

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Melon is one of high-value horticulture commodity which is cultivated widely in Kulon Progo regency. The nature of agricultural products is heavily dependent on the season, so it causes the prices of agricultural products always fluctuated every time. In wet season the price of agricultural products tends to be more expensive. Melon cultivation in wet season provide an opportunity to earn higher profits than in the dry season. The price of agricultural products tends to be more expensive in wet season, thus melon cultivation in wet season prospectively generate high profits. In order to achieve high profitability, melon farming has to be done efficiently. Objective of this study was to 1 determined the factors that influence melon production in wet season 2 measured technical efficiency of melon farming and 3 identified the factors that influanced technical efficiency. Data collected during April – June 2014. Location determined by multistage cluster sampling. 45 samples of farmers who cultivated melon during wet season obtained based on quota sampling technique. Technical efficiency was measured using Cobb-Douglas Stochastic Frontier. The result reveals that 1 land use, quantity of seed, K fertilizer contributed significantly increasing melon production, while N fertilizer decreased melon production significantly 2 technical efficiency indeces ranged from 0.40 to 0.99, with a mean of  0.77; 3 farmer’s experience gave significant influence to technical efficiency of melon farming in wet season.

  15. A review on methods of recovery of acid(s) from spent pickle liquor of steel industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghare, N Y; Wani, K S; Patil, V S

    2013-04-01

    Pickling is the process of removal of oxide layer and rust formed on metal surface. It also removes sand and corrosion products from the surface of metal. Acids such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid are used for pickling. Hydrofluoric acid-Nitric acid mixture is used for stainless steel pickling. Pickling solutions are spent when acid concentration in pickling solutions decreases by 75-85%, which also has metal content up to 150-250 g/ dm3. Spent pickling liquor (SPL) should be dumped because the efficiency of pickling decreases with increasing content of dissolved metal in the bath. The SPL content depends on the plant of origin and the pickling method applied there. SPL from steel pickling in hot-dip galvanizing plants contains zinc(II), iron, traces of lead, chromium. and other heavy metals (max. 500 mg/dm3) and hydrochloric acid. Zinc(II) passes tothe spent solution after dissolution of this metal from zinc(II)-covered racks, chains and baskets used for transportation of galvanized elements. Unevenly covered zinc layers are usually removed in another pickling bath. Due to this, zinc(II) concentration increases even up to 110 g/dm3, while iron content may reach or exceed even 80 g/dm3 in the same solution. This review presents an overview on different aspects of generation and treatment of SPL with recourse to recovery of acid for recycling. Different processes are described in this review and higher weightage is given to membrane processes.

  16. Cultivation and uses of cucurbits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cultivated cucurbits have spread through trade and exploration from their respective Old and New World centers of origin to the six arable continents and are important in local, regional and world trade. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), melon (Cucumis melo L.), pumpkin, squash and gourd (Cucurbita spp...

  17. Evaluation of Sensorial, Chemical, and Microbial Characteristics of Pickled Cucumber Supplied in Shiraz

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jalal Sadeghizadeh Yazdi

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Cucumber is one of the vegetables that are widely preserved by fermentation in brine. Vegetables such as cucumber are normally not washed in the commercial centers and this causes microbial growth during fermentation. At the beginning of the fermentation process, lactic acid bacteria, depending on the environmental conditions, begin to grow. The aim of this study was to compare the microbial, chemical, and sensorial characteristics of canned and bulk pickles. Methods: In this study, a random sampling was implemented from the pickles of three locations in Shiraz city as suppliers of pickles. The sensorial evaluation was also conducted by 60 members of the hospital staff. Data was collected through questionnaires. Sensorial evaluation was performed using a hedonic scale of nine points. For microbial assessment, Iran National Standards 2326 was used. Results: The results of the microbiological tests showed that bulk pickles were infected with mesophilic aerobic bacteria at 26.6%, aerobic thermophilic bacteria at 6.6%, and 43.3% by mold and yeast; while canned pickles (with license the Ministry of Health were infected 13.3% by mesophilic aerobic bacteria. The average pH of the bulk samples based on the national standard was more than the maximum allowed level. The results of the sensorial evaluation of taste, texture, color, and overall acceptability showed that canned pickles had the most overall acceptance and texture acceptance points and bulk pickles had the most points of flavor and color acceptance. Conclusions: According to the findings, it seems that the use of herbs in bulk pickles is the main cause of increase in the microbial load and rated the taste, because fragrant fresh vegetables have a greater impact on the microbial load than dried vegetables.

  18. QTL list: Swf-1 [PGDBj Registered plant list, Marker list, QTL list, Plant DB link and Genome analysis methods[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available QT98650 Cucumis sativus Cucurbitaceae Swf-1 resistance to Melon yellow spot virus ...resistance to Melon yellow spot virus MYSV-FuCu05P 3 SSR13109 Chr01 ... 29.0-55.6 10.5 ... 10.1007/s10681-015-1444-x ...

  19. QTL list: Swf-2 [PGDBj Registered plant list, Marker list, QTL list, Plant DB link and Genome analysis methods[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available QT98651 Cucumis sativus Cucurbitaceae Swf-2 resistance to Melon yellow spot virus ...resistance to Melon yellow spot virus MYSV-FuCu05P 3 CSN251 Chr03 ... 34.0-56.0 11 ... 10.1007/s10681-015-1444-x ...

  20. QTL list: Swf-3 [PGDBj Registered plant list, Marker list, QTL list, Plant DB link and Genome analysis methods[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available QT98652 Cucumis sativus Cucurbitaceae Swf-3 resistance to Melon yellow spot virus ...resistance to Melon yellow spot virus MYSV-FuCu05P 3 SSR6225 Chr04 ... 61.9-80.4 4.4 ... 10.1007/s10681-015-1444-x ...

  1. A new strategy to protect Katsura-uri (Japan's heirloom pickling melon, Cucumis melo var. conomon from extinction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azusa Sasaki

    2017-03-01

    Conclusion: This demonstrated a new strategy to protect this heirloom vegetable from extinction by adding a new function that could increase its demand as a low-calorie fruit in the present diet habit for human health.

  2. Optimized aqueous extraction of saponins from bitter melon for production of a saponin-enriched bitter melon powder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Sing P; Vuong, Quan V; Stathopoulos, Costas E; Parks, Sophie E; Roach, Paul D

    2014-07-01

    Bitter melon, Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae), aqueous extracts are proposed to have health-promoting properties due to their content of saponins and their antioxidant activity. However, the optimal conditions for the aqueous extraction of saponins from bitter melon and the effects of spray drying have not been established. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize the aqueous extraction of the saponins from bitter melon, using response surface methodology, prepare a powder using spray drying, and compare the powder's physical properties, components, and antioxidant capacity with aqueous and ethanol freeze-dried bitter melon powders and a commercial powder. The optimal aqueous extraction conditions were determined to be 40 °C for 15 min and the water-to-sample ratio was chosen to be 20:1 mL/g. For many of its physical properties, components, and antioxidant capacity, the aqueous spray-dried powder was comparable to the aqueous and ethanol freeze-dried bitter melon powders and the commercial powder. The optimal conditions for the aqueous extraction of saponins from bitter melon followed by spray drying gave a high quality powder in terms of saponins and antioxidant activity. This study highlights that bitter melon is a rich source of saponin compounds and their associated antioxidant activities, which may provide health benefits. The findings of the current study will help with the development of extraction and drying technologies for the preparation of a saponin-enriched powdered extract from bitter melon. The powdered extract may have potential as a nutraceutical supplement or as a value-added ingredient for incorporation into functional foods. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

  3. Armazenamento sob condições ambiente e aceitabilidade do melão 'F1 Jangada' produzido em sistema hidropônico Storage under atmosphere conditions and acceptability of the melon 'F1 Jangada' croped in hydroponic system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria M. Rinaldi

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o período de armazenamento pós-colheita e a aceitabilidade pelo consumidor de melão híbrido 'F1 Jangada' (Cucumis melo L., produzido em sistema hidropônico, mantido em condições ambiente (22 ± 2 ºC e umidade relativa de 40 ± 5%. O experimento compreendeu o período de 21-6-2005 a 2-8-2005. Foi utilizado o esquema fatorial 5 x 2, em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com cinco períodos de armazenamento (0; 7; 21; 28 e 42 dias e dois tipos de substrato (areia e fibra de coco, com três repetições, em que cada repetição consistiu em cinco frutos de meloeiro. Foram avaliados o pH, a acidez titulável, os sólidos solúveis, a perda de massa fresca, a análise sensorial e a decisão de compra dos melões. Foram verificados efeitos do tipo de substrato e tempo de armazenamento sobre os valores de pH dos melões. A acidez titulável dos melões diminuiu significativamente nos primeiros sete dias de armazenamento, em ambos os substratos. Não foram verificados efeitos do tipo de substrato e tempo de armazenamento nos sólidos solúveis dos melões durante o armazenamento. Não houve diferença de perda de massa fresca dos frutos produzidos nos dois substratos, sendo de 7,1 ± 0,2%, durante os 42 dias de armazenamento. O tipo de substrato não interferiu na aparência geral, cor, textura e sabor dos melões. Aos 42 dias de armazenamento, os melões produzidos nos dois tipos de substrato apresentaram-se aceitáveis pelo consumidor. No entanto, os produzidos no substrato com areia apresentaram melhor aceitabilidade e decisão de compra ao longo do armazenamento.The objective of this work was to evaluate the storage period postharvest and acceptability by consumer of hybrid melon 'F1 Jangada' (Cucumis melo L., produced in hydroponic system, stored in atmosphere conditions (22 ± 2 ºC and 40 ± 5% relative humidity. The research was carried from June 21st to August 2nd, 2005. It was

  4. Modulation of aroma volatiles and phytochemical quality of fresh-cut melon (Cucumis melo L.) by oxygen levels, 1-methylcyclopropene and lysophosphatidylethanolameine

    OpenAIRE

    Amaro, Ana Luísa Leite Fernandes

    2012-01-01

    Current fresh-cut technologies are effective in the effort of maintaining visual quality during the fresh-cut fruit supply chain. However, studies on extended shelf life based on appearance attributes or microbial stability have neglected the understanding of the effect of processing technologies and conservation techniques in the aromatic, nutritional, and functional properties of processed fruit. Three technologies were evaluated for their effects on quality of fresh-cut melon, with emphasi...

  5. The use of gamma radiation aiming to post harvest conservation of Cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melo L. var. Cantaloupensis)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siqueira, Alessandra Aparecida Zilio Cozzo de

    2007-01-01

    Although Brazilian fruit culture has been growing in the international market, the fruit quality and the post harvest technology have not been improved properly. In Brazil, fruit nutritional factors are very important because of their potential to provide suitable nutrients for a significant part of the Country population. Some post harvest technologies, such as ionizing radiation, can keep the physical, chemical, nutritional and sensorial characteristics of the natural fruit, improving the quality of the fruits in the market. This work evaluated the effects of Cobalt 60 irradiation in Cantaloupe melon, aiming the post harvest conservation during 7 days of storage, at a temperature ranging from 20 to 22 deg C. The doses of irradiation were set to 0, 150, 300, 450, 600, 750 and 900 Gy, based on the multiple of 150 Gy quarantine dose, aiming to establish the lowest, the highest and the ideal doses. Afterwards, physical, chemical and nutritional characteristics of irradiated fruit were checked and, finally, the sensorial characteristics through acceptability test. Results indicated that the doses higher than 450 Gy affected firmness, pulp yield and color (L and a * ) parameters. Nevertheless, analyzing physical, chemical and nutritional parameters, doses of 450 and 900 Gy kept pH, tetrable acidity, soluble solids, color (a * and b * ), chlorophyll and carotenoids, phenolic compounds, respiratory rate and ethylene level. The storage period was the most important factor that affected the quality of the fruit, despite of the radiation doses. Based on the acceptability test, the best evaluated fruits were from the treatments of 450 and 900 Gy. This work allowed to conclude that fruit radiation is an appropriate technology for Cantaloupe melon post harvest conservation, but it is necessary to be used in combination with other technologies, especially to fungi control. (author)

  6. The effect of insecticide applications to melon crop on melon aphid and its natural enemies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guerra, J.; Gonzalez, J.E.; Ceballos, J.; Checa, B.

    1999-01-01

    Melons are an important export crop for Panama and are cultivated on more than 1000 ha of land. Long growing season, extending well into January, allows several generations and build up of heavy populations of an important insect pest, Aphis gossypii, the melon aphid. Growers find it difficult to cultivate melons without several applications of insecticides. Although the insecticide applications control the aphids, they may also have adverse effects on the natural enemies of the aphid, in particular the two predatory insects Cycloneda sanguinea and Chrysoperla carnea. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of insecticide applications on these insects and on the yield of melons, and to estimate residues of the applied insecticides in soil. The insecticides were applied as four different type of treatments to melon crop. The treatments were (i) three periodic applications of endosulfan (Thiodan 35EC), each at 0.52 kg a.i./ha, (ii) three applications of fenitrothion (Sumithion 50WP), each at 0.35 kg a.i./ha, (iii) two applications of fenitrothion and one of endosulfan, and (iv) grower's treatment, which included applications of six different insecticides. The effect of the insecticide applications was evaluated by estimating numbers of each of the three type of insects before and within 72 hours after the applications and estimating yield of melons. All insecticide treatments reduced the populations of Aphis gossypii, but they also reduced the numbers of the benificial insects. Endosulfan was somewhat less toxic to C. carnea than the other insecticides were, since greater number of C. carnea were recorded from the plots treated with endosulfan than the other treated plots. The best yield of melons was recorded in the plots which were sprayed with fenitrothion, followed by the plots sprayed with endosulfan. and then those with grower's insecticides. Soon after the application of endosulfan the residue in the soil was 0.2 mg/kg, but it declined to less

  7. Response of wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) to surrounding land cover in Wisconsin pickling cucumber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowenstein, D M; Huseth, A S; Groves, R L

    2012-06-01

    Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is among the plants highly dependent on insect-mediated pollination, but little is known about its unmanaged pollinators. Both domestic and wild bee populations in central Wisconsin pickling cucumber fields were assessed using a combination of pan trapping and floral observations before and during bloom. Together with land cover analyses extending 2,000 m from field centers, the relationship of land cover components and bee abundance and diversity were examined. Over a 2-yr sample interval distributed among 18 experimental sites, 3,185 wild bees were collected representing >60 species. A positive association was found between both noncrop and herbaceous areas with bee abundance and diversity only during bloom. Response of bee abundance and diversity to land cover was strongest at larger buffers presumably because of the heterogeneous nature of the landscape and connectivity between crop and noncrop areas. These results are consistent with previous research that has found a weak response of wild bees to surrounding vegetation in moderately fragmented areas. A diverse community of wild bees is present within the fields of a commercial cucumber system, and there is evidence of floral visitation by unmanaged bees. This evidence emphasizes the importance of wild pollinators in fragmented landscapes and the need for additional research to investigate the effectiveness of individual species in pollen deposition.

  8. Screening suitable reference genes for normalization in reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR analysis in melon.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiusheng Kong

    Full Text Available Melon (Cucumis melo. L is not only an economically important cucurbitaceous crop but also an attractive model for studying many biological characteristics. Screening appropriate reference genes is essential to reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR, which is key to many studies involving gene expression analysis. In this study, 14 candidate reference genes were selected, and the variations in their expression in roots and leaves of plants subjected to biotic stress, abiotic stress, and plant growth regulator treatment were assessed by RT-qPCR. The stability of the expression of the selected genes was determined and ranked using geNorm and NormFinder. geNorm identified the two most stable genes for each set of conditions: CmADP and CmUBIep across all samples, CmUBIep and CmRPL in roots, CmRAN and CmACT in leaves, CmADP and CmRPL under abiotic stress conditions, CmTUA and CmACT under biotic stress conditions, and CmRAN and CmACT under plant growth regulator treatments. NormFinder determined CmRPL to be the best reference gene in roots and under biotic stress conditions and CmADP under the other experimental conditions. CmUBC2 and CmPP2A were not found to be suitable under many experimental conditions. The catalase family genes CmCAT1, CmCAT2, and CmCAT3 were identified in melon genome and used as target genes to validate the reliability of identified reference genes. The catalase family genes showed the most upregulation 3 days after inoculation with Fusarium wilt in roots, after which they were downregulated. Their levels of expression were significantly overestimated when the unsuitable reference gene was used for normalization. These results not only provide guidelines for the selection of reference genes for gene expression analyses in melons but may also provide valuable information for studying the functions of catalase family genes in stress responses.

  9. Identification and characterization of probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional persian pickled vegetables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soltan Dallal, M.M.

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: The pickle, a traditional fermented product, is popular among Iranians. Much research has been conducted worldwide on this food group. Due to a lack of related data in Iran, this study was conducted to isolate and identify dominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB in pickles and salted pickles.Materials and methods: Seventy samples were collected from different regions of Iran. The isolated bacteria were identified as LAB by Gram staining and catalase by using MRS agar. Then, those strains were identified at the species level by physiological tests (e.g., gas production from glucose, arginine hydrolysis, CO production from glucose in MRS broth, carbohydrate fermentation and growth at temperatures of 15°C, 30°C, and 45°C in MRS broth for 3 days. The probiotic characteristics of these bacteria were studied using acid and bile tolerance. The corresponding results were verified using PCR analyses of the 16S rDNA region. Results: 114 presumptive lactic acid bacteria (LAB with Gram-positive and catalase-negative properties were obtained from the samples. The results revealed that all isolated bacteria were identfied as ,, , , and. The predominant LAB in these pickles was which was isolated from most of the samples. Among the 114 LAB, 7 isolated species have probiotic potential. Six out of seven were recognized as and one remained unidentifiable by biochemical testing. PCR analysis and sequencing of the 16S rDNA region using 27f and 1522r primers showed that all of the probiotic strains were .Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the dominant LAB in traditional Persian pickled vegetables are , , , and . Moreover, was recognized as a probiotic species in pickled vegetables. The raw data obtained from this study can be used in the pickling industry to improve the nutritional value of products.

  10. Detection of mechanical injury on pickling cucumbers using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariana, D.; Lu, R.; Guyer, D.

    2005-11-01

    Automated detection of defects on freshly harvested pickling cucumbers will help the pickle industry provide higher quality pickle products and reduce potential economic losses. Research was conducted on using a hyperspectral imaging system for detecting defects on pickling cucumbers caused by mechanical stress. A near-infrared hyperspectral imaging system was used to capture both spatial and spectral information from cucumbers in the spectral region of 900 - 1700 nm. The system consisted of an imaging spectrograph attached to an InGaAs camera with line-light fiber bundles as an illumination source. Cucumber samples were subjected to two forms of mechanical loading, dropping and rolling, to simulate stress caused by mechanical harvesting. Hyperspectral images were acquired from the cucumbers over time periods of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 6 days after mechanical stress. Hyperspectral image processing methods, including principal component analysis and wavelength selection, were developed to separate normal and mechanically injured cucumbers. Results showed that reflectance from normal or non-bruised cucumbers was consistently higher than that from bruised cucumbers. The spectral region between 950 and 1350 nm was found to be most effective for bruise detection. The hyperspectral imaging system detected all mechanically injured cucumbers immediately after they were bruised. The overall detection accuracy was 97% within two hours of bruising and it was lower as time progressed. Lower detection accuracies for the prolonged times after bruising were attributed to the self- healing of the bruised tissue after mechanical injury. This research demonstrated that hyperspectral imaging is useful for detecting mechanical injury on pickling cucumbers.

  11. Effect of Digestate and Biochar Amendments on Photosynthesis Rate, Growth Parameters, Water Use Efficiency and Yield of Chinese Melon (Cucumis melo L. under Saline Irrigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed M. A. Elbashier

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Despite the recent interest in biochar and digestate as soil amendments for improving soil quality and increasing crop production, there is inadequate knowledge of the effect of the combination of biochar and digestate, particularly under saline irrigation conditions. A pot experiment with Chinese melon was conducted in a greenhouse, biochar (5% and digestate (500 mL/pot were used with and without the recommended mineral NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium fertilizer dose (120-150-150 Kg ha−1. The plants were irrigated with tap water (SL0 and 2 dS/m (SL1 NaCl solution. The growth, photosynthesis rate, water use efficiency (WUE and yield of Chinese melon were affected positively when biochar was combined with digestate amendment, particularly under saline irrigation water with and without mineral NPK fertilizer. The maximum yield under normal water was obtained by digestate (SL0: 218.87 t ha−1 and biochar amendment combined with digestate (SL1: 118.8 t ha−1 under saline water. The maximum WUE values were noticed with the biochar and digestate combination under all water treatments (SL0: 32.2 t ha−1 mm−1 and SL1: 19.6 t ha−1 mm−1. It was concluded that digestate alone was more effective than the use of biochar, particularly with normal water. The combination of biochar with digestate had a significant effect on the Chinese melon growth, photosynthesis rate, water use efficiency and yield under saline irrigation, and it can be used as an alternative fertilizer for mineral NPK fertilizer.

  12. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia): a review of efficacy and safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basch, Ethan; Gabardi, Steven; Ulbricht, Catherine

    2003-02-15

    The pharmacology, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, drug interactions, and place in therapy of bitter melon are described. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is an alternative therapy that has primarily been used for lowering blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes mellitus. Components of bitter melon extract appear to have structural similarities to animal insulin. Antiviral and antineoplastic activities have also been reported in vitro. Four clinical trials found bitter melon juice, fruit, and dried powder to have a moderate hypoglycemic effect. These studies were small and were not randomized or double-blind, however. Reported adverse effects of bitter melon include hypoglycemic coma and convulsions in children, reduced fertility in mice, a favism-like syndrome, increases in gamma-glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase levels in animals, and headaches. Bitter melon may have additive effects when taken with other glucose-lowering agents. Adequately powered, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are needed to properly assess safety and efficacy before bitter melon can be routinely recommended. Bitter melon may have hypoglycemic effects, but data are not sufficient to recommend its use in the absence of careful supervision and monitoring.

  13. Genetic quality control in mass-reared melon flies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyatake, T.

    2002-01-01

    Quality control in mass-reared melon flies, Bactrocera cucurbitae, after eradication is discussed, based on the results of artificial selection experiments. First, a brief history of quality control in mass-rearing of insects is described. In practical mass- rearing of melon fly, many traits have already been differentiated between mass-reared and wild flies. These differing traits are reviewed and the factors which caused these differences are considered. It was considered that the differences between wild and mass-reared melon flies depended on the selection pressures from the mass-rearing method. Next, the results of several artificial selection experiments using the melon fly are reviewed. Finally, consideration is given to some correlated responses to artificial selection in mass-rearing. Longevity that is correlated to early fecundity was successfully controlled by artificial selection for reproduction in the mass-rearing system. On the basis of these results, an improved method for quality control in mass-reared melon fly with considerations for quantitative genetics is discussed

  14. Crescimento e acúmulo de N, P e K pelo meloeiro irrigado com água salina Growth and N, P and K accumulation by melon irrigated with saline water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Francismar de Medeiros

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available O uso de água salina na irrigação é muito comum em cultivos de melão em regiões semi-áridas, o que pode resultar na salinização do solo e redução de rendimento se o manejo da irrigação não for adequado. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o crescimento e o acúmulo de N, P e K em plantas de melão (Cucumis melo, L. irrigadas com água salina. Os tratamentos estudados resultaram da combinação de dois fatores: salinidade da água de irrigação (1,1; 2,5 e 4,5 dS m-1 e materiais de melão (híbrido Trusty e cultivar Orange Flesh. O delineamento estatístico adotado foi de blocos inteiramente casualizados com quatro repetições, com tratamentos arranjados em esquema fatorial 3 x 2. A época de coleta de plantas foi analisado como outro fator e os resultados interpretados por análise multivariada. As plantas amostradas foram fracionadas em folhas + ramos e frutos, determinaram-se as produções de matérias secas e os conteúdos de N, P e K nestes materiais. Os acúmulos dos nutrientes nos frutos e de fitomassa seca na planta diminuíram com o incremento da salinidade da água de irrigação. Os frutos exportaram, em média, 57,1%, 67,1% e 70,0% dos totais de N, P, K, absorvidos pela planta e alocados na parte aérea, mostrando, portanto, que foram o principal dreno para estes nutrientes na planta.The use of saline water for irrigation is very common in cultivation of melon in semiarid zones, which can result in the soil salinization if irrigation management is not appropriate. The growth and accumulation of N, P and K by melon (Cucumis melo, L. irrigated with saline water was evaluated. Treatments resulted from the combination of the factors irrigation water salinity levels (1.1; 2.5 and 4.5 dS m-1 and melon materials (hybrid Trusty and cultivar Orange Flesh. Treatments were arranged following a completely randomized block design with four replications, arranged in 3 x 2 factorial. Another factor analyzed was time of

  15. Application of water footprint in a fertirrigated melon crop under semiarid conditions: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castellanos Serrano, María Teresa; Requejo Mariscal, María Isabel; Villena Gordo, Raquel; Cartagena Causapé, María Carmen; Arce Martínez, Augusto; Ribas Elcorobarrutia, Francisco; Jesús Cabello Cabello, María; María Tarquis Alfonso, Ana

    2015-04-01

    In recent times, there has been a major increase in the use of water and fertilizers in order to increase agricultural production, while at the same time there has increased evidence that aquifers are reducing their water level, enriched by nutrient and degraded as a result of pollution. So best management practices are needed for much of cropped, irrigated and fertirrigated land, to avoid contamination of fresh water and groundwater. The concept of "water footprint" (WF) was introduced as an indicator for the total volume of direct and indirect freshwater used, consumed and/or polluted [1]. The WF distinguishes between blue water (volume of surface and groundwater consumed), green water (rain-water consumed), and grey water (volume of freshwater that is required to assimilate the load of pollutants based on existing ambient water quality standards). This study is focused in calculating the crops WF using a real case of study in a fertirrigated melon crop under semiarid conditions which is principally cultivated in the centre of Spain declared vulnerable zone to nitrate pollution by applying the Directive 91/676/CEE. During successive years, a melon crop (Cucumis melo L.) was grown under field conditions applying mineral and organic fertilizers. Different doses of ammonium nitrate were used as well as compost derived from the wine-distillery industry which is relevant in this area. This application help us to review the different concepts in which is based WF. Acknowledgements: This project has been supported by INIA-RTA04-111-C3 and INIA-RTA2010-00110-C03-01. Keywords: Water footprint, nitrogen, fertirrigation, inorganic fertilizers, organic amendments, winery waste, semiarid conditions. [1] Hoekstra, A.Y. 2003. Virtual water trade. Proceedings of the International Expert Meeting on Virtual Water Trade, Delft, The Netherlands, 12-13 December 2002. Value of Water Research Report Series No. 12, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands.

  16. Cucumis sativus L, Nasim variety

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... practice for reducing water consumption and improving product quality. ... Since cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L, Nasim variety) is considered as the main and ... to a significant yield increase (P<0.001), while MAD of 50% had the least yield.

  17. Caractéristiques physiques de la production du melon cantaloup Cucumis melo L., cultivé sous serre

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hannachi, C.

    1994-01-01

    Full Text Available Physical Characteristics Of Muskmelon Production, Cucumis melo L., Cultivated Under Greenhouse- Tunisia. Seven varieties of cantaloup muskmelon (Pancha, Sugdor, Supersprint, F^6802, Gallicum, Polidor, Pallas were cultivated in plastic house and tested for yield and fruit quality (fruit weight, index of refraction, thickness of flesh. Supersprint, Pancha and Sugdor were the more productive varieties. Their early yield represents 61 %, 62 %> and 53 %> of total yield : 4, 2 ; 5, 2 and 5, 7 kg/m2 respectively. Fruits had a commercial weight of more than 500 g and an acceptable gustative quality ; IR> 10. Fruit weight was positively correlated with viable seed number (pancha : IR was appreciated for Pancha, Sugdor and F^802 (IR> 12. The flesh of these three varieties was well developped, and it was probably influenced by the important seed number (523-610 seeds/fruit. It was 3 cm wide and 6 times as thick as the cortex (0, 5 cm. Pancha was significantly distinguished from others by the fruit number (6 fruits/plant. The introduction of honey bees may improve pollination of flowers and allowed to exploit better its potentialities.

  18. (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars to soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi in Iran

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ajl11

    2012-10-30

    Oct 30, 2012 ... resistance of melon cultivars to three important soil-borne plant pathogens found worldwide. Key words: Melon ... use of cultivars resistant to plant diseases is one of the ..... emerging disease of melons worldwide. Plant Dis.

  19. Exploration of the diversity and associated health benefits of traditional pickles from the Himalayan and adjacent hilly regions of Indian subcontinent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Rakhi; Roy, Swarnendu

    2018-05-01

    The Himalayas have provided shelter to the various communities for thousands of years and have remained the cradle for the origin of diverse cultures and traditions. The Himalayan belt is rich in biodiversity and have ushered mankind with numerous gifts for survival and existence. The art of pickling is believed to have developed independently among the different communities of this region. In this region, the main meal is supplemented with pickles or achar that not only adds flavour, but also enhances the value of the meal and often comes with inherent health benefits. The prime objective of this article was to enlist the diverse pickles that are being prepared and consumed by the different tribes and communities, and at the same time analyse the science behind pickle preparation and health benefits and concerns associated with pickles. We have enlisted about hundred monotypic pickles, that are prepared from single fruit or vegetable; but sometimes fungi such as Agaricus and ferns like Diplazium and Pteridium have also been used. Also, fish and meat pickles are common mostly in the Eastern Himalayan region. Traditional pickles constitute the medicinal values of the ingredients and other beneficial properties conferred by the associated microorganisms.

  20. Studies on certain quality attributes of meat pickle prepared from spent chicken

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dilip Ranjan Nath

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Aim: An attempt was made to develop a desirable meat pickle from the less tender and low demand spent chicken meat with the prime objective of its better marketability and wider acceptability amongst the non-vegetarian masses. Materials and Methods: Lean of culled spent meat was marinated for overnight and then pressure cooked and fried with spices and condiments to prepare a shelf stable meat pickle. Proximate composition, pH, TBA Values, Total viable plate count, Counts for yeast and moulds and sensory quality of the pickles were studied as per standard procedure. Results: The mean per cent moisture, crude protein, ether extract and total ash contents were 61.89±0.12, 17.28±0.56, 14.65±0.16 and 3.35±0.17 respectively. The product pH and the yeast and mould counts though did not differ significantly amongst the storage periods, yet there were significant differences (p<0.01 in TBA and total viable plate count amongst the storage periods. Organoleptic studies with score card method recorded a progressive decrease in the mean panel scores along with the increased storage periods. Conclusion: The spent chicken meat pickle was found to be acceptable for consumption up-to 90 days of storage at room temperature. [Vet World 2013; 6(3.000: 156-158

  1. Decontamination of radioactively polluted game by means of pickling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hecht, H.

    1987-01-01

    The effect of pickling on the decontamination of game polluted by radioactive cesium isotopes has been investigated in the study reported. The best decontamination degree has been achieved with a vinegar marinade, the ratio between game and marinade being 1:3, pickling temperature being maintained at 12 0 C for a period of 4 days. By this procedure, 90 p.c. of the cesium isotopes have been taken up by the marinade. Buttermilk marinade also is a successful means of decontamination, but with clearly lower effects, and at the same temperature of 12 0 C does not remain microbiologically stable. Spices added to the marinade have shown to reduce the decontamination effet. Also, the ratio between game and marinade has been found to be decisive, the best ratio being 1:3. (orig./MG) [de

  2. Reaction of melon genotypes to the gummy stem blight and the downy mildew Reação de genótipos de melão ao crestamento gomoso e ao míldio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gil R dos Santos

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available The gummy stem blight (Didymella bryoniae and the downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis are two foremost melon (Cucumis melo diseases, considering their effects on yield and fruit quality. Despite the importance of such diseases, relatively few studies have been done so far on the identification of resistance sources to D. bryoniae and P. cubensis in Brazil. This work aimed at evaluating the resistance of commercial melon genotypes to the gummy stem blight and the downy mildew. Firstly, the most aggressive and representative D. bryoniae isolate was selected. Subsequently, the resistance of 86 melon genotypes to stem infection was studied upon greenhouse conditions by inoculating with the previously selected isolate. Afterwards, the resistance to mildew and leaf infection by D. bryoniae of 28 melon genotypes was evaluated in the field, under natural infection. In the greenhouse, all 86 melon genotypes were infected and showed stem infection symptoms caused by D. bryoniae four days after inoculation. Nevertheless, a significant variation on the resistance levels of the melon genotypes was found. Under field conditions and natural inoculation, genotypes Taslaki and Sary Juliabi were the most susceptible to leaf infection by D. bryoniae, significantly differing from the other genotypes. The lowest levels of susceptibility were identified in genotypes Perlita Busle S1, Valenciano Elíptico, Glaver, MR1, and 2526. All genotypes were susceptible to the downy mildew, albeit differing in susceptibility levels.O crestamento gomoso do caule (Didymella bryoniae e o míldio (Pseudoperonospora cubensis estão entre as principais doenças do meloeiro (Cucumis melo ocasionando redução da produtividade e da qualidade dos frutos. Apesar da importância dessas doenças, são poucos os trabalhos envolvendo a identificação de fontes de resistência a D. bryoniae e a P. cubensis no Brasil. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a resistência de gen

  3. Strobilurin and boscalid in the quality of net melon fruits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Claudia Macedo

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Until recently, fungicides were used exclusively for disease control; however observations of physiological effects brought a new concept to the use of these products. Strobilurins have positive physiological effects on crop yield, due to the increase of liquid photosynthesis and better hormonal balance. However, boscalid complements the action of these fungicides, applied alternately or together. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of strobilurins (azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin, boscalid and the mixture of these on the physical-chemical quality of net melon fruits (Cucumis melo var. Reticulatus. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of São Manuel (SP, using the hybrid of Cantaloupe M2-308 net melon, the experimental design was in randomized blocks with five replicates. The treatments used were: T1 - control; T2 - azoxystrobin 60g ha-1 of active principle (a.p.; T3 - boscalid 75g ha-1 of the a.p.; T4 - pyraclostrobin 50g ha-1 of the a.p.; T5 - boscalid (37,5g ha-1 of the a.p. + pyraclostrobin (25g ha-1 of the a.p. The first application of the treatments was carried out at fourteen days after the transplanting of the seedlings and the others at seven day intervals, totaling eight applications throughout the cycle. Two fruits of each plot were collected, which were identified for analysis in the laboratory. The following characteristics were evaluated: fresh fruit mass; mesocarp thickness, pulp texture, peel trajectory, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids and the ratio. The results were submitted to analysis of variance and the averages compared by the Tukey test at 5% probability using the SISVAR program. The fruits of the plants treated with boscalid 75g ha-1 were the ones that showed higher concentration of soluble solids and low titratable acidity, resulting in a better ratio. Despite the lower value, the fruits of the plants treated with pyraclostrobin 50g ha-1 showed a high ratio value, besides presenting higher

  4. Caracterização morfológica e dissimilaridade genética entre variedades crioulas de melão Morphological characterization and genetic dissimilarity in melon landraces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Silviana Neitzke

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Variedades crioulas de melão (Cucumis melo são cultivadas no Sul do Brasil para consumo familiar e também para comercialização dos frutos. No entanto, existe uma carência de trabalhos relativos a sua caracterização. Este trabalho teve por objetivo caracterizar e avaliar a variabilidade genética de variedades crioulas de melão do Sul do Brasil mantidos no Banco Ativo de Germoplasma de Cucurbitáceas da Embrapa Clima Temperado. Foram caracterizados 14 acessos utilizando 26 descritores morfológicos de fruto. Os dados foram analisados pelos métodos de agrupamento de Tocher e hierárquico UPGMA. Os métodos de agrupamento foram parcialmente concordantes. O acesso C88 possui características distintas, ficando isolado dos demais, pois é o único entre todos os avaliados que apresenta formato piriforme e sem gomos, cor de epicarpo creme, cor de polpa branca e ruptura profunda no fruto. Existe grande variabilidade genética, para caracteres de frutos, nas variedades crioulas de melão conservadas nesse Banco Ativo de Germoplasma, com potencial para uso no melhoramento genético, destacando-se o acesso C71 por possuir sabor adocicado e polpa de cor laranja e o C72, por apresentar elevados valores de peso de fruto e espessura de polpa.Melon landraces (Cucumis melo are cultivated in South of Brazil for family consumption and also for marketing fruits. However, there is a lack of works related to characterization of these landraces. The objective of this work was to characterize and evaluate genetic variability of melon landraces from South of Brazil which are maintained in the Cucurbitaceae Genebank at Embrapa Clima Temperado, trough morphological characterization. Fourteen accessions were characterized in 26 morphological fruit descriptors. Data were analyzed by Tocher grouping method and UPGMA hierarchical. The two methods agreed partially. The accession C88 has unique characteristics, being isolated when compared to the other accessions, it

  5. Storage and irradiation of Cucumis pollen and their influence on pollen vitality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oost, E.H.; Nijs, A.P.M. den

    1979-01-01

    In connection with an interspecific hybridization programme and a mentor pollen experiment in Cucumis, the optimal storage conditions and in vitro germination medium for both fresh and irradiated pollen of the cultivated cucumber and two wild African Cucumis species have been searched for. (Auth.)

  6. Relative incidence of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) and Dacus ciliatus Loew on cucurbitaceous vegetables

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, N.K. Krishna; Verghese, Abraham; Shivakumara, B.; Krishnamoorthy, P.N.; Ranganath, H.R. [Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore (India). Div. of Entomology and Nematology

    2006-07-01

    The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) is a major pest of cucurbitaceous vegetables and fruits in many parts of the world. Infestation of an another species, the lesser pumpkin fly, Dacus ciliatus Loew is reported on a few cucurbits in the Indian sub-continent and Africa. While extensive work on seasonality, infestation percent, host preference, attraction to para pheromone on B. cucurbitae has been reported, little is known of D. ciliatus. Field experiments were carried out at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore (12058'N; 77035'E) from June 2002- October 2003. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L), ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) and pickling cucumbers [C. sativus L (variety. Ijax)] were raised at monthly interval. Cue lure baited bottle traps were hung to monitor B. cucurbitae and other related species. Bactrocera cucurbitae was present all through the year and maximum number of adults was trapped during August (14.14/trap/week). Dacus ciliatus was trapped only from May to October but in relatively less numbers ({approx} 1/week). Maximum fruit fly infestation was 77.03 % on bitter gourd (August 2003), 75.65 % on ridge gourd (Nov. 02), 73.83 % on cucumber (October, 02) and 63.31 % on pickling cucumber (October, 02). Trap catches of B. cucurbitae was significantly and positively correlated with relative humidity. Maximum and minimum temperature, RH (%), rainfall (mm), evaporation (mm) and wind speed (km/h) collectively determined 44 % of B. cucurbitae trap catches. Maximum fruit fly emergence of 494.64/ kg fruit was on bitter gourd (October, 2002) followed by cucumber (431.97, November, 2002), pickling cucumber (307.51, October 2002) and ridge gourd (210.74, October, 2003). Dacus ciliatus formed only 4.5% of the total number of fruit flies on bitter gourd and 0.2% on pickling cucumber. Its infestation was not observed on cucumber and ridge gourd. Parasitism by the larval

  7. Relative incidence of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) and Dacus ciliatus Loew on cucurbitaceous vegetables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, N.K. Krishna; Verghese, Abraham; Shivakumara, B.; Krishnamoorthy, P.N.; Ranganath, H.R.

    2006-01-01

    The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) is a major pest of cucurbitaceous vegetables and fruits in many parts of the world. Infestation of an another species, the lesser pumpkin fly, Dacus ciliatus Loew is reported on a few cucurbits in the Indian sub-continent and Africa. While extensive work on seasonality, infestation percent, host preference, attraction to para pheromone on B. cucurbitae has been reported, little is known of D. ciliatus. Field experiments were carried out at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore (12058'N; 77035'E) from June 2002- October 2003. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L), ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) and pickling cucumbers [C. sativus L (variety. Ijax)] were raised at monthly interval. Cue lure baited bottle traps were hung to monitor B. cucurbitae and other related species. Bactrocera cucurbitae was present all through the year and maximum number of adults was trapped during August (14.14/trap/week). Dacus ciliatus was trapped only from May to October but in relatively less numbers (∼ 1/week). Maximum fruit fly infestation was 77.03 % on bitter gourd (August 2003), 75.65 % on ridge gourd (Nov. 02), 73.83 % on cucumber (October, 02) and 63.31 % on pickling cucumber (October, 02). Trap catches of B. cucurbitae was significantly and positively correlated with relative humidity. Maximum and minimum temperature, RH (%), rainfall (mm), evaporation (mm) and wind speed (km/h) collectively determined 44 % of B. cucurbitae trap catches. Maximum fruit fly emergence of 494.64/ kg fruit was on bitter gourd (October, 2002) followed by cucumber (431.97, November, 2002), pickling cucumber (307.51, October 2002) and ridge gourd (210.74, October, 2003). Dacus ciliatus formed only 4.5% of the total number of fruit flies on bitter gourd and 0.2% on pickling cucumber. Its infestation was not observed on cucumber and ridge gourd. Parasitism by the larval-pupal parasitoid

  8. Effect of gamma radiation on the content β-carotene and volatile compounds of cantaloupe melon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza, Stefania P. de; Cardozo, Monique; Lima, Keila dos S.C.; Lima, Antonio L. dos S.

    2011-01-01

    The Japanese melon or cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) is characterized by fruits with almost 1.0 Kg, pulp usually salmon and musky scent. The fruits when ripe are sensitive to post harvest handling. This low transport resistance and reduced shelf-life makes it necessary to delay the ripening of fruit. In this way the use of irradiation technique is a good choice. Irradiation is the process of exposing food to high doses of gamma rays. The processing of fruits and vegetables with ionizing radiation has as main purpose to ensure its preservation. However, like other forms of food processing, irradiation may cause changes in chemical composition and nutritional value. This study aims to assess possible changes in carotene content and volatile compounds caused by exposure of cantaloupe melon fruit to gamma irradiation. Irradiation of the samples occurred in Centro Tecnologico do Exercito (Guaratiba-RJ), using Gamma irradiator (Cs 137 source, dose rate 1.8 kGy/h), being applied 0.5 and 1.0 kGy doses and separated a control group not irradiated. Carotenoids were extracted with acetone and then suffered partition to petroleum ether, solvent was removed under nitrogen flow and the remainder dissolved in acetone again. The chromatographic analysis was performed using a Shimadzu gas chromatograph, with C30 column. For volatile compounds, we used gas chromatography (GC) associated with mass (MS). As a result, it was verified in analysis of carotenoids that cantaloupe melon is rich in β-carotene. Both total content of carotenoids and specific β-carotene amount wasn't suffer significant reduction in irradiated fruits at two doses, demonstrating that the irradiation process under these conditions implies a small loss of nutrients. The major volatile compounds were: 2-methyl-1-butyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, n-hexyl acetate, benzyl acetate, 6-nonenyl acetate and α -terpinyl acetate. For all compounds we observed an increase in the volatile content in 0.5 kGy ranging from 0.8 to 9

  9. Effect of gamma radiation on the content {beta}-carotene and volatile compounds of cantaloupe melon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Souza, Stefania P. de; Cardozo, Monique; Lima, Keila dos S.C.; Lima, Antonio L. dos S., E-mail: keila@ime.eb.br, E-mail: santoslima@ime.eb.br [Departamento de Quimica - IME - Instituto Militar de Engenharia, RJ (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    The Japanese melon or cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) is characterized by fruits with almost 1.0 Kg, pulp usually salmon and musky scent. The fruits when ripe are sensitive to post harvest handling. This low transport resistance and reduced shelf-life makes it necessary to delay the ripening of fruit. In this way the use of irradiation technique is a good choice. Irradiation is the process of exposing food to high doses of gamma rays. The processing of fruits and vegetables with ionizing radiation has as main purpose to ensure its preservation. However, like other forms of food processing, irradiation may cause changes in chemical composition and nutritional value. This study aims to assess possible changes in carotene content and volatile compounds caused by exposure of cantaloupe melon fruit to gamma irradiation. Irradiation of the samples occurred in Centro Tecnologico do Exercito (Guaratiba-RJ), using Gamma irradiator (Cs{sub 137} source, dose rate 1.8 kGy/h), being applied 0.5 and 1.0 kGy doses and separated a control group not irradiated. Carotenoids were extracted with acetone and then suffered partition to petroleum ether, solvent was removed under nitrogen flow and the remainder dissolved in acetone again. The chromatographic analysis was performed using a Shimadzu gas chromatograph, with C30 column. For volatile compounds, we used gas chromatography (GC) associated with mass (MS). As a result, it was verified in analysis of carotenoids that cantaloupe melon is rich in {beta}-carotene. Both total content of carotenoids and specific {beta}-carotene amount wasn't suffer significant reduction in irradiated fruits at two doses, demonstrating that the irradiation process under these conditions implies a small loss of nutrients. The major volatile compounds were: 2-methyl-1-butyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, n-hexyl acetate, benzyl acetate, 6-nonenyl acetate and {alpha} -terpinyl acetate. For all compounds we observed an increase in the volatile content in 0.5 k

  10. Effect of chromium toxicity on germination and early seedling growth ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    2010-07-19

    Jul 19, 2010 ... germination and early seedling growth of melon (Cucumis melo L.). Chromium ... chromium on seed germination and seedling growth- biomass in early ..... such critical regulatory mechanisms are likely to operate in seeds at ...

  11. Substrato e solução nutritiva desenvolvidos a partir de efluente de biodigestor para cultivo do meloeiro Substrate and nutrient solution developed using a biodigestor effluent for melon cultivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz V. E. Villela Jr.

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Buscando a sustentabilidade em uma pequena propriedade agrícola visou-se com o presente estudo, ao aproveitamento do efluente de biodigestor proveniente da fermentação anaeróbia de estrume bovino, no cultivo sem solo do meloeiro. O experimento foi conduzido em Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil, localizado na Latitude 21º 15- 22" S e Longitude 48º 18- 58" W. Cultivou-se o meloeiro (Cucumis melo L. cv. Bonus nº 2 em substrato, com semeadura realizada em outubro de 2003 e se utilizou delineamento experimental em blocos casualisados com 16 tratamentos e 5 repetições, em esquema fatorial 4 x 4 (4 substratos e 4 soluções nutritivas. Os 4 substratos se compunham de diferentes proporções da mistura entre a parte sólida do efluente de biodigestor e a areia grossa lavada; as 4 soluções nutritivas foram compostas pela parte líquida do efluente de biodigestor (biofertilizante em substituição a adubos minerais hidrossolúveis. A adição do efluente à areia proporcionou crescimento vegetativo mais rápido, maior precocidade na colheita, frutos mais pesados e maior produtividade à cultura do meloeiro. Adubos minerais hidrossolúveis utilizados no cultivo de plantas em substrato podem ser parcialmente substituídos pelo biofertilizante estudado.Looking for the sustainability of a small farming enterprise, the present study focused the benefit of the biodigestor effluent resulting from the anaerobic fermentation of the bovine manure in a soilless melon plant experiment. The research was conducted in Jaboticabal, in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, at latitude of 21° 15- 22-- S and a longitude of 48° 18- 58-- W. The melon plant (Cucumis melo L. cv Bonus n° 2 was grown with substrate, seedling obtained in 10/2003. An experimental design was adapted in a randomized block with 16 treatments and 5 replications in a factorial 4 x 4 (4 substrates and 4 nutrient solutions. The 4 substrates were made up of different proportions in volume of the blend

  12. Physicochemical Pro~rti~ of Curd Prepared from Melon Seeds

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Key~~;ds~ Mel6n curd, coagulati'an, protein, calcium, sulphate, acceptabilit:" . ' .' ~ I[. ,.} ..... from where they were prepared, Fat contents,~ar ied among ... Table 1: Chemical compositio'o ~f' Melon Seed Milk (IWSM) Raw Melon Curd RMC' .' -'.

  13. Promise of bitter melon (Momordica charantia) bioactives in cancer prevention and therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raina, Komal; Kumar, Dileep; Agarwal, Rajesh

    2016-10-01

    Recently, there is a paradigm shift that the whole food-derived components are not 'idle bystanders' but actively participate in modulating aberrant metabolic and signaling pathways in both healthy and diseased individuals. One such whole food from Cucurbitaceae family is 'bitter melon' (Momordica charantia, also called bitter gourd, balsam apple, etc.), which has gained an enormous attention in recent years as an alternative medicine in developed countries. The increased focus on bitter melon consumption could in part be due to several recent pre-clinical efficacy studies demonstrating bitter melon potential to target obesity/type II diabetes-associated metabolic aberrations as well as its pre-clinical anti-cancer efficacy against various malignancies. The bioassay-guided fractionations have also classified the bitter melon chemical constituents based on their anti-diabetic or cytotoxic effects. Thus, by definition, these bitter melon constituents are at cross roads on the bioactivity parameters; they either have selective efficacy for correcting metabolic aberrations or targeting cancer cells, or have beneficial effects in both conditions. However, given the vast, though dispersed, literature reports on the bioactivity and beneficial attributes of bitter melon constituents, a comprehensive review on the bitter melon components and the overlapping beneficial attributes is lacking; our review attempts to fulfill these unmet needs. Importantly, the recent realization that there are common risk factors associated with obesity/type II diabetes-associated metabolic aberrations and cancer, this timely review focuses on the dual efficacy of bitter melon against the risk factors associated with both diseases that could potentially impact the course of malignancy to advanced stages. Furthermore, this review also addresses a significant gap in our knowledge regarding the bitter melon drug-drug interactions which can be predicted from the available reports on bitter melon

  14. Effect of basic alkali-pickling conditions on the production of lysinoalanine in preserved eggs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yan; Luo, Xuying; Li, Jianke; Xu, Mingsheng; Tu, Yonggang

    2015-09-01

    During the pickling process, strong alkali causes significant lysinoalanine (LAL) formation in preserved eggs, which may reduce the nutritional value of the proteins and result in a potential hazard to human health. In this study, the impacts of the alkali treatment conditions on the production of LAL in preserved eggs were investigated. Preserved eggs were prepared using different times and temperatures, and alkali-pickling solutions with different types and concentrations of alkali and metal salts, and the corresponding LAL contents were measured. The results showed the following: during the pickling period of the preserved egg, the content of LAL in the egg white first rapidly increased and then slowly increased; the content of LAL in the egg yolk continued to increase significantly. During the aging period, the levels of LAL in both egg white and egg yolk slowly increased. The amounts of LAL in the preserved eggs were not significantly different at temperatures between 20 and 25ºC. At higher pickling temperatures, the LAL content in the preserved eggs increased. With the increase of alkali concentration in the alkali-pickling solution, the LAL content in the egg white and egg yolk showed an overall trend of an initial increase followed by a slight decrease. The content of LAL produced in preserved eggs treated with KOH was lower than in those treated with NaOH. NaCl and KCl produced no significant effects on the production of LAL in the preserved eggs. With increasing amounts of heavy metal salts, the LAL content in the preserved eggs first decreased and then increased. The LAL content generated in the CuSO4 group was lower than that in either the ZnSO4 or PbO groups. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  15. Optical measurement for the concentrations of the pickling acid with near infrared spectroscopy in steel making industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Gumin; Lee, Kwangchil; Park, Haesung; Lee, Jinho; Jung, Youngjean; Kim, Kyoungsik

    2010-08-01

    In the manufacturing process of stainless steel, it is essential to pickle the oxide layer of steel surface for high corrosion resistance and fine surface quality. Pickling liquor of stainless steel is commonly composed of mixed hydrofluoric and nitric acid. Real time monitoring of concentrations of each acid is crucial to optimize pickling process. It also reduces cost of production and decreases the generation of waste acid. We used non-contact near infrared spectroscopy technique and rapid analysis method, for the quantification of each acid in an on-line manner. Multivariate calibration such as partial least square regression method is employed for the better prediction results.

  16. Polyploidization facilitates biotechnological in vitro techniques in the genus Cucumis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skálová, Dagmar; Ondřej, Vladan; Doležalová, Ivana; Navrátilová, Božena; Lebeda, Aleš

    2010-01-01

    Prezygotic interspecific crossability barrier in the genus Cucumis is related to the ploidy level of the species (cucumber (C. sativus), x = 7; muskmelon (C. melo) and wild Cucumis species, x = 12). Polyploidization of maternal plants helps hybridization among other Cucumis species by overcoming prezygotic genetic barriers. The main objective of this paper is to compare the results of several methods supporting interspecific crosses in cucumber without and with polyploidization (comparison between diploid (2x) and mixoploid (2x/4x) cucumber maternal plants). Mixoploid plants were obtained after in vivo and in vitro polyploidization by colchicine and oryzalin. Ploidy level was estimated by flow cytometry. Embryo rescue, in vitro pollination, and isolation of mesophyll protoplast were tested and compared. Positive effect of polyploidization was observed during all experiments presented by higher regeneration capacity of cultivated mixoploid cucumber embryos, ovules, and protoplasts. Nevertheless, the hybrid character of putative hybrid accessions obtained after cross in vivo and in vitro pollination was not confirmed.

  17. PRELIMINARY NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION OF FIVE SPECIES OF ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    pumpkin or squash gourd), Cucurbita moschata (musk melon), Lagenaria siceraria (bottle gourd or calabash) and Cucumis sativus (“Ibo” egusi). The moisture content was determined by drying in an oven to constant weight, crude protein content by ...

  18. Symptoms and Sensitivity to Chilling Injury of Cantaloupe Melons during Postharvest Síntomas y Sensibilidad a Daño por Enfriamiento de Melones Reticulados durante Poscosecha

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Krarup

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available The nature and development of specific symptoms of chilling injury (CI and the variation in sensitivity to the disorder of different cultivars of cantaloupe melons (Cucumis melo L. subsp. melo var. cantalupensis Naudin was assessed during two seasons. Twenty-three cultivars of the Eastern Shipper (2, Western Shipper (13 and Galia (8 types were grown in a semiarid environment in Curacaví (33º27’ S, 70º38’ W, Chile, using common cultural practices. Fruits were harvested at the half-slip stage, except Galia (3/5 color, graded ,washed, and stored for 18 days at 0 ºC, with an additional 3 days at 20 ºC. Symptoms of CI appeared with varying intensity in almost all cultivars and were generally similar. Symptoms developed progressively: surface discoloration progressed from light pink to brownish to black, followed by large sunken areas, and eventually, discrete indentations and net whitening. Surface decay was not present in most fruits and should be considered a consequence rather than a symptom of CI. Cultivars had different sensitivities to the disorder; some cultivars were severely injured (Athena, Colima and Revigal whereas others developed almost no symptoms of CI (Hy-Mark, Gal 96, and Voyager I. The response variability to chilling showed the need for precise temperature recommendations for these cultivars, and signaled a potential for future long-term transport or storage of some cultivars.La naturaleza y el desarrollo de los síntomas de daño por enfriamiento (CI y la variación en sensibilidad de diversos cultivares de melones reticulados (Cucumis melo L. subsp. melo var. cantalupensis Naudin a este desorden fisiológico se evaluaron durante dos temporadas. Veintitrés cultivares de los tipos Eastern (1, Western (15 y Galia (8 se cultivaron en un ambiente semi-árido en Curacaví (33º27’ S, 70º38’ O, Chile, en cultivos realizados de manera convencional, y los frutos se cosecharon al estado de madurez de medio desprendimiento

  19. KARAKTERISTIK ES KRIM HASIL MODIFIKASI DENGAN FORMULASI BUBUR TIMUN SURI (Cucumis melo L. DAN SARI KEDELAI [Characteristics of Modified Ice Cream Formulated with Cucumis melo L. Puree and Soybean Milk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oksilia

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research was to observe the physical and chemical characteristics of ice cream made with various formulations of Cucumis melo L. puree and soybean milk. The experiment was designed using Factorial Randomized Block Design with two treatments and each combination was replicated three times. The factors investigated were formulations of Cucumis melo L. puree (10, 12.5 and 15 % and soybean milk (40, 50 and 60%. The ice cream’s viscosity, overrun and melting time were determined, where as protein, fat and potassium content were analyzed. The results showed that the interaction of Cucumis melo L. puree and soybean milk formulation had significant effect on viscosity and overrun. Modified ice cream made with 12.5% Cucumis melo L. puree and 40% soybean milk was the best formula for producing modified ice cream. The resulted ice cream had viscosity of 1.03 cP, overrun 53.93% and melting time 23,58 minutes, while the protein, fat and potassium content were 5.18%, 70% and 1083.33 mg/L, respectively.

  20. Effects of different irrigation regimes and nitrogen levels on yield and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Jane

    2011-08-31

    Aug 31, 2011 ... levels on yield and quality of melon (Cucumis melo L.) M. Simsek1* and N. ... fertilization have significant adverse effects on water resources ... usage of water to meet the needs of plants (Stewart and. Nielsen, 1990).

  1. Molecular Cloning, Characterization, and Expression of Cuc m 2, a Major Allergen in Cucumis melo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojtaba Sankian

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Several studies reported the clinical features of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity after ingestion of melon. Melon allergy is a common IgE-mediated fruit allergy in Iran. This prompted us to investigate immunochemical and molecular properties of the major allergen in melon fruit, to compare the IgE-binding capacity of the natural protein with the recombinant allergen, and to determine cross-reactivity of the major allergen with closely-related allergens from other plants displaying clinical cross-reactivity with melon. Methods: Identification and molecular characterization of the major melon allergen were performed using IgE immunoblotting, allergen-specific ELISA, affinity-based purifications, cross-inhibition assays, cloning, and expression of the allergen in Escherichia coli. Results: Melon profilin was identified and isolated as a major IgE-binding component and designated as Cuc m 2. Sequencing corresponding cDNA revealed an open reading frame of 363 bp coding for 131 amino acid residues and two fragments of 171 bp and 383 bps for the 5’and 3’ UTRs, respectively. Significant cross-reactivity was found between melon profilin and Cynodon dactylon, tomato, peach, and grape profilins in cross-inhibition assays. Although the highest degree of amino acid identity was revealed with watermelon profilin, there was no significant cross-reactivity between melon and watermelon profilins. Conclusion: Melon profilin is the major IgE-binding component in melon extract, and the recombinant and natural forms exhibited similar IgE-binding capacities. A part of the fruit-fruit and pollen-fruit cross-reactions could be explained by the presence of this conserved protein; however, sequence homology provides insufficient information to predict IgE cross-reactivity of profilins.

  2. SHRINKAGE AND MOISTURE LOSS OF DRIED MELON SEEDS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Samples of 100g clean, mature, freshly washed melon seeds were dried at intervals of 1/4, 1/2, 1 and 2h in an air-oven at 60O C. The experiments were carried out with five different bulk samples of melon seeds. The moisture content of the seeds at each drying stage was determined. The moisture loss in grams per ...

  3. African Journal of Biotechnology - Vol 10, No 34 (2011)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... microcephaly associated (ASPM) gene mutation is a major cause of primary ... Optimization of somatic embryogenesis induction in Iranian melon (Cucumis melo cv. ... related gene expression in response to enhanced UV-B radiation in Arabidopsis ... Exobiopolymer from polyhydroxyalkanoate-producing transgenic yeast ...

  4. Effect of irradiation on nutritional quality of chicken feet with pickled peppers in shelf life

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Shurong; Zhou Linyan; Yi Jianyong; Feng Min; Li Li; Yang Ping; Wang Dening; Gu Guiqiang; Zhu Jiating

    2013-01-01

    The effect of irradiation on nutritional quality of soft packaged chicken feet with pickled peppers within shelf life were investigated. Chicken feet were irradiated by E-beam which max dose was 10 kGy, and all the samples were stored at 0 ∼ 10℃ and analyzed one month after irradiation treatment. Significant sterilizing effect was got for soft packaged chicken feet with pickled peppers by irradiation; The contents of protein and fat were changed after irradiation treatment; the contents of V_A, V_E and V_B_3 in irradiated chicken feet were increased; The total contents of amino acids increased when irradiation dose were more than 4 kGy; The contents of total acids decreased after irradiation treatment, but the contents of cholesterol and nitrite increased. Above all, irradiation treatment can be used to improve nutritional quality of chicken feet with pickled peppers in shelf life. (authors)

  5. Effect of pesticide mixture on value of fresh, fermented and pickles cucumbers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krystyna WElkner

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In years 1998-1999 effects of fungicides (azoxystrobin and copper hydroxide, insecticides (etafenproks and pirimicarb and their mixtures on chemical composition and organoleptic quality of fresh, fermented and pickled cucumbers were studied_ To analyses fruits were taken after 7 and 12 days from treatment. Fresh cucumber fruits after 7 days from treatment with investigated pesticides contained less carbohydrates and ascorbic acids and higher level of nitrates in compare to untreated fruits (control. After 12 days from treatment the differences between treated and untreated fruits dissapeared. Cucumber fruits harvested 7 and 12 days after treatment were processed separately. Quality evaluation of fermented and pickled cucumbers was carried out 4 months after processing. In most of cucumber fruits (7 days after treatment with pesticides treated with pesticides empty cavities were found, and not in control (untreated. Number of cavities was highest in fresh and pickled cucumbers treated with mixture of fungicide and insecticide. In case of fermented cucumbers highest number of empty cavities occurred in fruits treated with fungicide azoxystrobin. Cucumber fruits taken to fermentation process 7 days after day of treatment had darker green colour, lowered haIdness, and larger empty cavities than untreated fruits. In fruits harvested 12 days after pesticides application such differencess were not observed.

  6. An immunoblotting analysis of cross-reactivity between melon, and plantago and grass pollens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García Ortiz, J C; Ventas, P; Cosmes, P; López-Asunsolo, A

    1996-01-01

    It is known that most patients with type I allergy to pollens also suffer intolerance to fruits. Recently, an epidemiological and CAP-inhibition study has shown a new clustering of allergy between melon and Plantago and grass pollens. The aim of the present study was to confirm these results by immunoblotting analysis and inhibition of immunoblotting. Sera from 3 patients with confirmed allergy to melon, and Dactylis glomerata and Plantago lanceolata pollens were used for the in vitro studies. SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting analysis with a pool of sera revealed that several distinct protein bands were shared by the three extracts at 14, 31, and a spectrum between 40 and 70 kDa, approximately. Immunoblotting inhibition experiments, performed with extracts of melon, Plantago and Dactylis, showed that all allergens of melon blotting were almost completely inhibited by grass and Plantago pollen extracts. Inversely, the melon extract was capable of inhibiting IgE-binding to various allergens of Dactylis at high mol mass and partially to the band at 14 kDa. Moreover, the melon almost totally inhibited the IgE-binding capacity to the proteins of Plantago extract. Taken together, the results support the presence of structurally similar allergens in melon, Plantago and grass pollens, and that all allergenic epitopes of the melon are present in these pollens.

  7. Agrobacterium mediated transformation of Tunisian Cucumis melo ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Transgenic Cucumis melo cv. Maazoun containing the neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPT II) chimeric gene conferring resistance to kanamycin were obtained from cotyledons explants inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens (GV3101) that contained the binary vector plasmid pADI. Transformed shoots were obtained ...

  8. Effect of incorporation of fermented bamboo shoot on physicochemical and microbial quality of pork pickle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chavhan, D M; Hazarika, M; Brahma, M L; Hazarika, R A; Rahman, Z

    2015-02-01

    Replacement of commercial chemical preservative (Vinegar) by incorporating fermented bamboo shoot (FBS) products partially or completely and their effect on physicochemical, microbial and shelf life qualities on pork pickle products was studied. Different FBS products such as FBS extract, paste and powder were incorporated in the pork pickle products at the level of 50 to 100 % with or without vinegar and stored at room temperature for 90 days. Highest pH values and lowest titrable acidity was recorded in products with 50 and 100 % FBS powder. No significant differences were observed with respect to proximate composition i.e. percent moisture, protein, fat and ash contents among the products except the product with 100 % FBS powder which had significantly (p acid (TBA) values were found to be increasing as the storage periods were advancing. Except the product with 100 % FBS powder which could be stored for 30 days only, other products could be stored upto 90 days without any physicochemical and microbial problems. It can be concluded from this study that natural and organic FBS extract and paste can be used successfully replacing the conventional chemical preservative (Vinegar) for preparation of pork pickle products and preserved more than 90 days at room temperature. However, FBS powder can be used for preservation of the pickle products for a short period (30 days).

  9. Studies on mating competition of irradiated melon flies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Limohpasmanee, W.

    1994-01-01

    Mating competition is the key factor for fruit flies control by using sterile insect technique project. Mass rearing and irradiation can reduce the mating competition of fruit flies. This experiment has purpose to evaluate the mating competition of the irradiated melon fly. The results show that mating competition values of irradiated melon flies were 0.36 and 0.24 when they mated with normal and irradiated females. Both normal male and female can mate more frequency than irradiated flies. (Z=1.322, P<0.05; Z=1.851, P<0.05). The results show that quality of mass rearing and irradiated melon fly was lower than the normal flies. So that quality of irradiated fly must be improved and the number of released flies as less must be higher than natural flies 6 time

  10. WATERMELON MOSAIC VIRUS OF PUMPKIN (Cucurbita maxima FROM SULAWESI: IDENTIFICATION, TRANSMISSION, AND HOST RANGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wasmo Wakmana

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available A mosaic disease of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima was spread widely in Sulawesi. Since the virus had not yet been identified, a study was conducted to identify the disease through mechanical inoculation, aphid vector transmission, host range, and electron microscopic test. Crude sap of infected pumpkin leaf samples was rubbed on the cotyledons of healthy pumpkin seedlings for mechanical inoculation. For insect transmission, five infective aphids were infected per seedling. Seedlings of eleven different species were inoculated mechanically for host range test. Clarified sap was examined under the electron microscope. Seeds of two pumpkin fruits from two different infected plants were planted and observed for disease transmission up to one-month old seedlings. The mosaic disease was transmitted mechanically from crude sap of different leaf samples to healthy pumpkin seedlings showing mosaic symptoms. The virus also infected eight cucurbits, i.e., cucumber (Cucumis sativus, green melon (Cucumis melo, orange/rock melon (C. melo, zucchini (Cucurbita pepo, pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima, water melon (Citrulus vulgaris, Bennicosa hispida, and blewah (Cucurbita sp.. Aphids  transmitted the disease from one to other pumpkin seedlings. The virus was not transmitted by seed. The mosaic disease of pumpkin at Maros, South Sulawesi, was associated with flexious particles of approximately 750 nm length, possibly a potyvirus, such as water melon mosaic virus rather than papaya ringspot virus or zucchini yellow mosaic virus.

  11. Sterilization of the melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae), with gamma-radiation: Effect of dose on oviposition behavior of irradiated females

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teruya, T.

    1990-01-01

    In a laboratory condition, the visiting and the puncturing frequencies of gamma-irradiated Dacus cucurbitae females on cucumber Cucumis sativus fruits were examined. In the non-irradiated females, the frequencies reached equilibrium ca. 1 week after adult emergence. The frequencies of the irradrated females decreased with irradiation dosage, but gradually resumed frequency with age. A similar trend was found in the relationship between the irradiation dose and the rates of the puncturing frequency to the visiting frequency. As the irradiation dose increased, the rate of under-developed ovaries increased. The ratio of cumulative puncturing frequency in the 70 Gy irradiated (completely sterile) females to that of the non-irradiated females was estimated as 1/200 when daily survival rate in the field was assumed to be 0.85. The completely sterile adult females (40 days old) made punctures on all sizes of cucumber cultivated in a greenhouse. However, these punctures do not significantly damage the fruit. The sting of the sterile melon fly would not be a serious problem in eradication programs based on the Sterile Insect Technique

  12. Self-Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery Systems Based on Melon Oil ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Method: Melon oil and cow fat were extracted by standard methods and used in the formulation of SNEDDS based on either melon oil alone, or its admixture with cow fat by utilizing varying ratios of oil(s), surfactants and co-surfactants, with or without carbosil, a glidant. The formulations were encapsulated in hard gelatin ...

  13. PICKLED PUMPKIN IS VALUABLE FOOD PRODUCT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. A. Sannikova

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the main directions of the food industry development is the production of functional food products. Changes in the human’s diet structure cause that none of population group does receive necessary amount of vitamins, macro and microelements in healthy routine diet. To solve this problem, food stuffs enhanced by different ingredients enable to improve the biological and food value. The pumpkin is a valuable source of such important substances as carotene and pectin. Addition of garlic and hot pepper ingredients to process of pumpkin pickling enables to enrich the products with carbohydrates, proteins, microelements, which have low or no content in the pumpkin fruit. Therefore, the study of the influence of the different quantities of garlic and hot pepper additions on chemical composition of finished product is very important. The influence of plant additions used on chemical composition of finished product had been well determined. It was shown that through increased doses of garlic and hot pepper ingredients as compared with control, the carotene and dry matter content then decreased by 1.16%-3.43% in pickled pumpkin, while the pectin content depended on added component. The highest pectin content, 0.71% was observed at addition of 10 g. garlic ingredient per 1 kg. of raw matter, that was 4.1 times higher than control. With increased addition of hot pepper ingredient the pectin accumulation was decreasing from 0.58% in control to 0.36% in variant 10g. per 1kg. of raw matter.

  14. Radiation sterilization facility for melon fly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Danno, A.

    1985-01-01

    The melon fly (Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett) has been observed in Amami Island since l975. Kagoshima Prefecture has had a melon fly eradication project underway since 1979. A mass-fearing facility and a radiation sterilization facility were constructed in Naze in March of l98l. In the early stages of the project, sterile insects were produced at the rate of 4 x l0/sup 6/ pupae/week. In the later stages, the activity of the project was enlarged by tenfold. The conditions for design of the radiation sterilization facility, which has been developed with a central control system for automated irradiation, are examined from an engineering standpoint

  15. Neutralization of red mud with pickling waste liquor using Taguchi's design of experimental methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rai, Suchita; Wasewar, Kailas L; Lataye, Dilip H; Mishra, Rajshekhar S; Puttewar, Suresh P; Chaddha, Mukesh J; Mahindiran, P; Mukhopadhyay, Jyoti

    2012-09-01

    'Red mud' or 'bauxite residue', a waste generated from alumina refinery is highly alkaline in nature with a pH of 10.5-12.5. Red mud poses serious environmental problems such as alkali seepage in ground water and alkaline dust generation. One of the options to make red mud less hazardous and environmentally benign is its neutralization with acid or an acidic waste. Hence, in the present study, neutralization of alkaline red mud was carried out using a highly acidic waste (pickling waste liquor). Pickling waste liquor is a mixture of strong acids used for descaling or cleaning the surfaces in steel making industry. The aim of the study was to look into the feasibility of neutralization process of the two wastes using Taguchi's design of experimental methodology. This would make both the wastes less hazardous and safe for disposal. The effect of slurry solids, volume of pickling liquor, stirring time and temperature on the neutralization process were investigated. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows that the volume of the pickling liquor is the most significant parameter followed by quantity of red mud with 69.18% and 18.48% contribution each respectively. Under the optimized parameters, pH value of 7 can be achieved by mixing the two wastes. About 25-30% of the total soda from the red mud is being neutralized and alkalinity is getting reduced by 80-85%. Mineralogy and morphology of the neutralized red mud have also been studied. The data presented will be useful in view of environmental concern of red mud disposal.

  16. Reação de genótipos de meloeiro a Myrothecium Reaction of melon genotypes to Myrothecium roridum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marissônia A Noronha

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available A expansão da cultura do meloeiro (Cucumis melo L. no Nordeste brasileiro tem favorecido a ocorrência de doenças como o cancro-de-mirotécio, causado pelo fungo Myrothecium roridum. Visando selecionar genótipos com potencial de utilização nos programas de melhoramento e/ou no manejo integrado da doença, foram avaliados 150 genótipos de meloeiro. Plantas com 22 dias de idade, desenvolvidas em casa de vegetação, foram feridas no colo e inoculadas com uma suspensão do patógeno (3x10(6 conídios/ml. As avaliações foram realizadas diariamente, até seis dias após a retirada da câmara úmida, com o auxílio de uma escala descritiva de notas de 0 a 4. Com os dados da última avaliação, os genótipos foram distribuídos em cinco classes de reação à doença. Nenhum genótipo foi imune ou altamente resistente ao patógeno, enquanto 26,7% foram medianamente resistentes (MR e 73,3% foram suscetíveis (S ou altamente suscetíveis (AS. Esses resultados evidenciam a dificuldade na obtenção de fontes com elevados níveis de resistência a M. roridum. Os grupos Cantaloupe, Charentais, Gália e 'Indefinido' apresentaram a maior freqüência de genótipos com a reação MR e a menor freqüência de genótipos AS. A maioria dos genótipos dos grupos Valenciano Verde (66,7%, Cantaloupe (57,4%, Gália (60,0% e 'Indefinido' (53,8% foram S. Os genótipos 'PI 420149', 'Caroline', 'A3', 'Chilton' e 'PS-1 Pele de Sapo' apresentaram os menores valores de severidade final da doença e mostraram-se promissoras fontes de resistência ao patógeno e devem ser preferidos sob condições favoráveis à doença.The expansion of the melon (Cucumis melo L. fields in the Brazilian Northeast favored the occurrence of diseases such as the Myrothecium stem canker caused by the fungus Myrothecium roridum. In order to select genotypes with potential use in genetic breeding programs and in integrated disease management, 150 melon genotypes were evaluated. Twenty

  17. Quality improvement of oriental melon and watermelon using bioceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, H.K.; Lee, K.J.; Ryou, Y.S.

    1996-01-01

    Oriental melon and watermelon plants were cultivated in the soil treated with bioceramics in a greenhouse during summer season from June 1st to August 20th, 1995. Two application methods were employed, one was a mixed treatment of soil and bioceramics, and the other was a spray treatment of bioceramic solution on the stems and leaves. And two types of bioceramics were also stopped by five levels. In order to analyze the bioceramic effect on oriental melon and watermelon, the growth rate of stems, leaves and fruits were measured in the greenhouse. After harvest, the sweetness of fruits was measured and the freshness of fruits based on the storage period was tested by human taste and smell sense. The results are summarized as follows. 1. The growth rates of stems, leaves and fruits of oriental melon and watermelon were the largest in the bioceramic treatment of No. 3. 2. The density of oriental melon and watermelon was the largest in the bioceramic treatment of No. 3 and No. 2 respectively. 3. The Brix number of watermelon was 10.6 in non-bioceramic treatment and 11.5 in the bioceramic treatment of No. 2, and that of oriental melon was 8.6 in non-bioceramic treatment and 12.3 in the bioceramic treatment of No. 2. 4. The storage duration of watermelon treated with bioceramics was about 50 days in the condition of the ambient temperature of 25∼30°C. (author)

  18. Melão minimamente processado: um controle de qualidade Minimally processed melon: a quality control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karla Suzanne Florentino da Silva Chaves Damasceno

    2005-12-01

    distribution of agricultural products, through procedures like selection, cleaning, washing, peeling and cutting, which do not affect their organoleptic characteristics and add value to them. The process results in natural and practical products, which require less time for preparation and consumption to fulfill the demands of modern life. The purpose of minimally processed and cooled food is to provide a product that is similar to the fresh one to guarantee safety, maintaining the nutritive and sensory quality. The process has attracted attention to research mainly regarding microbiological, physicochemical and sensory alterations that influence the shelf life of these products. The target of the research was to evaluate the effect of commercialization temperature (15ºC on the quality of the Spanish melon (Cucumis melo L. cv. inodorus minimally processed. Fruits packed in trays and involved in plastic film were randomly acquired in a local supermarket. Treatments were: temperatures (4 and 15ºC, storage periods (5, 10, 15 and 1, 2 and 3 days at 4 and 15ºC, respectively and a control treatment of minimally processed melon on day zero. Samples were analyzed as far as their physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics are concerned. The melon quality was significantly affected during refrigerated storage. At commercialization temperature (15ºC, the product is only valid for 24 hours. Storage at 4°C allows conservation up to 5 days and it is necessary to display the adequate time of storage and temperature on the label of the product.

  19. Crescimento de meloeiro sob estresse salino e doses de potássio Growth of melon cultivated under saline stress and potassium doses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo T. Gurgel

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available O Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, em destaque a região da Chapada do Apodi, se destaca na produção e exportação de melão no País, em regime de irrigação, devido à distribuição pluvial baixa e irregular. A Chapada do Apodi possui dois aqüíferos subterrâneos; a do lençol menos profundo de alta salinidade, porém com menor custo de bombeamento, ocorrendo o contrário com o de maior profundidade. Objetivou-se, ante o exposto, avaliar o efeito de duas águas de salinidades diferentes (0,52 e 2,41 dS m-1, combinadas com cinco doses de K2O (218, 273, 328, 383 e 438 kg ha-1 sobre o crescimento do meloeiro (Cucumis melo L., cultivar Goldex, utilizando-se do delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com parcelas subdivididas; amostras de planta foram coletadas aos 21, 28, 35, 49 e 63 dias após a semeadura, determinando-se a fitomassa seca das plantas, estas separadas em ramos (caule + folhas, flores e frutos; avaliou-se, também, a taxa de crescimento absoluto e relativo e a produção de frutos. Em geral, o crescimento do melão foi favorecido com o uso de água mais salina; a taxa de crescimento absoluto foi máxima entre 35 e 49 dias após a semeadura. Obteve-se maior produção de fitomassa total com 438 kg ha-1 de K2O e uso de água mais salina, ao final do ciclo.The region of 'Chapada do Apodi', in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, stands out in Brazilian production and exportation of melon. This region possesses two aquiffers, one of lower exploration cost, though of high salinity, another of low salinity, with higher cost and limited use. This work was carried out with the objective to evaluate the effect of waters of different salinities combined with five doses of K in the dry matter accumulation and productivity of the melon (Cucumis melo L. cultivar Goldex. The experimental design adopted was split plot in completely randomized blocks. The melon crop was irrigated with low (0.52 dS m-1 and high (2.41 dS m-1 salinity water combined with

  20. Consumer Acceptability of Cucumber Pickles Produced by Fermentation in Calcium Chloride Brine for Reduced Environmental Impact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Emily M; Johanningsmeier, Suzanne D; Osborne, Jason A

    2015-06-01

    Fermentation of cucumbers in calcium chloride (CaCl2 ) brine has been proposed as an alternative process to reduce the environmental impact of traditional, high salt fermentations. The objective of this research was to determine whether consumer acceptability of pickle products would be impacted by fermentation and storage of cucumbers in CaCl2 brine. Cucumbers were fermented and stored with 0.1M CaCl2 or 1M sodium chloride (NaCl) in open-air, 3000 gal tanks at a commercial facility and processed into hamburger dill chips containing 0.38M NaCl. Cucumbers fermented in CaCl2 required additional desalting to reduce CaCl2 concentrations to that of current products. Consumers (n = 101) showed no significant preference for pickles from different fermentation treatments, whether stored for 2 mo (P = 0.75) or 8 mo (P = 0.68) prior to processing. In contrast, NaCl fermented pickles were preferred over CaCl2 fermented pickles stored for 10 mo and desalted only once (P consumer preference, and the 50% detection threshold of CaCl2 in dill pickle chips was found to be 61.8 ± 7.6 mM, indicating that processors could potentially use CaCl2 fermentations with a single desalting step. Consumer liking of flavor (n = 73) was not influenced by fermentation in CaCl2 or by 23 or 35 mM CaCl2 in finished products (P > 0.05), but variability in texture decreased consumer liking (P < 0.05). Although promising, individual fermentation variability and texture quality of CaCl2 fermented products should be further evaluated prior to broad implementation of this process. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  1. Phosphate-solubilizing fungi isolated from a semiarid area cultivated with melon (Cucumis melo L. cv. gold mine Fungos solubilizadores de fosfato isolados de área semiárida cultivada com melão (Cucumis melo L. cv. gold mine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flavia Paiva Coutinho

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Considering that little is known about the occurrence of phosphate-solubilizing fungi from areas cultivated with melon, the phosphate solubilization ability of filamentous fungi isolated in these areas was evaluated. Three hundred and eighteen filamentous fungal isolates belonging to 23 genera were evaluated, besides Aphyllophorales and Mycelia sterilia. From those, 52 were able to solubilize P: Aphyllophorales (2, Aspergillus (34, Penicillium (10 and Rhizopus (6. These results will contribute to subsidizing further research regarding the capacity of these fungi to solubilize other sources of phosphate applied to the melon crop, as well as indicate the need for a screening program to select those with higher capacity and potential for solubilization.Considerando que pouco se conhece sobre a ocorrência de fungos solubilizadores de fosfato de áreas cultivadas com melão, foi avaliada a habilidade de solubilização desse nutriente por fungos filamentosos isolados dessas áreas. Foram avaliadas 318 amostras de fungos filamentosos pertencentes a 23 gêneros, além de Aphyllophorales e Mycelia sterilia. Dessas amostras, 52 apresentaram habilidade para solubilizar o fosfato: Aphyllophorales (2, Aspergillus (34, Penicillium (10 e Rhizopus (6. Esses resultados contribuem para subsidiar pesquisas que testem a capacidade desses fungos em solubilizar outras fontes fosfatadas aplicadas na cultura do melão, assim como indicam a necessidade de selecionar isolados com maior capacidade e potencial para solubilização.

  2. (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars to soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi in Iran

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ajl11

    2012-10-30

    Oct 30, 2012 ... Melon is an important dessert fruit in the Sistan region of. Iran, but its cultivation is threatened by attacks of. Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi), Monosporascus cannonballus (Pollack and Uecker) and Rhizoctonia solani (Kuhn) (Safarnezhad, 2004). Melon death induced by these soil-borne plant pathogenic ...

  3. Fungal species that cause powdery mildew in greenhouse-grown cucumber and melon in Paraná State, Brazil=Espécies de fungos que causam oídio em casas de vegetação cultivadas com pepino e melão no Estado do Paraná, Brasil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dauri José Tessmann

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The powdery mildew caused by Oidium spp. is an important disease for several crops of the Cucurbitaceae family. Although the teleomorphs, Podosphaera xanthii and Golovinomyces cichoracearum, currently have already been described as the causal agents of powdery mildew in Brazil, only P. xanthii is considered the main causal agent of powdery mildew field epidemics. The objective of this work was to identify and determine the prevalence of the species causing powdery mildew in cucumber (Cucumis sativus and melon (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus grown in greenhouses in the State of Paraná in Brazil. The morphological traits of the conidial stages, such as the presence of fibrosin bodies and a germinative tube, were used to identify the species. Leaves exhibiting high severity of powdery mildew were collected from plants of 13 plastic greenhouses during different seasons in 2003/2004 and in different regions of Paraná State. In all environments, a significant prevalence of P. xanthii (80-100% was observed affecting parthenocarpic or ordinary cucumber and melon. Golovinomyces cichoracearum was observed in six greenhouses, with up to 20% of conidia of this species on the samples.O oidio, causado por Oidium sp. é uma importante doença para espécies de plantas cultivadas da família das cucurbitáceas. Apesar das espécies teleomórficas Podosphaera xanthii e Golovinomyces cichoracearum já terem sido citadas como causadoras de oídio no Brasil, geralmente em trabalhos publicados atualmente tem-se referenciado somente a P. xanthii como agente causal dessa doença em cucurbitáceas em cultivo convencional. Por isso, este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar e quantificar a freqüência de ocorrência dessas duas espécies causadoras de oídio nas culturas de pepino (Cucumis sativus e melão nobre (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus conduzidas em estufas plásticas no Estado do Paraná. Para a identificação de P. xanthii e G. cichoracearum utilizaram

  4. Study on the sterilization of canned water melon by gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, B.M.

    1978-01-01

    In order to study the effects of gamma-irradiations on the storage life of canned water melon, the contents of canning water melon were controlled pH to 4.0 and 5.0 by adding some kinds of organic acids such as citric acid, tartaric acid, and ascorbic acid, respectively. The pH controlled water melons were canned, followed by being exposed to 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 Mrads of gamma-ray, respectively. The results were as follows: In non-acid canned water melon, the higher doses of radiation induced the more efficiency on the extension of storage life of it even if the efficiency was mot so great. By irradiations of 1.0 Mrads, it could be kept for 15 days without any deterioration. By means of the addition of organic acids, the radiation effect on the extension of the storage life of the above food increased remarkably. In particular, the water melon cans with ascorbic acid (pH 4.0) could be kept for 60 days without any deterioration by gamma-irradiation of 0.5 and 1.0 Mrads. (Author)

  5. The use of gamma radiation aiming to post harvest conservation of Cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melo L. var. Cantaloupensis);Utilizacao de radiacao gama em meloes cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L. var. Cantaloupensis) como tecnica de conservacao pos-colheita

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Siqueira, Alessandra Aparecida Zilio Cozzo de

    2007-07-01

    Although Brazilian fruit culture has been growing in the international market, the fruit quality and the post harvest technology have not been improved properly. In Brazil, fruit nutritional factors are very important because of their potential to provide suitable nutrients for a significant part of the Country population. Some post harvest technologies, such as ionizing radiation, can keep the physical, chemical, nutritional and sensorial characteristics of the natural fruit, improving the quality of the fruits in the market. This work evaluated the effects of Cobalt 60 irradiation in Cantaloupe melon, aiming the post harvest conservation during 7 days of storage, at a temperature ranging from 20 to 22 deg C. The doses of irradiation were set to 0, 150, 300, 450, 600, 750 and 900 Gy, based on the multiple of 150 Gy quarantine dose, aiming to establish the lowest, the highest and the ideal doses. Afterwards, physical, chemical and nutritional characteristics of irradiated fruit were checked and, finally, the sensorial characteristics through acceptability test. Results indicated that the doses higher than 450 Gy affected firmness, pulp yield and color (L and a{sup *}) parameters. Nevertheless, analyzing physical, chemical and nutritional parameters, doses of 450 and 900 Gy kept pH, tetrable acidity, soluble solids, color (a{sup *} and b{sup *}), chlorophyll and carotenoids, phenolic compounds, respiratory rate and ethylene level. The storage period was the most important factor that affected the quality of the fruit, despite of the radiation doses. Based on the acceptability test, the best evaluated fruits were from the treatments of 450 and 900 Gy. This work allowed to conclude that fruit radiation is an appropriate technology for Cantaloupe melon post harvest conservation, but it is necessary to be used in combination with other technologies, especially to fungi control. (author)

  6. [Pickled food, fish, seafood intakes and oral squamous cell carcinoma: a case-control study].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, J F; Qiu, Y; Cai, L; Liu, F P; Chen, F; Yan, L J; Wu, J F; Bao, X D; Liu, F Q; Zheng, X Y; Lin, L S; He, B C

    2017-08-06

    Objective: To investigate the effects between fish, seafood and pickled food intakes on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: A case-control study was carried out in Fujian area during September 2010 to December 2016, in which 604 newly diagnosed primary OSCC cases confirmed by pathological diagnosis were collected from hospital and 1 343 control subjects were enrolled from community and healthy hospital population. Demographic data, history of smoking drinking and tea drinking, oral hygiene status and dietary behaviors (fish, seafood and pickled food intakes) were collected by in-person interviews using a standard questionnaire.Using unconditional logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios ( ORs ) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals ( CIs ) to assess the effects of fish, seafood and pickled food intakes on OSCC. Analysis stratified by smoking, alcohol drinking and bad prosthesis to explore the possible difference in association between subgroups. Multiplicative interactions and additive interactions between fish and bad prosthesis, seafood and alcohol drinking, pickled food and bad prosthesis were assessed by unconditional logistic regression, relative excess risk due to interaction ( RERI ), attributable proportion due to interaction ( AP ) and synergy index (S). Results: The average age of case group and control group were separately (58.69±13.92) years old and (59.27±11.37) years old (χ(2)=4.75, P= 0.191). The people whose fish and seafood intakes ≥3 times/week had the lower risk of OSCC, the adjusted OR (95 %CI ) values were 0.63 (0.52-0.77) and 0.51 (0.41-0.64); The stratified analysis indicated that the people having bad prosthesis had the lower risk of OSCC if they eating fish ≥3 times/week, and the adjusted OR (95 %CI ) values was 0.53 (0.39-0.71); the people having bad prosthesis had the higher risk of OSCC if they eating pickled food ≥3 times/week, the adjusted OR (95 %CI ) values was 1.37 (1.02-1.88). Regularly eating

  7. Dehydrated melon containing antioxidants and calcium from grape juice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hulda N. M. Chambi

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Grape juice has a high antioxidant potential, capable of fighting oxidative processes in the body. The juice is mainly marketed in its concentrated form, which has a high content of glucose and fructose. The juice concentrate may then be used as an osmotic agent to dehydrated fruit with a relatively short shelf-life at room temperature, such as melon. The osmotic dehydration process can also be combined with conventional drying in order to further reduce the water activity (a w of the product. Finally, the antioxidant-rich melon meets the consumers’ demand for foods which contain ingredients that may impart health benefits. Results: Melon dehydrated by osmotic process at 200, 400 and 600 mbar, using grape juice concentrate (GJC, showed no significant differences in physical characteristics (a w , °Brix, and moisture content. Higher efficiency was observed when dehydration was performed at 200 mbar. After osmotic dehydration with GJC, both plasmolysis of the melon cells and an increase in intercellular spaces were observed by optical microscopy, with no negative impact on the mechanical properties (True stress, Hencky’s strain and deformability modulus. Calcium present in GJC was impregnated into the melon matrix, thus contributing with the mineral composition and mechanical properties of the final product. No significant differences were observed for the antioxidant capacity of melon dehydrated both with GJC and GJC followed by air-drying at 50 and 70°C. This demonstrates that it is possible to combine the two processes to obtain a product with intermediate moisture without decreasing its antioxidant capacity. The samples scored above the acceptable limit (>5 varying between like slightly to like moderately, resulting in a purchase intent with average scores between 3 (maybe/maybe not buy and 4 (probably would buy. Conclusions: A product with intermediate water activity, acidic, firm, high antioxidant capacity, rich in calcium

  8. Visita de abejas (Apis mellifera, Hymenoptera: Apoidea a flores de melón Cucumis melo (Cucurvitaceae en Panamá

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Carlos Di Trani de la Hoz

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Se observaron las visitas observadas a flores seleccionadas en un cultivo del Distrito de San Lorenzo, Chiriquí, del 6 de Enero y el 19 de Febrero del 2002, desde las 6:30 am hasta las 4:30 pm, y se anotaron características de las visita, como el tiempo de visita y el tipo de recurso colectado. Las visitas fueron mayormente para la recolección de néctar (casi 3/4. La recolección de polen se concentró hacia las primeras horas de la mañana, cesando definitivamente a las 11:00 am. El tiempo medio de recolección fue similar para ambos recursos, pero fue marcadamente distinto para cada sexo floral. Las visitas a flores femeninas fueron significativamente (Prueba t Student, pBee (Apis mellifera, Hymenoptera: Apoidea visitation to cantaloupe Cucumis melo (Cucurvitaceae flowers in Panama. Flower visits by bees were observed in a melon cultivated field of San Lorenzo district, in Chiriquí, Panama, from January 6 to February 19, 2002, from 6:30 am to 4:30 pm We recorded the duration of each foraging event and the type of resource collected. Flower visits were mostly for nectar collection (∼75 %. Pollen foraging was concentrated in the first hours of the morning and ended by 11:00 am The mean collection time was similar for both food resources, but was different between flower sexes. Flower visits to female flowers took longer (Student's t test, p<0.0001, with a mean time duration of 8.4±4.4 s, whereas in male flowers mean visitation time was of 4.0±1.5 s. Finally, the mean time for each floral sex remained practically constant through the evolution of the crop. Our results were similar to the found ones in temperate zone crops, so apparently tropical conditions of Panama do not change the bee visit patterns on melon flowers. Rev. Biol. Trop. 55 (2: 677-680. Epub 2007 June, 29.

  9. Plantas hospederas de los virus más importantes que infectan el melón, Cucumis melo (Cucurbitaceae en Costa Rica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.V. Sánchez

    1998-03-01

    Full Text Available Las especies hospederas naturales de los virus (PRSV, WMV-2, CMV y ZYMV que infectan el cultivo de melón (Cucumis melo L. para la exportación en Costa Rica se identificaron en plantaciones comerciales de dos fincas ubicadas, una en la provincia de Guanacaste, y la otra en la provincia de Puntarenas. En ambas fincas se cultiva el melon con irrigación durante la época seca, pero su manejo cultural es diferente. La finca A con una larga trayectoria en el cultivo de melón en rotación con maíz, sorgo y arroz, y con poco control de malezas; mientras que la finca B con una corta trayectoria en la producción del melón y un mayor control de malezas. La diversidad de especies vegetales fue estudiada en cuadrantes de 100 m2 en cinco diferentes comunidades de plantas previamente seleccionadas en la finca A (cultivo, canal de drenaje, charral, potrero mejorado, y semi-bosque y tres en la finca B (cultivo, charral, pastizal natural, semi-bosque. El número de cuadrantes estudiados dependió del área total cultivada en cada una de las fincas. Todas las especies de plantas representadas en cada cuadrante se recolectaron e identificaron pero solo aquellas especies que presentaron síntomas virales en el campo fueron analizadas por ELISA para determinar la presencia de los cuatro virus estudiados. La diversidad de especies, porcentaje de cobertura y época de aparición de las especies hospederas fue monitoreada durante un año calendario en cinco fechas diferentes. Un total de 86 y 72 especies de plantas fueron identificadas en las fincas A y B respectivamente. Catorce encontradas positivas por lo menos para uno de los cuatro virus. Los cuatro virus fueron encontrados en cada finca en cada fecha de muestreo indicando que la permanencia y abundancia de algunas especies hospederas garantiza la permanencia de los cuatro virus en el campo como fuente de inóculo primario para la próxima siembra. Varias especies de plantas hospederas silvestres previamente

  10. Phenotypic and molecular evaluation of genetic diversity of rapeseed

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2009-10-05

    Oct 5, 2009 ... seed yield per plant, 1000-seed weight, oil content and protein content) were analyzed in a three-year ... regard to many characters of value for breeding process. (Cowling ..... tances determined by molecular markers and heterosis ..... Comparative analysis of cultivated melon groups (Cucumis melo L.).

  11. Plectosphaerella species associated with root and collar rots of horticultural crops in southern Italy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carlucci, A.; Raimondo, M.L.; Santos, J.; Phillips, A.J.L.

    2012-01-01

    Plectosphaerella cucumerina, most frequently encountered in its Plectosporium state, is well known as a pathogen of several plant species causing fruit, root and collar rot, and collapse. It is considered to pose a serious threat to melon (Cucumis melo) production in Italy. In the present study, an

  12. Serological and molecular detection and prevalence of Cucurbit ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    During the 2009 growing seasons, virus-like symptoms were noticed on cucurbit crops (melons (Cucumis melo L.) and watermelons [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum and Nakai)] grown in the Sistan region. The symptoms were widespread and included initial chlorotic lesions followed by yellowing of whole leaves and ...

  13. Effects of sudden melon intake on ruminal parameters of non-adapted sheep

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco L.C. Oliveira

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: This study evaluated the effects of varying amounts of melon with high sugar content offered to sheep without prior melon experience and that were not adapted to consuming it. We used 12 eight-month-old, rumen-cannulated crossbred sheep weighing 25 kg each. The animals received a base diet of roughage, and then half were randomly selected to have 25% of their diet replaced with melon (G25% and the other half had 75% of their diet replaced with melon (75%. Ruminal fluid was collected before administration of melon and at 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 h after the administration of the fruit. Sheep from the G25% group presented volatile fatty acid ruminal acidosis (sub-acute between 3 and 6 h after consumption. This acidosis was characterized by a rumen pH slightly lower than 5.6, increased discrete L-lactic acid content, and increased redox potential (RP and methylene blue redox (MBR time of the ruminal fluid. The G75% group presented lactic ruminal acidosis at T6h, characterized by a rumen pH lower than 5.0, high lactate-L content, increased RP and MBR time, and increased ruminal fluid osmolarity. Therefore, offering large amounts of melon (75% of dry matter (DM is not recommended but 25% of DM of this fruit can be used safely.

  14. Efficacy of primextra gold in controlling weeds of melon ( Citrillus ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A field experiment was conducted in the Center of Ecological Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State to evaluate the efficacy of Primextra Gold (290g /l S – Metalochlor and 370g/l Atrazine) herbicide in controlling weeds in melon and to determine its safety for use in melon. The experiment was carried out between ...

  15. Non-Destructive Assessment of Aroma Volatiles from a Climacteric Near-Isogenic Line of Melon Obtained by Headspace Stir-Bar Sorptive Extraction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Pablo Fernández-Trujillo

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available A climacteric aromatic near-isogenic line (NIL of melon (Cucumis melo L. SC3-5-1 contained an introgression of the non-climacteric Korean cultivar “Shongwan Charmi” accession PI 161375 (SC in the genetic background of the non-climacteric cultivar “Piel de Sapo” (PS. The aroma production was monitored during ripening at 21 °C in intact fruit using headspace sorptive bar extraction (HSSE. Bars were composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS and aromas were desorbed and analyzed by gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry. The aromatic profile was composed of 70 aromatic compounds plus 21 alkanes with a predominance of esters, particularly acetate (2-methylbutyl acetate, 2-methylpropyl acetate, hexyl acetate, and phenylmethyl acetate. Some compounds were severely affected by postharvest time. The acetate esters (3-methylbutyl acetate, butan-2-yl acetate and phenylmethyl acetate decreased with ripening and sulfur-derived compounds (S-methyl butanethioate and S-methyl 3-methylbutanethioate increased gradually with ripening. A few compounds increased at the senescence phase (propyl ethanoate. Other compounds such as hexadecanoic acid showed a marked decrease after harvest, some decreasing from a relative maximum at harvest (2-methylpropyl hexanoate; n-hexanoic acid; nonanoic acid.

  16. 'Egusi' Melon, Citrullus lanatus

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Prof. Ogunji

    seeds are not only edible but also used to produce fuel (An Ku, 2007). ... Nigeria, ''Egusi'' is cultivated over an area of 320,800 ha with a production figure of ... production of somatic embryos from melon cell suspension cultures (Oridate and ... (V/V) alcohol for 30 seconds, then 4% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for 8 minutes.

  17. Fertilizer use efficiency by maize ( Zea mays ) and egusi-melon ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Three separate field studies were conducted in a rainforest area to determine efficient use of applied fertilizers by maize and egusi-melon in various ratios of mixtures in an ultisol in Nigeria. The experiment was a factorial combination of seven cropping ratios of maize and egusi-melon (MA:EM 1:0, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 1:2, and 1:3, ...

  18. récolte du melon

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SARAH

    30 sept. 2015 ... In vivo, 600 ppm of calcium silicate, calcium hydroxide and calcium oxide inhibited ... En 2013, la production du melon au Maroc a été .... Ca(OH)2, l'oxyde de calcium CaO, le sulfate de calcium ...... rot disease complex.

  19. Nitrogen uptake dynamics, yield and quality as influenced by nitrogen fertilization in Piel de sapo melon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castellanos, M. T.; Cabello, M. J.; Cartagena, M. C.; Tarquis, A. M.; Arce, A.; Ribas, F.

    2012-11-01

    The need to reduce nitrogen (N) fertilizer pollution strengthens the importance of improving the utilization efficiency of applied N to crops. This requires knowledge of crop N uptake characteristics and how fertilization management affects it. A three-year field experiment was conducted from May to September in central Spain to investigate the influence of different N rates, which ranged from 11 to 393 kg ha{sup -}1, applied through drip irrigation, on the dynamics of N uptake, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), fruit yield and quality of a Piel de sapo melon crop (Cucumis melo L. cv. Sancho). Both N concentration and N content increased in different plant parts with the N rate. Leaves had the highest N concentration, which declined by 40-50% from 34-41 days after transplanting (DAT), while the highest N uptake rate was observed from 30-35 to 70-80 DAT, coinciding with fruit development. In each year, NUE declined with increasing N rate. With N fertilizer applications close to the optimum N rate of 90-100 kg ha -1, the fruits removed approximately 60 kg N ha -1, and the amount of N in the crop residue was about 80 kg N ha -1; this serves to replenish the organic nutrient pool in the soil and may be used by subsequent crops following mineralization. (Author) 36 refs.

  20. The genome of the cucumber, Cucumis sativus L

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huang, Sanwen; Li, Ruiqiang; Zhang, Zhonghua

    2009-01-01

    Cucumber is an economically important crop as well as a model system for sex determination studies and plant vascular biology. Here we report the draft genome sequence of Cucumis sativus var. sativus L., assembled using a novel combination of traditional Sanger and next-generation Illumina GA seq...

  1. The genome of the cucumber, Cucumis sativus L.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huang, S.W.; Li, R.Q.; Vossen, van der E.A.G.

    2009-01-01

    Cucumber is an economically important crop as well as a model system for sex determination studies and plant vascular biology. Here we report the draft genome sequence of Cucumis sativus var. sativus L., assembled using a novel combination of traditional Sanger and next-generation Illumina GA

  2. The transgenosis main directions in vegetable and melon production: theory and practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Н. В. Лещук

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with priority directions of vegetable and melon plants selection. The wide varieties of alien genetic information transferring methods during the transgenic plants creation of vegetable and melon species are grounded. The essence of the new hybrids identification method as genetic engineering products: kind of cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, lettuce seed, pea Pisum sativum, common bean, eggplant and capsicum is revealed. The transgenosis main directions of botanical taxa varieties of vegetable and melon plants on condition of the international and national practice holding are proved. The international practice of the state approbation and registration of genetically engineered structures in biological objects (plant varieties and in their processed products are studied. A monitoring about food and pharmaceutical substances based on genetically modified varieties and hybrids structures of vegetable and melon plants have been held.

  3. A single recessive gene controls fragrance in cucumber (Cucumis ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2013-04-10

    Apr 10, 2013 ... Genetic studies in rice (Sood and Siddiq 1978), soybean. (AVRDC .... difficulty, marker-assisted selection (MAS) is an alternative for breeding ... 31, 823–826. de Wilde W. J. J. O and Duyfjes B. E. E. 2010 Cucumis sativus.

  4. Crescimento e mudanças físico-químicas durante a maturação de frutos de meloeiro (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naud. híbrido Torreon Growth and physicochemical changes during the ripening of hybrid Torreon muskmelon fruits (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naud.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Fabiano Hettwer Giehl

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Objetivou-se neste trabalho avaliar o crescimento e as mudanças físico-químicos durante a maturação de melões (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naud., híbrido Torreon. As plantas foram cultivadas no sistema hidropônico NFT ("Nutrient Film Technique", em Santa Maria, RS, durante o período de janeiro a abril. Diariamente, foram marcadas as flores pistiladas em antese, anotando-se a data desse evento. Foram efetuadas as medidas lineares do diâmetro longitudinal e transversal dos frutos a cada três dias, iniciando-se após a antese. A partir dos 25 dias após a antese (DAA, realizou-se, a cada três dias, a colheita de 10 frutos, aleatoriamente. Foram analisados os parâmetros: síntese de etileno, respiração, firmeza da polpa, teor de sólidos solúveis totais, acidez total titulável e coloração da polpa. O aumento no diâmetro longitudinal e transversal dos frutos ocorreu até aproximadamente os 26-29 DAA. A partir desse momento, iniciou-se o processo de maturação dos frutos. Nessa fase, verificou-se intenso incremento na síntese de etileno, com pico aos 37 DAA (44 ± 4,6mL kg-1 h-1, o que culminou no aumento da respiração e na diminuição da acidez total titulável e da firmeza de polpa. Além disso, a cor da polpa dos frutos tornou-se gradativamente mais vermelha. Os frutos desprenderam da planta aproximadamente aos 37 DAA, quando apresentaram uma média de 10,5°Brix de sólidos solúveis totais.This research had the aim of evaluating the physicochemical growth and changes during maturation of hybrid Torreon melons (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naud.. Melon plants were cultivated in the NFT (Nutrient Film Technique hidroponic system from January to April 2004 in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Flowers in anthesis were daily tagged and linear measures of longitudinal and transverse diameter were made at a 3-day interval, beginning at anthesis. Starting from 25 days after anthesis (DAA, 10 fruits were randomly harvested each 3

  5. (cucumis sativus l.) in spent engine oil contaminated soil amended

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    compost treatment recorded the highest number of leaves while the number of leaves for 0% ... KEYWORDS: Growth, Cucumis sativus, Urena lobata, spent engine oil, contamination, .... sawdust, peat, waste cotton and organic manures are.

  6. Distinct colonization patterns and cDNA-AFLP transcriptome profiles in compatible and incompatible interactions between melon and different races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis Snyd. & Hans. (FOM) causes Fusarium wilt, the most important infectious disease of melon (Cucumis melo L.). The four known races of this pathogen can be distinguished only by infection on appropriate cultivars. No molecular tools are available that can discriminate among the races, and the molecular basis of compatibility and disease progression are poorly understood. Resistance to races 1 and 2 is controlled by a single dominant gene, whereas only partial polygenic resistance to race 1,2 has been described. We carried out a large-scale cDNA-AFLP analysis to identify host genes potentially related to resistance and susceptibility as well as fungal genes associated with the infection process. At the same time, a systematic reisolation procedure on infected stems allowed us to monitor fungal colonization in compatible and incompatible host-pathogen combinations. Results Melon plants (cv. Charentais Fom-2), which are susceptible to race 1,2 and resistant to race 1, were artificially infected with a race 1 strain of FOM or one of two race 1,2 w strains. Host colonization of stems was assessed at 1, 2, 4, 8, 14, 16, 18 and 21 days post inoculation (dpi), and the fungus was reisolated from infected plants. Markedly different colonization patterns were observed in compatible and incompatible host-pathogen combinations. Five time points from the symptomless early stage (2 dpi) to obvious wilting symptoms (21 dpi) were considered for cDNA-AFLP analysis. After successful sequencing of 627 transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) differentially expressed in infected plants, homology searching retrieved 305 melon transcripts, 195 FOM transcripts expressed in planta and 127 orphan TDFs. RNA samples from FOM colonies of the three strains grown in vitro were also included in the analysis to facilitate the detection of in planta-specific transcripts and to identify TDFs differentially expressed among races/strains. Conclusion Our data

  7. Two-step process of regeneration of acid(s) from ZrF{sub 4} containing spent pickle liquor and recovery of zirconium metal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nersisyan, Hayk [Graduate School of Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehakro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); RASOM, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Han, Seul Ki; Choi, Jeong Hun [Graduate School of Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehakro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Graduate School of Energy Science & Technology, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Young-Jun; Yoo, Bung Uk [Graduate School of Energy Science & Technology, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ri, Vladislav E. [Graduate School of Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehakro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong Hyeon, E-mail: jonglee@cnu.ac.kr [Graduate School of Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehakro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Graduate School of Energy Science & Technology, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); RASOM, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-01

    In this paper we describe a progressive two-step process that allows zirconium fluoride (ZrF{sub 4}) contained in spent baths for etched zirconium alloys to be effectively recycled on a pilot scale and produce a high purity regenerated pickling acid. In the first step, a spent pickling liquor is treated by a BaF{sub 2} suspension to produce water insoluble Ba{sub 2}ZrF{sub 8}. After filtration of Ba{sub 2}ZrF{sub 8} more than 99.9 wt % purity pickling acid is regenerated. The precipitation mechanism of Ba{sub 2}ZrF{sub 8} is discussed and the role of BaF{sub 2} particles size on the precipitation process is demonstrated. In the second step the as-precipitated Ba{sub 2}ZrF{sub 8} is mixed with Mg and Cu metal powders and heat-treated at 1200 °C (or above) to produce CuZr alloy ingot. The characteristics of the ingot are discussed in regard to Cu concentration and the heating temperature. - Highlights: •Two-step process for recycling ZrF{sub 4} containing pickling acid on a pilot scale is developed. •Water insoluble Ba{sub 2}ZrF{sub 8} is precipitated by mixing spent pickling liquor with BaF{sub 2}. •The recycled pickling acid demonstrates more than 99.9 wt % purity. •The processing of Ba{sub 2}ZrF{sub 8} with Cu and Mg metals at 1200 °C yielded CuZr alloy. •The recovery depth of Zr was more than 95 wt%.

  8. Chromosomal structures and repetitive sequences divergence in Cucumis species revealed by comparative cytogenetic mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yunxia; Cheng, Chunyan; Li, Ji; Yang, Shuqiong; Wang, Yunzhu; Li, Ziang; Chen, Jinfeng; Lou, Qunfeng

    2015-09-25

    Differentiation and copy number of repetitive sequences affect directly chromosome structure which contributes to reproductive isolation and speciation. Comparative cytogenetic mapping has been verified an efficient tool to elucidate the differentiation and distribution of repetitive sequences in genome. In present study, the distinct chromosomal structures of five Cucumis species were revealed through genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) technique and comparative cytogenetic mapping of major satellite repeats. Chromosome structures of five Cucumis species were investigated using GISH and comparative mapping of specific satellites. Southern hybridization was employed to study the proliferation of satellites, whose structural characteristics were helpful for analyzing chromosome evolution. Preferential distribution of repetitive DNAs at the subtelomeric regions was found in C. sativus, C hystrix and C. metuliferus, while majority was positioned at the pericentromeric heterochromatin regions in C. melo and C. anguria. Further, comparative GISH (cGISH) through using genomic DNA of other species as probes revealed high homology of repeats between C. sativus and C. hystrix. Specific satellites including 45S rDNA, Type I/II, Type III, Type IV, CentM and telomeric repeat were then comparatively mapped in these species. Type I/II and Type IV produced bright signals at the subtelomeric regions of C. sativus and C. hystrix simultaneously, which might explain the significance of their amplification in the divergence of Cucumis subgenus from the ancient ancestor. Unique positioning of Type III and CentM only at the centromeric domains of C. sativus and C. melo, respectively, combining with unique southern bands, revealed rapid evolutionary patterns of centromeric DNA in Cucumis. Obvious interstitial telomeric repeats were observed in chromosomes 1 and 2 of C. sativus, which might provide evidence of the fusion hypothesis of chromosome evolution from x = 12 to x = 7 in

  9. Value Addition to Sulfate Waste Pickle Liquor of Steel Industry Using Hydrometallurgical Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Archana; Sahu, K. K.

    2009-12-01

    The solvent extraction of concentrated acid was investigated from sulfate waste pickle liquors using Cyanex 923 (trialkylphosphine oxide (TRPO); manufactured by Cytec Industries Inc., Woodland Park, NJ; provided by Cyanamid Canada Inc. (Markham, Canada)) as an extractant. The effect of various parameters was studied such as extractant concentration, organic-to-aqueous phase ratio, temperature. and retention time on acid extraction from the waste pickle liquor to the organic phase, After the saturation of the organic phase with sulfuric acid, stripping studies were performed to back-extract the pure acid into the aqueous phase. The raffinate of the solvent extraction process that contains both ferrous and ferric iron as well as trace impurities was subjected to oxidation and hydrothermal treatment to precipitate iron with a well-defined pseudo-cubic morphology and a high coercivity value that renders it suitable for high-grade ferrite production.

  10. Yield, nutrient utilization and soil properties in a melon crop amended with wine-distillery waste compost

    Science.gov (United States)

    Requejo Mariscal, María Isabel; Villena Gordo, Raquel; Cartagena Causapé, María Carmen; Arce Martínez, Augusto; Ribas Elcorobarrutia, Francisco; Jesús Cabello Cabello, María; Castellanos Serrano, María Teresa

    2014-05-01

    In Spain, large quantities of wine are produced every year (3,339,700 tonnes in 2011) (FAO, 2011) with the consequent waste generation. During the winemaking process, solid residues like grape stalks are generated, as well as grape marc and wine lees as by-products. According to the Council Regulation (EC) 1493/1999 on the common organization of the wine market, by-products coming from the winery industry must be sent to alcohol-distilleries to generate exhausted grape marc and vinasses. With an adequate composting treatment, these wastes can be applied to soils as a source of nutrients and organic matter. A three-year field experiment (2011, 2012 and 2013) was carried out in Ciudad Real (central Spain) to study the effects of wine-distillery waste compost application in a melon crop (Cucumis melo L.). Melon crop has been traditionally cultivated in this area with high inputs of water and fertilizers, but no antecedents of application of winery wastes are known. In a randomized complete block design, four treatments were compared: three compost doses consisted of 6.7 (D1), 13.3 (D2) and 20 t compost ha-1 (D3), and a control treatment without compost addition (D0). The soil was a shallow sandy-loam (Petrocalcic Palexeralfs) with a depth of 0.60 m and a discontinuous petrocalcic horizon between 0.60 and 0.70 m, slightly basic (pH 8.4), poor in organic matter (0.24%), rich in potassium (410 ppm) and with a medium level of phosphorus (22.1 ppm). During each growing period four harvests were carried out and total and marketable yield (fruits weighting cycle, four plants per treatment were sampled and the nutrient content (N, P and K) was determined. Soil samplings (0-30 cm depth) were carried before the application of compost and at the end of each growing season and available N and P, as well as exchangeable K content were analyzed. With this information, an integrated analysis was carried out with the aim to evaluate the suitability of this compost as organic

  11. FERTILIZER RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM FOR MELON BASED ON NUTRITIONAL BALANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Aridiano Lima de Deus

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Melon is one of the most demanding cucurbits regarding fertilization, requiring knowledge of soils, crop nutritional requirements, time of application, and nutrient use efficiency for proper fertilization. Developing support systems for decision-making for fertilization that considers these variables in nutrient requirement and supply is necessary. The objective of this study was parameterization of a fertilizer recommendation system for melon (Ferticalc-melon based on nutritional balance. To estimate fertilizer recommendation, the system considers the requirement subsystem (REQ, which includes the demand for nutrients by the plant, and the supply subsystem (SUP, which corresponds to the supply of nutrients through the soil and irrigation water. After determining the REQtotal and SUPtotal, the system calculates the nutrient balances for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S, recommending fertilizer application if the balance is negative (SUP < REQ, but not if the balance is positive or zero (SUP ≥ REQ. Simulations were made for different melon types (Yellow, Cantaloupe, Galia and Piel-de-sapo, with expected yield of 45 t ha-1. The system estimated that Galia type was the least demanding in P, while Piel-de-sapo was the most demanding. Cantaloupe was the least demanding for N and Ca, while the Yellow type required less K, Mg, and S. As compared to other fertilizer recommendation methods adopted in Brazil, the Ferticalc system was more dynamic and flexible. Although the system has shown satisfactory results, it needs to be evaluated under field conditions to improve its recommendations.

  12. Concentração salina e fases de exposição à salinidade do meloeiro cultivado em substrato de fibra de coco Salt concentration and phases of exposure tosalinity of melon grown in coconut fiber substrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nildo da Silva Dias

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available No semiárido, a escassez de água de boa qualidade faz com que os produtores utilizem água salobra para preparar a solução nutritiva. Com o objetivo de investigar a utilização de água salobra na irrigação de meloeiro (Cucumis melo L., cv. AF 015 cultivado em substrato de fibra de coco em casa de vegetação, plantas foram nutridas com soluções salinas de condutividades elétricas (CEs 1,1 (testemunha; 2,5; 4,0 e 5,5 dS m-1 aplicadas durante as fases: crescimento vegetativo (10-30 dias após o transplantio-DAT; florescimento (31-50 DAT e frutificação e maturação (51-70 DAT. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com 12 tratamentos arranjados em um esquema fatorial 4x3 (níveis de salinidade x tempo de exposição dos sais, com três repetições. Houve correlação na perda relativa por incremento de CEs das variáveis de crescimento e de produção do meloeiro em função da salinidade da solução nutritiva para cada fase de exposição. As soluções nutritivas preparadas com água salobra podem ser utilizadas no cultivo do meloeiro em substrato de fibra de coco com o mínimo de perdas relativas de massa média de frutos por incremento de CEs, quando aplicadas na fase de florescimento.Scarcity of good water quality in semiarid region causes producers to use brackish water to prepare the nutrient solution. In order to investigate the use of brackish water in irrigation of greenhouse-melon (Cucumis melo L., cv. AF 015 grown in coconut fiber substrate, plants were irrigated with saltine nutrient solutions of electrical conductivities (ECs of 1.1 (control, 2.5, 4.0 and 5.5 dS m-1, applied during the phases of vegetative growth (10-30 days after transplanting, DAT, flowering (31-50 DAT and fruiting and ripening (51-70 DAT. The design was completely randomized, with 12 treatments arranged in a 4x3 factorial design (salinity levels x exposure time of the salts, with three replications. There was a correlation in

  13. Towards a TILLING platform for functional genomics in Piel de Sapo melons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pujol Marta

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The availability of genetic and genomic resources for melon has increased significantly, but functional genomics resources are still limited for this crop. TILLING is a powerful reverse genetics approach that can be utilized to generate novel mutations in candidate genes. A TILLING resource is available for cantalupensis melons, but not for inodorus melons, the other main commercial group. Results A new ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized (EMS melon population was generated for the first time in an andromonoecious non-climacteric inodorus Piel de Sapo genetic background. Diverse mutant phenotypes in seedlings, vines and fruits were observed, some of which were of possible commercial interest. The population was first screened for mutations in three target genes involved in disease resistance and fruit quality (Cm-PDS, Cm-eIF4E and Cm-eIFI(iso4E. The same genes were also tilled in the available monoecious and climacteric cantalupensis EMS melon population. The overall mutation density in this first Piel de Sapo TILLING platform was estimated to be 1 mutation/1.5 Mb by screening four additional genes (Cm-ACO1, Cm-NOR, Cm-DET1 and Cm-DHS. Thirty-three point mutations were found for the seven gene targets, six of which were predicted to have an impact on the function of the protein. The genotype/phenotype correlation was demonstrated for a loss-of-function mutation in the Phytoene desaturase gene, which is involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. Conclusions The TILLING approach was successful at providing new mutations in the genetic background of Piel de Sapo in most of the analyzed genes, even in genes for which natural variation is extremely low. This new resource will facilitate reverse genetics studies in non-climacteric melons, contributing materially to future genomic and breeding studies.

  14. Associations between the intake of miso soup and Japanese pickles and the estimated 24-hour urinary sodium excretion: a population-based cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakasugi, Minako; James Kazama, Junichiro; Narita, Ichiei

    2015-01-01

    In Japan, reducing the consumption of miso soup and Japanese pickles, both traditional Japanese dishes, is recommended in order to decrease dietary salt intake. With the Westernization of dietary habits, however, these dishes are now consumed less frequently, and thus a reduction in their effect on sodium intake is suspected. This study examined cross-sectional associations between the frequency of intake of miso soup and Japanese pickles and the estimated 24-hour urine sodium excretion using data obtained from health examination surveys conducted in 2013 in Sado City, Japan. The level of daily salt intake was estimated based on spot urine sodium and creatinine measurements. The frequency of intake of miso soup and Japanese pickles was determined using a self-reported questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess associations. Among a total of 8,821 participants (3,956 men; age range, 19-97 years), the mean daily salt intake was 9.4 g/day. The frequency of intake of miso soup and Japanese pickles increased with age and was associated with the level of daily salt intake (p for trend soup (psoup and Japanese pickles may be an effective approach for decreasing the level of dietary salt intake in the general Japanese population, although not in octogenarians or nonagenarians.

  15. Microstructural and thermal study of Al-Si-Mg/melon shell ash particulate composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Abdulwahab

    Full Text Available The microstructural study via scanning electron microscope (SEM and thermal study via differential scanning calorimetric (DSC study of Al-7%Si-0.3Mg/melon shell ash particulate composite has been carried out. The melon shell ash was used in the production of MMC ranging from 5% to 20% at interval of 5% addition using stir casting method. The melon shell ash was characterized using X-ray fluorescent (XRF that reveal the presence of CaO, SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, and TiO2 as major compounds. The composite was machined and subjected to heat treatment. Microstructural analyses of the composite produced were done using scanning electron microscope (SEM. The microstructure obtained reveals a dark ceramic (reinforcer and white metallic phase. Equally, the 5 wt% DSC result gives better thermal conductivity than other proportions (10 wt%, 15 wt%, and 20 wt%. These results showed that an improved property of Al-Si-Mg alloy was achieved using melon shell ash particles as reinforcement up to a maximum of 20 wt% for microstructural and 5% wt DSC respectively. Keywords: Microstructural analysis, Melon shell ash, Stir casting, X-ray fluorescent, Reinforcement, Composite

  16. Genetic identification of a dwarf mutant in cucumber ( Cucumis ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The dwarf (compact) plant architecture is an important trait in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) breeding. A dwarf type mutant was selected from the cucumbers. The morphological and reproductive characteristics of the dwarf were compared with the vine plants. The dwarf type of cucumbers is characterized by its short ...

  17. Accumulation of Charantin and Expression of Triterpenoid Biosynthesis Genes in Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuong, Do Manh; Jeon, Jin; Morgan, Abubaker M A; Kim, Changsoo; Kim, Jae Kwang; Lee, Sook Young; Park, Sang Un

    2017-08-23

    Charantin, a natural cucurbitane type triterpenoid, has been reported to have beneficial pharmacological functions such as anticancer, antidiabetic, and antibacterial activities. However, accumulation of charantin in bitter melon has been little studied. Here, we performed a transcriptome analysis to identify genes involved in the triterpenoid biosynthesis pathway in bitter melon seedlings. A total of 88,703 transcripts with an average length of 898 bp were identified in bitter melon seedlings. On the basis of a functional annotation, we identified 15 candidate genes encoding enzymes related to triterpenoid biosynthesis and analyzed their expression in different organs of mature plants. Most genes were highly expressed in flowers and/or fruit from the ripening stages. An HPLC analysis confirmed that the accumulation of charantin was highest in fruits from the ripening stage, followed by male flowers. The accumulation patterns of charantin coincide with the expression pattern of McSE and McCAS1, indicating that these genes play important roles in charantin biosynthesis in bitter melon. We also investigated optimum light conditions for enhancing charantin biosynthesis in bitter melon and found that red light was the most effective wavelength.

  18. Performance of continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) on fermentative biohydrogen production from melon waste

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cahyari, K.; Sarto; Syamsiah, S.; Prasetya, A.

    2016-11-01

    This research was meant to investigate performance of continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) as bioreactor for producing biohydrogen from melon waste through dark fermentation method. Melon waste are commonly generated from agricultural processing stages i.e. cultivation, post-harvesting, industrial processing, and transportation. It accounted for more than 50% of total harvested fruit. Feedstock of melon waste was fed regularly to CSTR according to organic loading rate at value 1.2 - 3.6 g VS/ (l.d). Optimum condition was achieved at OLR 2.4 g VS/ (l.d) with the highest total gas volume 196 ml STP. Implication of higher OLR value is reduction of total gas volume due to accumulation of acids (pH 4.0), and lower substrate volatile solid removal. In summary, application of this method might valorize melon waste and generates renewable energy sources.

  19. DEVELOPMENT OF MELON F1 SEEDS BASED ON LINES WITH GENIC MALE STERILITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Sokolov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The perspective technology of development of melon of F1hybrids seeds by use maternal lines with an original form of genic mail sterility and marker trait (lobed leaves was studied. Elements of technology allow developing hybrid seeds of melon with hybridity of 90-95%.

  20. Mould and mycotoxin exposure assessment of melon and bush mango seeds, two common soup thickeners consumed in Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ezekiel, Chibundu N; Sulyok, Michael; Somorin, Yinka; Odutayo, Foluke I; Nwabekee, Stella U; Balogun, Afeez T; Krska, Rudolf

    2016-11-21

    An examination of the mould and fungal metabolite pattern in melon and bush mango seeds locally produced in Nigeria was undertaken in order to understand the mycotoxicological risk posed to consumers of both of these important and commonly consumed soup thickeners. The variation in mycotoxin levels in graded categories of both foodstuffs were also determined. Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Mucorales and Trichoderma were the recovered fungi from the foodstuffs with Aspergillus species dominating (melon=97.8%; bush mango=89.9%). Among the Aspergillus species identified Aspergillus section Flavi dominated (melon: 72%; bush mango: 57%) and A. flavus, A. parasiticus, A. parvisclerotigenus and A. tamarii were the recovered species. About 56% and 73% of the A. flavus isolates from melon and bush mango seed samples, respectively were aflatoxigenic. Thirty-four and 59 metabolites including notable mycotoxins were found in the melon and bush mango seeds respectively. Mean aflatoxin levels (μg/kg) in melon (aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 )=37.5 and total aflatoxins=142) and bush mango seeds (AFB 1 =68.1 and total aflatoxins=61.7) were higher than other mycotoxins, suggesting potential higher exposure for consumer populations. Significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of mycotoxins were found in hand-peeled melon and discoloured bush mango seeds than in machine-peeled melon and non-discoloured seeds except for HT-2 and T-2 toxins which occurred conversely. All melon and bush mango seeds exceeded the 2μg/kg AFB 1 limit whereas all melon and 55% of bush mango seeds exceeded the 4μg/kg total aflatoxin EU limit adopted in Nigeria. This is the first report of (1) mycotoxin co-occurrence in bush mango seeds, (2) cyclopiazonic acid, HT-2 toxin, moniliformin, mycophenolic acid, T-2 toxin and tenuazonic acid occurrence, and (3) mycotoxin exposure assessment of both foodstuffs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Disease Incidence of Melon Leaf Curl in East Java and Special Province of Yogyakarta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ignatius Julijantono

    2010-12-01

    Infeksi penyebab penyakit yang disebabkan oleh geminivirus telah menyebabkan kerugian secara ekonomi berbagai jenis tanaman penting yang dibudidayakan. Kejadian penyakit pada tanaman melon telah diamati sejak tahun 2004, dan tersebar secara luas di pusat penanaman melon di Jawa Timur maupun Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY. Di Jawa Timur dan Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY, pada tahun 2008 kejadian penyakit daun keriting melon mencapai 100% dan 14,3%. Penyebab penyakit telah dideteksi menggunakan teknik polymerase chain reaction. Amplifikasi Fragmen DNA virus dari tanaman yang terinfeksi dihasilkan dengan ukuran 770 bp menggunakan sepasang primer CPA5 dan CPA2.

  2. Hot-fill pasteurization of cucumber pickle spears: an alternative to tunnel pasteurizers

    Science.gov (United States)

    For commercial production of acidified vegetable products, thermal processes (71°C to 74°C for 10 min to 15 min) are typically done using a tunnel pasteurizer. To reduce energy costs and water usage, we developed a hot-fill method for pasteurization of cucumber pickle spears in 0.7 L (24 oz) jars. T...

  3. Grafting of Romanian Melons and Watermelons for Culture from South Area of Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorin Sora

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The vegetable grafting is useful in Romania; it is more difficult in watermelons and melons and it is continuously developing. The research was aimed the establishing of the technological stages for seedling producing of scions (Romanian melons and watermelons and rootstocks (F1 hybrids of Lagenaria siceraria and Cucurbita maxima x C. moschata for obtaining of grafted plant seedlings. The experience was realized out on a collection consisting from two Romanian scions, melon (‘Fondant’ variety and watermelon (‘Dochiţa’ variety obtained at Research and Development Station for Vegetable Growing Buzău and two rootstocks, bottle gourd - L. siceraria (‘Emphasis’ F1 and interspecific hybrid squash - C. maxima x C. moschata (‘Cobalt’ F1. The obtaining of scion and rootstock plants was made according to the ecological requirements of the species. The grafting was made by annexation (splice grafting. The plants had optimal diameters for splice grafting. Between scions (‘Fondant’ and ‘Dochiţa’ are no diference, statistical analysis could not be performed. Technological stages for producing grafted seedlings of Romanian melon and watermelon were established. The grafting was performed successfully for cucurbit symbiotes (scions and rootstocks. These technological stages for grafting by annexation of Romanian melons and watermelons are recommended for cultures in the south area of Romania.

  4. JUICE EXTRACTION FOR TOTAL SOLUBLE SOLIDS CONTENT DETERMINATION IN MELON

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Sérgio Lima e Silva

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The total soluble solids content (TSSC shows high positive correlation with sugars content, and therefore is generally accepted as an important quality trait of fruits. In melon, this evaluation is usually done by grinding a slice of the fruit's pulp in a household food processor, straining the ground material and then proceeding the TSSC determination in the resulting juice. This evaluation is labor-intensive and takes a long time to complete. An alternative process was delineated for obtaining the juice: the pulp of the fruit slice would be transversally cut one or more times, and longitudinally pressed by hand to obtain the juice. The objective of this work was to compare processes for obtaining juice to evaluate TSSC in melons. Fifty, 15, and 15 fruits of the Galia, Yellow, and Cantaloupe type melons were evaluated, respectively. Each fruit was considered as a block, and was longitudinally split into six fractions with similar sizes, which corresponded to the plots. The following treatments were evaluated: fraction without cuts, fractions with one, three, five, or seven transversal cuts, and the fraction treated by the conventional process. It was concluded that the procedure by which the melon slices of Galia, Yellow and Cantaloupe types are pressed for obtaining the juice to evaluate TSSC can overestimate this content. This would probably be due to the fact that the most internal section of the mesocarp presents greater TSSC than the portions closer to the epicarp.

  5. Analytical traceability of melon (Cucumis melo var reticulatus): proximate composition, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity in relation to cultivar, plant physiology state, and seasonal variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maietti, Annalisa; Tedeschi, Paola; Stagno, Caterina; Bordiga, Matteo; Travaglia, Fabiano; Locatelli, Monica; Arlorio, Marco; Brandolini, Vincenzo

    2012-06-01

    Two morphologically different cultivars of Italian melons (Baggio and Giusto) were characterized considering samples harvested in different times, at the beginning (BPP) and at the end of the physiological plant production period (EPP). Proximate composition, protein, minerals, pH, phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, condensed tannins, and flavonoids were measured, showing a significant decrease in EPP samples (phenolics, antioxidant capacity, condensed tannins, and flavonoids); ascorbic acid decreased in Giusto cv, carotenoids in Baggio cv. Mineral content increased in either the cultivars (EPP samples). Year-to-year difference was significantly highlighted; the plant growing cycle significantly affected the chemotype. Despite these effects, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) permitted the discrimination of Baggio from Giusto cv, and the discrimination of BPP from EPP samples as well. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

  6. Detection and occurrence of Melon yellow spot virus in Ecuador: an emergent threat to melon and watermelon production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worldwide, more than fifty viruses have been reported in cucurbit crops. In Ecuador, approximately 3000 Ha of watermelon, melon and cucumbers are cultivated annually. However, very few studies have been conducted to identify viruses responsible for important epidemics in this crop in Ecuador. During...

  7. Sterilization of the melon fly, dacus cucurbitae coquillett, with gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teruya, Tadashi; Zukeyama, Hiroshi

    1979-01-01

    The relationships between radiation dose and mating competitiveness of gamma irradiated melon fly males were studied with two methods; those being FRIED's method and the method of the direct counting of normal and irradiated flies in copula under the coexistence of normal females, normal males and irradiated males. In the former method, the mating competitiveness of irradiated males did not reduced significantly with doses from 1 to 10 kR, but at 30 kR, reduced significantly. In the latter method, the mating competitiveness values of males irradiated with 7 and 12 kR were less than unity, but not significant. At 30 kR, the mating competitiveness reduced significantly. It can be said that the harmful effect of irradiation on the mating competitiveness of the melon flies was negligible with a dose of 7 kR, which was used in the eradication project of melon fly from Kume Island. (author)

  8. Eco-Friendly (Water Melon Peels: Alternatives to Wood-based Particleboard Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    U. D. Idris

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of using water melon peels as alternatives to wood-based particleboard composites. The water melon peels composite boards were produced by compressive moulding using recycled low density polyethylene (RLDPE as a binder. The RLDPE was varies from 30 to 70wt% with interval of 10wt%. The microstructure, water absorption(WA, thickness swelling index(TS, modulus of rupture (MOR, modulus of elasticity (MOE, internal bonding strength(IB, impact strength and wear properties of the boards were determined. The results showed that high modulus of rupture of 11.45N/mm2, MOE of 1678N/mm2, IB of 0.58N/mm2, wear rate of 0.31g were obtained from particleboard produced at 60wt%RLDPE. The uniform distribution of the water melon particles and the RLDPE in the microstructure of the composites board is the major factor responsible for the improvement in the mechanical properties. The results showed that the MOE, MOR and IB meet the minimum requirements of the European standards, for general purpose like panelling, ceiling, partitioning. Hence, water melon particles can be used as a substitute to wood-based particleboard for general purpose applications also besides being environmental friendly of using watermelon and RLDPE in production of particleboard, this alternative to wood-based particleboard is very cost-effective.

  9. Occidental diffusion of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) 500–1300 CE: two routes to Europe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paris, Harry S.; Daunay, Marie-Christine; Janick, Jules

    2012-01-01

    Background The cucumber, Cucumis sativus, is one of the most widely consumed fruit vegetables the world over. The history of its dispersal to the Occident from its centre of origin, the Indian subcontinent, has been incorrectly understood for some time, due to the confusion of cucumbers with vegetable melons. Iconographic and literary evidence has shown that cucumber was absent in Roman times, up to 500 CE, but present in Europe by late medieval times, 1300. The objective of the present investigation was to determine more accurately when the cucumber arrived in Europe and by what route. Findings and Conclusions The evidence for the movement of C. sativus westward is entirely lexicographical until the 10th century. Syriac, Persian and Byzantine Greek sources suggest the presence of cucumbers, to the east and north-east of the Mediterranean Sea (modern Iran, Iraq and Turkey), by the 6th or 7th century. Arabic medical writings suggest the presence of cucumbers in Spain as early as the mid-9th century and in Tunisia by the early 10th century. Descriptive evidence in Arabic establishes the presence of cucumbers in Andalusia by the second half of the 10th century. Latin translations from Arabic sources indicate the presence of cucumbers in southern Italy by the second half of the 11th century. These writings, together with lexicographical discrepancies in names of cucurbits in late medieval Latin writings, suggest that cucumber was introduced to Europe by two independent diffusions. One diffusion appears to have been overland from Persia into eastern and northern Europe and preceded the Islamic conquests. The other, subsequent diffusion into western and southern Europe, was probably by a mostly maritime route from Persia or the Indian subcontinent into Andalusia. PMID:22104164

  10. Pickled meat consumption and colorectal cancer (CRC): a case-control study in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Squires, Josh; Roebothan, Barbara; Buehler, Sharon; Sun, Zhuoyu; Cotterchio, Michelle; Younghusband, Ban; Dicks, Elizabeth; Mclaughlin, John R; Parfrey, Patrick S; Wang, Peizhong Peter

    2010-09-01

    Although a large body of epidemiological research suggests that red meat intake increases the risk of colorectal cancer, little is known regarding how such an association varies across populations and types of red meat. The objective of this study was to assess whether an association exists between the intakes of total red meat and pickled red meat and the risk of colorectal cancer in study subjects residing in Newfoundland and Labrador. This case-control study of 1,204 residents of Newfoundland and Labrador was part of a larger study on colorectal cancer. Personal history food frequency questionnaires were used to collect retrospective data from 518 individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 686 controls. Intakes were ranked and divided into tertiles. Logistic regression was used to examine the possible association between meat intakes and colorectal cancer diagnosis while controlling for possible confounding factors. A positive, but non-statistically significant, association between total red meat intake and CRC was observed in this study. Pickled red meat consumption was found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of CRC (men, OR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.37-3.15; women, OR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.45-4.32), the odds ratios increasing with each tertile of consumption, suggesting a dose-response effect. Intake of pickled red meat appears to increase the risk of colorectal cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador.

  11. Researches about selecting resistant melon types to fusarium oxyporum f. sp.melonis race 1,2 by using tissue culture and mutation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    Fusarium wilt is a vascular disease of the Cucurbitaceae family caused by the soil fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (FOM), which is very detrimental to muskmelons (Cucumis melo L.). Fusarium wilt of melon is prevalent in temperate and tropical regions and causes a worldwide problem. FOM can survive in the soil for extended periods of time as chlamydospores, and is capable of colonizing crop residues and roots of most crops grown in rotation with melon. The only effective control is the use of resistant varieties. Four races of FOM have been identified, namely 0, 1, 2 and 1.2. Race 1.2 was further subdivided into race 1.2y and 1.2w, which cause yellowing and wilt symptoms, respectively. Two resistance genes (Fom-1 and Fom-2) have been identified in melons. Fom-1 confers resistance to FOM races 0 and 2, and Fom-2 confers resistance to races 0 and 1. These two genes are extensively used in breeding programmes, which can be assisted by marker assisted selection using markers linked to these resistance genes. No genes have been identified that confer resistance to race 1.2. However, polygenic recessive genes have been found to confer resistance to race 1.2 in Piboule genotypes. Melon production in Turkey is 1,700,000 tons and it is declining the year after year because of Fusarium wilt. Therefore, Fusarium wilt has a high economic importance in the cultivation of muskmelon in Turkey. In some parts of Turkey the prevalent races of this pathogen were determined. FOM has caused severe losses for farmers as our native cultivars are not resistant to this disease. It is believed our native cultivars will disappear if resistance to FOM is not introduced into the cultivated material. For this reason, many scientists in Turkey are focusing on research to develop new resistant cultivars via conventional and biotechnological breeding methods. In vitro techniques became widely spread during the 20th century, and their potential to make important contributions to plant

  12. Metabolomics in melon: A new opportunity for aroma analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Allwood, J.W.; Cheung, W.W.L.; Xu, Y.; Mumm, R.; Vos, de C.H.; Deborde, C.; Biais, B.; Maucourt, M.; Berger, Y.; Schaffer, A.; Rolin, D.; Moing, A.; Hall, R.D.; Goodacre, R.

    2014-01-01

    Cucumis melo fruit is highly valued for its sweet and refreshing flesh, however the flavour and value are also highly influenced by aroma as dictated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A simple and robust method of sampling VOCs on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been developed. Contrasting

  13. Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Lightly Pickled Vegetables and Its Successful Control at Processing Plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taguchi, Masumi; Kanki, Masashi; Yamaguchi, Yuko; Inamura, Hideichi; Koganei, Yosuke; Sano, Tetsuya; Nakamura, Hiromi; Asakura, Hiroshi

    2017-03-01

    Incidences of food poisoning traced to nonanimal food products have been increasingly reported. One of these was a recent large outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 infection from the consumption of lightly pickled vegetables, indicating the necessity of imposing hygienic controls during manufacturing. However, little is known about the bacterial contamination levels in these minimally processed vegetables. Here we examined the prevalence of STEC, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes in 100 lightly pickled vegetable products manufactured at 55 processing factories. Simultaneously, we also performed quantitative measurements of representative indicator bacteria (total viable counts, coliform counts, and β-glucuronidase-producing E. coli counts). STEC and Salmonella spp. were not detected in any of the samples; L. monocytogenes was detected in 12 samples manufactured at five of the factories. Microbiological surveillance at two factories (two surveys at factory A and three surveys at factory B) between June 2014 and January 2015 determined that the areas predominantly contaminated with L. monocytogenes included the refrigerators and packaging rooms. Genotyping provided further evidence that the contaminants found in these areas were linked to those found in the final products. Taken together, we demonstrated the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in lightly pickled vegetables sold at the retail level. Microbiological surveillance at the manufacturing factories further clarified the sources of the contamination in the retail products. These data indicate the necessity of implementing adequate monitoring programs to minimize health risks attributable to the consumption of these minimally processed vegetables.

  14. Sterilization of DACUS CUCUMIS FRENCH (DIPTERA: TEPHRITDAE) by gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hooper, G.H.S.

    1976-01-01

    When newly emerged adult Dacus cucumis French were irradiated in nitrogen, following a 15 min exposure to an atmosphere of pure nitrogen, the degree of sterility induced by a given dose was less than that obtained with the same dose in air. To achieve sterility in males of approximately 98 per cent doses of 7 krad in air and 13 krad in nitrogen were required. With females, total sterility through infecundity was achieved by 6 krad in air and 13 krad in nitrogen. Based on the hatch of eggs from competitive mating tests, males receiving 14 krad in nitrogen were significantly more competitive than males given 9 krad in air. The optimal light intensity for mating of D. cucumis under artificial conditions was 16.2, 1x. With this light intensity the mating propensity of males irradiated with 9 and 11 krad in air was significantly less than that of untreated males. The mating propensity of males given 14 krad in nitrogen approximated that of untreated males. (author)

  15. Papshop: Not a 'melon'choly Pap smear workshop!

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    of cervical cancer will take several decades to be apparent. There are more effective ways of screening, such as HPV DNA testing,[2] ... ARTICLE. Papshop: Not a 'melon'choly Pap smear workshop! C Gordon, MB ChB, Diploma in HIV ...

  16. The Nudo, Rollo, Melon codes and nodal correlations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perlado, J.M.; Aragones, J.M.; Minguez, E.; Pena, J.

    1975-01-01

    Analysis of nodal calculation and checking results by the reference reactor experimental data. Nudo code description, adapting experimental data to nodal calculations. Rollo, Melon codes as improvement in the cycle life calculations of albedos, mixing parameters and nodal correlations. (author)

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avital, Anat; Paris, Harry S.

    2014-01-01

    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. PMID:24948671

  18. Estimatation of evapotranspiration and crop coefficient of melon cultivated in protected environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cláudia S. Lozano

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to determine the water consumption and the crop coefficient of melon in a protected environment. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Technical Center of Irrigation of the State University of Maringá, in Maringá, PR. The melon hybrid used was Sunrise and the irrigations were performed daily by drip irrigation. Crop water requirement was quantified based on its evapotranspiration directly measured through constant water table lysimeters. Weather information was collected in an automatic weather station, installed inside the protected environment, which allowed to calculate the reference evapotranspiration by the Penman-Monteith method. The total water consumption of the melon crop was 295 mm, reaching maximum crop evapotranspiration of 5.16 mm d-1. The phenological stages were shorter in the initial, growth and intermediate phases, compared with the data from FAO. The determined crop coefficients were 0.87, 1.15 and 0.64 for the initial, intermediate and final stages, respectively

  19. A Specific Melon Concentrate Exhibits Photoprotective Effects from Antioxidant Activity in Healthy Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laure Egoumenides

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Skin is the largest body organ and the first barrier to exogenous threats. This organ is constantly exposed to external factors such as ultraviolet radiation, which induces many adverse effects including sunburn, depigmentation, photo aging, photo immune suppression, and even skin cancer. Antioxidants seem to be good candidates in order to reduce ultraviolet-mediated damages and to prevent the health consequences of ultraviolet exposure. The present investigation aims to further characterize the potential skin photoprotective effects of a food supplementation and a topical administration of a melon concentrate alone or in combination. A clinical study assessing the Minimal Erythema Dose (MED was first set up to evaluate photoprotection. Afterward, an independent in vitro study was performed on human skin explants from a donor to evaluate the effect of the melon concentrate at different levels including on the sunburn cells formation and on the endogenous antioxidant enzymes and its influence on melanin. Clinical study results demonstrate that melon concentrate application and/or supplementation increased MED. It also increased the endogenous antioxidant enzymes and reduced sunburn cells and melanin level on irradiated skin explants. Therefore, it is suggested that melon concentrate administration (oral and/or topical could be a useful strategy for photoprotection due to its antioxidant properties.

  20. orphological Evaluation and Classification of Melon Genotypes in Khorasan Provinces (Razavi, North and South

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aireza sobhany

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Melon is a tropical species that originates from Iran or Africa and Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India and China are the most important centers of genetic diversity of cultivated varieties (1. The original area for cantaloupe and melon is Iran. Dry and warm climate is the best condition for Melon. This plant needs heat and light for good grows. Cloudy and rainy weather at the time of fruit ripening may affect melon taste and quality(2. According to the FAO statistics in 2012, the total area devoted to melon was 1,339,006 hectares with an average yield of 23.8 tons per hectare and 31,925,787 tons production. The highest production belonged to China (55% of world production. Iran produces about 5.4 percent of world production which is about 1450000 tons from 80,000 hectares (2. Recently, a great number of studies have studied the correlation between melon yield and its components. The first branch (5, the number of primary branches, the number of fruits per plant and fruit weight per plant (6, length and width of fruit and fruit shape index were the most important melons traits which have been evaluated by other studies (4. Fruit yield has significant positive correlation with the length of the stem, primary branches, the date of the first appearance of female flowers and fruit weight. Studies revealed that there is a negative correlation between the number of fruits per plant and the average fruit weight. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 2008 with 17 landrace seeds collected from different locations of Khorasan provinces included Kashmar, sarakhs, Boshruye, Sabzevar, Dargaz and Bajestan. Experiment was designed based on randomized complete block design with three replications at agricultural Research Station of Khorasan Razavi. Results and Discussion: The cultivars did not show any different in the time of emergence as all of them emerged 4 to 7 days after the first irrigation. The comparison

  1. The carbon footprint of exported Brazilian yellow melon

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brito de Figueirêdo, M.C.; Kroeze, C.; Potting, J.; Silva Barros, da V.; Sousa de Aragão, A.; Sonsol Gondim, R.; Boer, de I.J.M.

    2013-01-01

    The carbon footprint of food has become important for producers worldwide as consumers and retail companies increasingly base their purchase decisions on carbon footprint labels. In this context, our objectives is to assess the carbon footprint (CF) of Brazilian yellow melon exported from the Low

  2. Land Use Cover Mapping of Water Melon and Cereals in Southern Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Costanza Fiorentino

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The new high-resolution images from the satellites as IKONOS, SPOT5, Quickbird2 give us the opportunity to map ground features, which were not detectable in the past, by using medium resolution remote sensed data (LANDSAT. More accurate and reliable maps of land cover can then be produced. However, classification procedure with these images is more complex than with the medium resolution remote sensing data for two main reasons: firstly, because of their exiguous number of spectral bands, secondly, owing to high spatial resolution, the assumption of pixel independence does not generally hold. It is then necessary to have a multi-temporal series of images or to use classifiers taking into account also proximal information. The data in this study were (i a remote sensing image taken by SPOT5 satellite in July 2007 and used to discriminate the water melon cover class and, (ii three multi-temporal remote sensing images taken by SPOT5 satellite in May, June and July 2008 used to discriminate water melon and cereal crop cover classes. For water melon recognition, providing a single image in 2007, an object-oriented technique was applied instead of a traditional, per pixel technique obtaining an increase of overall accuracy of 15%. In 2008, since it was available a multi-temporal data set, a traditional ‘Maximum Likelihood’ technique was applied for both water melon and cereal crop cover class. The overall accuracy is greater than 95%.

  3. Qualidade final de melão osmoticamente desidratado em soluções de sacarose com adição de ácidos Quality of osmotically dehydrated melon in sucrose solutions with addition of acids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliana Janet Sanjinez Argandoña

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available A desidratação osmótica associada à adição de ácidos fracos representa uma alternativa de processamento brando, resultando em um produto com características sensoriais praticamente inalteradas e apropriado para o consumo imediato. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência dos ácidos cítrico e lático na obtenção de melão osmoticamente desidratado e na qualidade final do produto. Pedaços de melão (Cucumis melo inodorus, cultivar: Gold Mine, de 40x30x15 mm, foram imersos em três tipos de soluções (sacarose + ácido cítrico, sacarose + ácido lático e sacarose com diferentes concentrações de sacarose (50 a 70ºBrix. A desidratação osmótica foi realizada em temperatura controlada (30 a 50ºC por até três horas. A adição de ácidos não influenciou significativamente na variação da cromaticidade. No entanto, a concentração da solução desidratante e a temperatura tiveram efeitos significativos no aumento da luminosidade do produto. A tensão na ruptura foi menor nas amostras processadas em relação à fruta fresca, porém a deformação na ruptura foi significativamente mais alta nas amostras tratadas com ácido lático a 50ºC, fornecendo produtos mais viscoelásticos, porém mais firmes.The combination of osmotic dehydration and weak acids addition is a mild process that results in a final product with organoleptic characteristics very similar to fresh and "ready to eat" fruit, appropriate for immediate consumption. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the influence of citric and lactic acids on the production of osmotically dehydrated melon and on its final quality. Melon (Cucumis melo inodorus, cultivar Gold Mine pieces of 40x30x15 mm were immersed in three types of dehydrating solutions (sucrose + citric acid, sucrose + lactic acid and control of different concentrations (50 to 70ºBrix. Osmotic dehydration was carried out for up to three hours under controlled temperature (30 to 50ºC. The addition

  4. Multispectral fluorescence imaging technique for discrimination of cucumber (Cucumis Sativus) seed viability

    Science.gov (United States)

    In this study, we developed a nondestructive method for discriminating viable cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seeds based on hyperspectral fluorescence imaging. The fluorescence spectra of cucumber seeds in the 420–700 nm range were extracted from hyperspectral fluorescence images obtained using 365 nm u...

  5. Pickling process of capers (Capparis spp. flower buds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özcan, Musa

    1999-04-01

    Full Text Available Middle sized (8 < x < 13 mm buds of Capparis spinosa var. spinosa and C. ovata var. canescens from June in brines containing 5,10,15 and 20% salt and from August in brines of 15% salt, and three different size (x < 8 mm, 8 < x < 13 mm, x > 13 mm buds of C. . ovata var. canescens from June in brines of 15% salt were pickled for two months fermentation. Some chemical and microbiological analyses were done in brines during fermentation. Most suitable salt concentration for lactic acid bacteria (LAB activity were 5% and partly 10%. Acidity, LAB activity, sedimentation and hardness were reduced by increasing bud size in C. ovata. Small buds of C. ovata for pickling product had advantage for colour and flavour, however, more sediment and partly softening showed disadvantage. For both species, pickling time was determined as 40 to 50 days in regard of end-product flavour and odour, brine acidity and pH, and LAB activity.

    Se encurtieron durante dos meses botones florales de tamaño medio (8 < x < 13 mm de Capparis spinosa var. spinosa y C. ovata var. canescens, los recolectados en Junio en salmueras conteniendo 5, 10, 15 y 20% de sal, y los de Agosto en salmueras de 15% de sal; y tres tamaños diferentes (x < 8 mm, 8 < x < 13 mm, X > 13 mm de C. ovata var. canescens de Junio en salmueras de 15% de sal. Se realizaron algunos análisis químicos y microbiológicos durante la fermentación. Las concentraciones de sal más adecuadas para la actividad de las bacterias del ácido láctico (LAB fueron 5% y parcialmente 10%. Acidez, actividad de LAB, sedimentación y firmeza (hardness se redujeron al incrementar el tamaño de las alcaparras de C. ovata. Los tamaños pequeños de C. ovata presentaron en el producto encurtido ventajas en color y sabor, pero desventajas por más sedimento y ablandamiento parcial. El tiempo de encurtido para ambas

  6. Characterization of Melon necrotic spot virus Occurring on Watermelon in Korea

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    Hae-Ryun Kwak

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV was recently identified on watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris in Korea, displaying as large necrotic spots and vein necrosis on the leaves and stems. The average occurrence of MNSV on watermelon was found to be 30–65% in Hapcheon and Andong City, respectively. Four isolates of the virus (MNSV-HW, MNSV-AW, MNSV-YW, and MNSV-SW obtained from watermelon plants in different areas were non-pathogenic on ten general indicator plants, including Chenopodium quinoa, while they infected systemically six varieties of Cucurbitaceae. The virus particles purified by 10–40% sucrose density gradient centrifugation had a typical ultraviolet spectrum, with a minimum at 245 nm and a maximum at 260 nm. The morphology of the virus was spherical with a diameter of 28–30 nm. Virus particles were observed scattered throughout the cytoplasm of watermelon cells, but no crystals were detected. An ELISA was conducted using antiserum against MNSV-HW; the optimum concentrations of IgG and conjugated IgG for the assay were 1 μl/ml and a 1:8,000–1:10,000 dilutions, respectively. Antiserum against MNSV-HW could capture specifically both MNSV-MN from melon and MNSV-HW from watermelon by IC/RT-PCR, and they were effectively detected with the same specific primer to produce product of 1,172 bp. The dsRNA of MNSV-HW had the same profile (4.5, 1.8, and 1.6 kb as that of MNSV-MN from melon. The nucleotide sequence of the coat protein of MNSV-HW gave a different phylogenetic tree, having 17.2% difference in nucleotide sequence compared with MNSV isolates from melon.

  7. Identification of gamma-irradiated papaya, melon and watermelon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marín-Huachaca, Nélida S.; Mancini-Filho, Jorge; Delincée, Henry; Villavicencio, Anna Lúcia C. H.

    2004-09-01

    Ionizing radiation can be used to control spoilage microorganisms and to increase the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables in replacement for the treatment with chemical fumigants. In order to enforce labelling regulations, methods for detecting the irradiation treatment directly in the produce are required. Recently, a number of detection methods for irradiated food have been adopted by the Codex Comission. A rapid screening method for qualitative detection of irradiation is the DNA Comet Assay. The applicability of the DNA Comet Assay for distinguishing irradiated papaya, melon, and watermelon was evaluated. The samples were treated in a 60Co facility at dose levels of 0.0, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0kGy. The irradiated samples showed typical DNA fragmentation whereas cells from non-irradiated ones appeared intact. In addition to the DNA Comet Assay also the half-embryo test was applied in melon and watermelon to detect the irradiation treatment.

  8. Identification of gamma-irradiated papaya, melon and watermelon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marin-Huachaca, N.S.; Mancini-Filho, Jorge; Delincee, Henry; Villavicencio, A.L.C.H.

    2004-01-01

    Ionizing radiation can be used to control spoilage microorganisms and to increase the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables in replacement for the treatment with chemical fumigants. In order to enforce labelling regulations, methods for detecting the irradiation treatment directly in the produce are required. Recently, a number of detection methods for irradiated food have been adopted by the Codex Comission. A rapid screening method for qualitative detection of irradiation is the DNA Comet Assay. The applicability of the DNA Comet Assay for distinguishing irradiated papaya, melon, and watermelon was evaluated. The samples were treated in a 60 Co facility at dose levels of 0.0, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 kGy. The irradiated samples showed typical DNA fragmentation whereas cells from non-irradiated ones appeared intact. In addition to the DNA Comet Assay also the half-embryo test was applied in melon and watermelon to detect the irradiation treatment

  9. Identification of gamma-irradiated papaya, melon and watermelon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marin-Huachaca, N.S.; Mancini-Filho, Jorge E-mail: jmancini@usp.br; Delincee, Henry E-mail: henry.delincee@bfe.uni-karlsruhe.de; Villavicencio, A.L.C.H. E-mail: villavic@net.ipen.br

    2004-10-01

    Ionizing radiation can be used to control spoilage microorganisms and to increase the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables in replacement for the treatment with chemical fumigants. In order to enforce labelling regulations, methods for detecting the irradiation treatment directly in the produce are required. Recently, a number of detection methods for irradiated food have been adopted by the Codex Comission. A rapid screening method for qualitative detection of irradiation is the DNA Comet Assay. The applicability of the DNA Comet Assay for distinguishing irradiated papaya, melon, and watermelon was evaluated. The samples were treated in a {sup 60}Co facility at dose levels of 0.0, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 kGy. The irradiated samples showed typical DNA fragmentation whereas cells from non-irradiated ones appeared intact. In addition to the DNA Comet Assay also the half-embryo test was applied in melon and watermelon to detect the irradiation treatment.

  10. GENOTYPING OF CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS FROM FRESH WATER FISH AND FISH PICKLES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adarsh Jain

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to evaluate the genotypes of Clostridium perfringens in fish and fish based products from Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of India. A total of 301 samples consisting intestinal contents of freshwater fish (234 from various dams, freshwater lakes, ponds, retail shops and markets and fish pickles (67 obtained from randomly selected retail shops and supermarkets were investigated. Bacterial isolations, identifications and phenotypic characterization of virulence factors were carried out as per standard microbiological procedures. Genotyping of the C. perfringens isolates were done by amplifying four major lethal toxin genes namely- alpha toxin gene (cpa, beta toxin gene (cpb, epsilon toxin gene (etx, iota toxin gene (iA in a Thermal Cycler. Isolates were also screened for the presence of enterotoxin gene (cpe and beta2 toxin gene (cpb2 by single step PCR. Biochemical tests and phenotypic determination of virulence factors tentatively identified 82 (27.24% isolates of C. perfringens. In PCR assay, all 82 (100% isolates harbored cpa toxin genes of C. perfringens, however, 65 (79.26% isolates also carried additional cpb2 toxin genes. None of the isolates were found positive for beta, epsilon, iota and enterotoxin genes. Genotyping of the 82 isolates by PCR revealed that all the isolated bacteria were belonged to C. perfringens type A and both cpa and cpb2 toxin genes were prevalent among the isolates of C. perfringens type A, impending the risk of pathogenicity to human via freshwater fish and fish pickles.

  11. Physiological effects of ozone on cultivars of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and muskmelon (Cucumis melo) widely grown in Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandez-Bayon, J M; Barnes, J D; Ollerenshaw, J H; Davison, A W

    1993-01-01

    Two cultivars of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and muskmelon (Cucumis melo), which are widely grown in Spain, were exposed to ozone (70 nl litre(-1), 6 h d(-1)) for 21 days. Ozone sensitivity was assessed by recording the extent of visible injury, changes in fast-fluorescence kinetics, the relative-growth rate (R) of root (RR) and shoot (RS), and effects on the number of flowers produced per plant. Leaf gas exchange was measured in order to provide some indication of the factors underlying differential response to ozone. After 9-10 days of fumigation, all the cultivars developed typical visible symptoms of zone injury on the older leaves. However, significant (P watermelon, there was a marked reduction in the rate of CO(2) assimilation as a result of exposure to ozone, and this was accompanied by a parallel decrease in stomatal conductance. Mean plant-relative-growth rate (R) was markedly (P watermelon, but there were no significant effects on R in muskmelon. Ozone reduced root growth relative to the shoot in three out of four cultivars-an effect that may be of considerable ecological significance. Moreover, exposure to ozone reduced flower production in both muskmelon and watermelon, which indicated effects on yield. There was no correlation between a variety of methods used to assess ozone sensitivity and visible injury, and reasons for this are discussed. This observation draws clear attention to the dangers in ranking plants for ozone sensitivity purely on the basis of visible symptoms. It is concluded from this study that ozone-insensitive genotypes should be identified and considered for planting in the major areas of melon production concentrated on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

  12. Purification and MIC analysis of antimicrobial proteins from Cucumis sativus L. seeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Akeel, Raid; Mateen, Ayesha; Alharbi, Khalid K; Alyousef, Abdullah A; Al-Mandeel, Hazem M; Syed, Rabbani

    2018-04-03

    Cucumis sativus L. (cucumber), from the family Cucurbitaceae, is a therapeutic plant with various pharmacological benefits, broadly utilized as a part of complementary medicine (e.g., Unani, Ayurveda, Siddha, and Traditional Chinese). In light of past research discoveries, this plant had been chosen to consider its potential antibacterial action. Extracts were purified by dialysis and ion exchange chromatography strategy and then assayed for antibacterial activity against four standard pathogenic bacterial strains known to cause foodborne infections and spoilage of food and herbal drugs. Antimicrobial peptides were extracted from seeds using a sodium phosphate citrate (pH 7.2) - CTAB cradle (pH 6.0). The highest protein concentration was seen with elute fractions 1 and 3 (370 mg/mL) compared with elute fractions 2 and 4 (340 mg/mL). Among the bacteria utilized, E. coli was clearly the most sensitive out of selected four strains. Our results suggest that Cucumis sativus L seeds extracts have significant potentials as new antimicrobial agents.

  13. Boletus edulis Nitrite Reductase Reduces Nitrite Content of Pickles and Mitigates Intoxication in Nitrite-intoxicated Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Weiwei; Tian, Guoting; Feng, Shanshan; Wong, Jack Ho; Zhao, Yongchang; Chen, Xiao; Wang, Hexiang; Ng, Tzi Bun

    2015-10-08

    Pickles are popular in China and exhibits health-promoting effects. However, nitrite produced during fermentation adversely affects health due to formation of methemoglobin and conversion to carcinogenic nitrosamine. Fruiting bodies of the mushroom Boletus edulis were capable of inhibiting nitrite production during pickle fermentation. A 90-kDa nitrite reductase (NiR), demonstrating peptide sequence homology to fungal nitrite reductase, was isolated from B. edulis fruiting bodies. The optimum temperature and pH of the enzyme was 45 °C and 6.8, respectively. B. edulis NiR was capable of prolonging the lifespan of nitrite-intoxicated mice, indicating that it had the action of an antidote. The enzyme could also eliminate nitrite from blood after intragastric administration of sodium nitrite, and after packaging into capsule, this nitrite-eliminating activity could persist for at least 120 minutes thus avoiding immediate gastric degradation. B. edulis NiR represents the first nitrite reductase purified from mushrooms and may facilitate subsequent applications.

  14. Effect of processing and storage time on the contents of organosulfur compounds in pickled blanched garlic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beato, Victor Manuel; Sánchez, Antonio Higinio; de Castro, Antonio; Montaño, Alfredo

    2012-04-04

    The influence of processing, with and without fermentation, on the contents of organosulfur compounds, namely, γ-glutamyl peptides, S-alk(en)yl-L-cysteine sulfoxides (ACSOs), and S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC), in pickled blanched garlic was evaluated. For each processing type, the effect of the preservation method and storage time was also analyzed. Blanching in hot water (90 °C for 5 min) hardly affected the individual organosulfur compound content. The fermentation and packing steps negatively affected the levels of all compounds except for SAC. The content of this compound increased during storage at room temperature whereas γ-glutamyl peptides and ACSOs were degraded to various extents. The pasteurization treatment itself had no significant effect on the concentrations of organosulfur compounds. Use of the corresponding fermentation brine in the case of the fermented product in conjunction with refrigerated storage was found to be the best method to preserve the levels of organosulfur compounds in pickled garlic stored for up to one year.

  15. Bio-active Compounds of Bitter Melon Genotypes (Momordica charantia L. in Relation to Their Physiological Functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Navam S. Hettiarachchy

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L is one of the most popular cooked vegetables in many Asian countries. Its experimental use in mice has indicated improvement in glucose tolerance against Type II diabetes and reduction in blood cholesterol. However, it has not been proven which alkaloids, polypeptides, or their combinations in the Bitter Melon extract are responsible for the medicinal effects. Green and white varieties of Bitter Melon differ strikingly in their bitter tastes, green being much more bitter than white. It is not yet known whether they are different in their special nutritional and hypoglycemic properties. Nutritional qualities of Bitter Melons such as protein, amino acids, minerals, and polyphenolics contents were determined using four selected varieties such as Indian Green [IG], Indian White [IW], Chinese Green [CG], and Chinese White [CW] grown at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff [UAPB] Agricultural Research Center. Results indicated that protein levels of IW were significantly higher than IG in both flesh and seed. Methods: Four Bitter Melon varieties, Indian Green [IG], Indian White [IW], Chinese Green [CG] and Chinese White [CW] were used for phytochemical analyses to determine protein contents, protein hydrolysis, amino acids contents, and their antioxidant and antimutagenic activities. All analyses were conducted following standard methods. Statistical analyses wereconducted using JMP 5 software package [SAS]. The Tukey’s HSD procedure was used for the significance of differences at the 5% level. Results: Moisture contents across the four varieties of Bitter Melon flesh ranged between 92.4 and 93.5%, and that of seed ranged between 53.3 and 75.9%. Protein contents of the flesh were highest in IW [9.8%] and lowest in CG [8.4%]. Seed protein contents were the highest in IW [31.3%] and lowest in IG [27.0%]. Overall, white varieties had higher protein contents than the green varieties. Compared with soy

  16. Multi-criteria optimization of the flesh melons skin separation process by experimental and statistical analysis methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. B. Medvedkov

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Research and innovation activity to create energy-efficient processes in the melon processing, is a significant task. Separation skin from the melon flesh with their subsequent destination application in the creation of new food products is one of the time-consuming operations in this technology. Lack of scientific and experimental base of this operation holding back the development of high-performance machines for its implementation. In this connection, the technique of the experiment on the separation of the skins of melons in the pilot plant and the search for optimal regimes of its work methods by statistical modeling is offered. The late-ripening species of melon: Kalaysan, Thorlami, Gulab-sary are objects of study. Interaction of factors influencing on separating the melon skins process is carried out. A central composite rotatable design and fractional factorial experiment was used. Using the method of experimental design with treatment planning template in Design Expert v.10 software yielded a regression equations that adequately describe the actual process. Rational intervals input factors values are established: the ratio of the rotational speed of the drum to the abrasive supply roll rotational frequency; the gap between the supply drum and the shearing knife; shearing blade sharpening angle; the number of feed drum spikes; abrading drum orifices diameter. The mean square error does not exceed 12.4%. Regression equations graphic interpretation is presented by scatter plots and engineering nomograms that can be predictive of a choice of rational values of the input factors for three optimization criteria: minimal specific energy consumption in the process of cutting values, maximal specific performance by the pulp and pulp extraction ratio values. Obtained data can be used for the operational management of the process technological parameters, taking into account the geometrical dimensions of the melon and its inhomogeneous structure.

  17. Temperatura de armazenamento e tipo de corte para melão minimamente processado Storage temperature and cut type to minimally processed melon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Cecília de Arruda

    2003-04-01

    Full Text Available O presente trabalho teve como objetivo determinar a temperatura de armazenamento e o tipo de corte que proporciona melhor manutenção da qualidade de melões minimamente processados. Melões rendilhados, híbrido Bonus II, foram processados em câmara fria a 12ºC. Os frutos foram cortados manualmente em 8 fatias longitudinais. Em um dos tratamentos, as fatias foram divididas em pedaços de aproximadamente 3 cm de base e, no outro tratamento, foram utilizadas fatias inteiras. O produto minimamente processado foi acondicionado em embalagem rígida de politereftalato de etileno e armazenado a 3; 6 e 9ºC. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial. Foram realizadas análises físico-químicas e sensoriais a cada 3 dias, por um período de 9 dias. A coloração e o teor de sólidos solúveis totais não foram afetados pelos tratamentos. O produto armazenado a 3ºC manteve maiores valores de firmeza, independentemente do tipo de corte. A aparência foi considerada boa até o 9º dia de armazenamento e o aroma, até o 6º dia, para melões a 3ºC. Em todos os tratamentos, houve declínio das notas atribuídas ao sabor durante o armazenamento. Pelos resultados obtidos, conclui-se que a qualidade de melões minimamente processados pode ser mantida por 6 dias a 3ºC, independentemente do tipo de corte.The objective of this work was to determine the storage temperature and the cut type that provides the better maintenance of the quality of minimally processed melons (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus hybrid. Bonus II. Fruits were hand cut in 8 longitudinal slices in cold chamber at 12ºC. One of the slices was divided in 3cm pieces, in the other treatment whole slices were used. The product minimally processed was packed in rigid polyethylene terephthalate tray and stored at 3, 6 and 9ºC. The experimental design was completely randomized in factorial arrangement. The physical-chemical and sensorial characteristics were

  18. Genome-wide identification and comparative expression analysis of LEA genes in watermelon and melon genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celik Altunoglu, Yasemin; Baloglu, Mehmet Cengiz; Baloglu, Pinar; Yer, Esra Nurten; Kara, Sibel

    2017-01-01

    Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are large and diverse group of polypeptides which were first identified during seed dehydration and then in vegetative plant tissues during different stress responses. Now, gene family members of LEA proteins have been detected in various organisms. However, there is no report for this protein family in watermelon and melon until this study. A total of 73 LEA genes from watermelon ( ClLEA ) and 61 LEA genes from melon ( CmLEA ) were identified in this comprehensive study. They were classified into four and three distinct clusters in watermelon and melon, respectively. There was a correlation between gene structure and motif composition among each LEA groups. Segmental duplication played an important role for LEA gene expansion in watermelon. Maximum gene ontology of LEA genes was observed with poplar LEA genes. For evaluation of tissue specific expression patterns of ClLEA and CmLEA genes, publicly available RNA-seq data were analyzed. The expression analysis of selected LEA genes in root and leaf tissues of drought-stressed watermelon and melon were examined using qRT-PCR. Among them, ClLEA - 12 - 17 - 46 genes were quickly induced after drought application. Therefore, they might be considered as early response genes for water limitation conditions in watermelon. In addition, CmLEA - 42 - 43 genes were found to be up-regulated in both tissues of melon under drought stress. Our results can open up new frontiers about understanding of functions of these important family members under normal developmental stages and stress conditions by bioinformatics and transcriptomic approaches.

  19. Asynchronous meiosis in Cucumis hystrix-cucumber synthetic tetraploids resulting in low male fertility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wide hybridization is an important tool for crop improvement. Recently, we successfully developed a synthetic allotetraploid from interspecific cross between cucumber and its relative Cucumis hystrix-(2n = 2x =24) followed by chemical induction of chromosome doubling. The resulting allotetraploid wa...

  20. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seed performance as influenced by ovary and ovule position

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jing, H.C.; Jalink, H.; Bergervoet, J.W.; Klooster, M.; Du, S.L.; Bino, R.J.; Hilhorst, H.W.M.; Groot, S.P.C.

    2000-01-01

    The performance of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seeds in relation to ovary and ovule position was monitored during seed production. Seeds from three (first, seventh and tenth nodes) fruit positions and three (stylar, intermediate and peduncular) ovule positions were harvested serially during

  1. Effect of mulching on melon (cv. Campero) crop coefficient

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cerekovic, Natasa; Todorovic, Mladen; Snyder, Richard L.

    2011-01-01

    . This improvement is particularly important because midseason Kc refers to the peak Kc values and relies on the period of growing season that is usually the most important for irrigation and the most sensitive to water stress, thus when an accurate scheduling should be applied. Overall results indicate...... depend mainly on water management practices during the end of the season. A review of Kc for melon grown under mulch and the results of investigations on Policoro data confirmed relevant difference in the length of the growing period in respect to the data presented in FAO 56. Therefore, careful....... The Kc mid values determined with equations are average adjustments for the mid-season period for the melon crop in Policoro, taking in consideration relevant weather data for wind speed and relative humidity as averages for these period. High Kc values were related to irrigation events. Kc end values...

  2. Strategies to improve palatability and increase consumption intentions for Momordica charantia (bitter melon: A vegetable commonly used for diabetes management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shovic Anne C

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although beneficial to health, dietary phytonutrients are bitter, acid and/or astringent in taste and therefore reduce consumer choice and acceptance during food selection. Momordica charantia, commonly known as bitter melon has been traditionally used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to treat diabetes and its complications. The aim of this study was to develop bitter melon-containing recipes and test their palatability and acceptability in healthy individuals for future clinical studies. Methods A cross-sectional sensory evaluation of bitter melon-containing ethnic recipes was conducted among 50 healthy individuals. The primary endpoints assessed in this analysis were current consumption information and future intentions to consume bitter melon, before and after provision of attribute- and health-specific information. A convenience sample of 50, self-reported non-diabetic adults were recruited from the University of Hawaii. Sensory evaluations were compared using two-way ANOVA, while differences in stage of change (SOC before and after receiving health information were analyzed by Chi-square (χ2 analyses. Results Our studies indicate that tomato-based recipes were acceptable to most of the participants and readily acceptable, as compared with recipes containing spices such as curry powder. Health information did not have a significant effect on willingness to consume bitter melon, but positively affected the classification of SOC. Conclusions This study suggests that incorporating bitter foods in commonly consumed food dishes can mask bitter taste of bitter melon. Furthermore, providing positive health information can elicit a change in the intent to consume bitter melon-containing dishes despite mixed palatability results.

  3. Strategies to improve palatability and increase consumption intentions for Momordica charantia (bitter melon): A vegetable commonly used for diabetes management

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background Although beneficial to health, dietary phytonutrients are bitter, acid and/or astringent in taste and therefore reduce consumer choice and acceptance during food selection. Momordica charantia, commonly known as bitter melon has been traditionally used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to treat diabetes and its complications. The aim of this study was to develop bitter melon-containing recipes and test their palatability and acceptability in healthy individuals for future clinical studies. Methods A cross-sectional sensory evaluation of bitter melon-containing ethnic recipes was conducted among 50 healthy individuals. The primary endpoints assessed in this analysis were current consumption information and future intentions to consume bitter melon, before and after provision of attribute- and health-specific information. A convenience sample of 50, self-reported non-diabetic adults were recruited from the University of Hawaii. Sensory evaluations were compared using two-way ANOVA, while differences in stage of change (SOC) before and after receiving health information were analyzed by Chi-square (χ2) analyses. Results Our studies indicate that tomato-based recipes were acceptable to most of the participants and readily acceptable, as compared with recipes containing spices such as curry powder. Health information did not have a significant effect on willingness to consume bitter melon, but positively affected the classification of SOC. Conclusions This study suggests that incorporating bitter foods in commonly consumed food dishes can mask bitter taste of bitter melon. Furthermore, providing positive health information can elicit a change in the intent to consume bitter melon-containing dishes despite mixed palatability results. PMID:21794176

  4. Biopesticide effect of green compost against fusarium wilt on melon plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ros, M; Hernandez, M T; Garcia, C; Bernal, A; Pascual, J A

    2005-01-01

    The biopesticide effect of four green composts against fusarium wilt in melon plants and the effect of soil quality in soils amended with composts were assayed. The composts consisted of pruning wastes, with or without addition of coffee wastes (3/1 and 4/1, dry wt/dry wt) or urea (1000/1, dry wt/dry wt). In vitro experiments suggested the biopesticide effect of the composts against Fusarium oxysporum, while only the compost of pine bark and urea (1000/1dry wt/dry wt) had an abiotic effect. Melon plant growth with composts and F. oxysporum was one to four times greater than in the non-amended soil, although there was no significant decrease in the level of the F. oxysporum in the soil. The addition of composts to the soil also improved its biological quality, as assessed by microbiological and biochemical parameters: ATP and hydrolases involved in the P (phosphatase), C (beta-glucosidase) and N (urease) cycles. Green composts had greater beneficial characteristics, improved plant growth and controlled fusarium wilt in melon plants. These composts improve the soil quality of semi-arid agricultural soils. Biotic and abiotic factors from composts have been tested as responsible of their biopesticide activity against fusarium wilt.

  5. Infraspecific variation of C-banded karyotype and chiasma frequency in Cucumis sativus (Cucurbitaceae)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ramachandran, C.; Brandenburg, W.A.; Nijs, de S.A.P.M.

    1985-01-01

    Infraspecific cytogenetical variation was studied in a diverse collection of five non-cultivated and cultivatedCucumis sativus accessions. The individual chromosomes of different accessions could be identified by the C-banding pattern and chromosome measurements. About 40–50% of the genomic area are

  6. Estudo da utilização do efluente de biodigestor no cultivo hidropônico do meloeiro Utilization of biodigestor effluent in the hydroponic cultivation of melon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz V. E. Villela Junior

    2003-04-01

    Full Text Available Objetivando-se o aproveitamento do efluente de biodigestor no cultivo hidropônico do meloeiro, desenvolveu-se a presente pesquisa. O experimento foi conduzido no Departamento de Engenharia Rural da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias da UNESP, campus de Jaboticabal, cultivando-se o meloeiro (Cucumis melo L. cv. Bonus nº 2. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualisados, com 6 repetições, cujos tratamentos foram: 1 cultivo hidropônico em sistema fechado tipo NFT ("nutrient film technique" com uso de solução nutritiva organo-mineral (biofertilizante com complementação mineral; 2 cultivo hidropônico em sistema fechado tipo NFT, com uso de solução nutritiva 100% mineral; 3 cultivo hidropônico em sistema aberto, com substrato e solução nutritiva organo-mineral e 4 cultivo hidropônico em sistema aberto, com substrato e solução nutritiva 100% mineral. O biofertilizante e o substrato foram obtidos a partir do efluente de biodigestor, produzido com estrume bovino. As plantas cultivadas no tratamento 1 tiveram desenvolvimento prejudicado, devido ao acúmulo de partículas sólidas junto ao sistema radicular. O tratamento 2 proporcionou às plantas desenvolvimento vegetativo mais rápido e maior produtividade. Os frutos produzidos no tratamento 2 apresentaram maior peso, formato mais alongado e maior teor de sólidos solúveis totais. A substituição parcial de adubos minerais por biofertilizante mostrou-se possível em sistema hidropônico aberto com substrato.With the objective to use effluent of biodigestor in the hydroponic cultivation, an experiment was conducted in the Department of Rural Engineering Faculty of Agricultural and Veterenary Sciences of UNESP, campus of Jaboticabal where a melon crop (Cucumis melo L. cv. Bonus nº 2 was cultivated. The experimental design used was a randomized blocks, with 6 repetitions and the treatments studied were: 1 hydroponic cultivation in closed system type NFT

  7. Controlling the Sex of Flowers in Different Stages of Growth and Development of Melon (Cucumis melo var. reticualus L. with Ethephon Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Arabsalmani

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available To investigate the effect of ethephon on control of male flowers in melon, a split plot experiment, with randomized complete blocks design and three replications, was conducted in Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Varamin, Iran, during 2005-2006. The main factor included three levels of plant growth stage (3-leaf, 6-leaf and early reproductive stage and sub-plots included four ethephon levels (0, 100, 200 and 300 mg/L. The appearance time of female flowers, number of male and female flowers (7 and 14 days after application of ethephon, total yield and female/male flowers ratio were evaluated. Results showed that plant response to increasing concentration of ethephon depends on plant growth stage. By using the ethephon concentrations of 100, 200 and 300 mg/L, the emergence of female flowers was delayed 6, 13 and 15 days, respectively, in comparison to control. The highest yield (26430 kg/ha was obtained with spraying of 200 mg/L ethephon in trifoliate plants. In this case, the ratio of female to male flowers was highest (81.5%. A high dose of ethephon (over 200 mg/L was associated with reduced yield and ratio of female to male flowers, at all stages of plant growth, especially in reproductive growth stage. The results this research showed that the beneficial effects of ethephon application is possible only if the right time is chosen with respect to plant growth.

  8. Processing of spent pickling liquor formed during treatment of titanium products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bykovsky, N. A.; Rahman, P. A.; Puchkova, L. N.; Fanakova, N. N.

    2017-10-01

    The article presents the research findings on processing of spent acid pickling liquor (SAPL) formed during etching of titanium products. The processing includes neutralizing the SAPL with alkali, filtering, drying and calcining the titanium hydroxide precipitate as well as electrochemical processing of the filtrate in an ion-exchange membrane cell. The proposed SAPL processing procedure allows obtaining titanium dioxide, sodium hydroxide and a mixture of acids. Titanium dioxide can be used in paint-and-varnish industry. The alkali can be used in neutralizing the SAPL. A mixture of acids is suitable for use in etching process of titanium products.

  9. Monitoring Resistance to Spinosad in the Melon Fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae in Hawaii and Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ju-Chun Hsu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Spinosad is a natural insecticide with desirable qualities, and it is widely used as an alternative to organophosphates for control of pests such as the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett. To monitor the potential for development of resistance, information about the current levels of tolerance to spinosad in melon fly populations were established in this study. Spinosad tolerance bioassays were conducted using both topical applications and feeding methods on flies from field populations with extensive exposure to spinosad as well as from collections with little or no prior exposure. Increased levels of resistance were observed in flies from the field populations. Also, higher dosages were generally required to achieve specific levels of mortality using topical applications compared to the feeding method, but these levels were all lower than those used for many organophosphate-based food lures. Our information is important for maintaining effective programs for melon fly management using spinosad.

  10. Monitoring Resistance to Spinosad in the Melon Fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae) in Hawaii and Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Ju-Chun; Haymer, David S.; Chou, Ming-Yi; Feng, Hai-Tung; Chen, Hsaio-Han; Huang, Yu-Bing; Mau, Ronald F. L.

    2012-01-01

    Spinosad is a natural insecticide with desirable qualities, and it is widely used as an alternative to organophosphates for control of pests such as the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett). To monitor the potential for development of resistance, information about the current levels of tolerance to spinosad in melon fly populations were established in this study. Spinosad tolerance bioassays were conducted using both topical applications and feeding methods on flies from field populations with extensive exposure to spinosad as well as from collections with little or no prior exposure. Increased levels of resistance were observed in flies from the field populations. Also, higher dosages were generally required to achieve specific levels of mortality using topical applications compared to the feeding method, but these levels were all lower than those used for many organophosphate-based food lures. Our information is important for maintaining effective programs for melon fly management using spinosad. PMID:22629193

  11. Cytoprotection mediated antiulcer effect of aqueous fruit pulp extract of Cucumis sativus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Swapnil Sharma

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The study was aimed to evaluate the gastroprotective potential of Cucumis Sativus fruit pulp aqueous extract (CSE in gastric ulcerated rats. Methods: Cytoprotective potential was evaluated via oral administration of CSE at the doses of 250, 500 &1000 mg/kg three times in a day, for 5 days before the induction of ulcers in indomethacin and pyloric ligation induced ulcer model. Further, its effects were studied on various parameters volume of gastric juice, pH, free and total acidity, protein concentration, acid output in gastric juice, lipid peroxide (LPO, and activities of enzymic antioxidants-super oxide dismutase (SOD and catalase (CAT in gastric mucosa. The levels of hexose, hexosamine, sialic acid, fucose in gastric mucosa and gastric juice were also examined. The extent of healing was also determined with post administration of CSE at the same doses & dosage schedule in acetic acid induced model. Results: In indomethacin and pyloric ligation model, the pretreatment with CSE and ranitidine significantly reduced the lesion index, in comparison with control treated group (P< 0.05. The percentages of protection of ulcers were 25.8, 65.7, 80.6 & 93.8 for the treated groups of CSE and ranitidine whereas in pyloric ligation it was 31.26, 55.18, 93.26 & 95.51 respectively. In pyloric ligation model, CSE resulted in significant increase in pH, enzymic antioxidants i.e. SOD & CAT, with a significant decrease in volume of gastric juice, free and total acidity, protein & carbohydrate concentration and LPO levels. In acetic acid inducer model, treatment with Cucumis sativus (CSE caused significant reduction in lesion index in when compared to control treated group, providing evidence for ulcer healing capacity of it. The presence of the flavonoids and polyphenols may be responsible for the gastroprotective effect of CSE. Conclusions: The aqueous fruit pulp extract of Cucumis sativus (CSE has a gastroprotective property.

  12. Survival and Growth of Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria in Refrigerated Pickle Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Sicun; Breidt, Fred; Price, Robert; Pérez-Díaz, Ilenys

    2017-01-01

    We examined 10 lactic acid bacteria that have been previously characterized for commercial use as probiotic cultures, mostly for dairy products, including 1 Pediococcus and 9 Lactobacilli. Our objectives were to develop a rapid procedure for determining the long-term survivability of these cultures in acidified vegetable products and to identify suitable cultures for probiotic brined vegetable products. We therefore developed assays to measure acid resistance of these cultures to lactic and acetic acids, which are present in pickled vegetable products. We used relatively high acid concentrations (compared to commercial products) of 360 mM lactic acid and 420 mM acetic acid to determine acid resistance with a 1 h treatment. Growth rates were measured in a cucumber juice medium at pH 5.3, 4.2, and 3.8, at 30 °C and 0% to 2% NaCl. Significant differences in acid resistance and growth rates were found among the 10 cultures. In general, the acid resistant strains had slower growth rates than the acid sensitive strains. Based on the acid resistance data, selected cultures were tested for long-term survival in a simulated acidified refrigerated cucumber product. We found that one of the most acid resistant strains (Lactobacillus casei) could survive for up to 63 d at 4 °C without significant loss of viability at 10 8 CFU/mL. These data may aid in the development of commercial probiotic refrigerated pickle products. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  13. Comparison of Different Methods for Separation of Haploid Embryo Induced through Irradiated Pollen and Their Economic Analysis in Melon (Cucumis melo var. inodorus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gökhan Baktemur

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Irradiated pollen technique is the most successful haploidization technique within Cucurbitaceae. After harvesting of fruits pollinated with irradiated pollen, classical method called as “inspecting the seeds one by one” is used to find haploid embryos in the seeds. In this study, different methods were used to extract the embryos more easily, quickly, economically, and effectively. “Inspecting the seeds one by one” was used as control treatment. Other four methods tested were “sowing seeds direct nutrient media,” “inspecting seeds in the light source,” “floating seeds on liquid media,” and “floating seeds on liquid media after surface sterilization.” Y2 and Y3 melon genotypes selected from the third backcross population of Yuva were used as plant material. Results of this study show that there is no statistically significant difference among methods “inspecting the seeds one by one,” “sowing seeds direct CP nutrient media,” and “inspecting seeds in the light source,” although the average number of embryos per fruit is slightly different. No embryo production was obtained from liquid culture because of infection. When considered together with labor costs and time required for embryo rescue, the best methods were “sowing seeds directly in the CP nutrient media“ and ”inspecting seeds in the light source.”

  14. Secondary and sucrose metabolism regulated by different light quality combinations involved in melon tolerance to powdery mildew.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jing, Xin; Wang, Hui; Gong, Biao; Liu, Shiqi; Wei, Min; Ai, Xizhen; Li, Yan; Shi, Qinghua

    2018-03-01

    We evaluated the effect of different light combinations on powdery mildew resistance and growth of melon seedlings. Light-emitting diodes were used as the light source and there were five light combinations: white light (420-680 nm); blue light (460 nm); red light (635 nm); RB31 (ratio of red and blue light, 3: 1); and RB71 (ratio of red and blue light, 7: 1). Compared with other treatments, blue light significantly decreased the incidence of powdery mildew in leaves of melon seedlings. Under blue light, H 2 O 2 showed higher accumulation, and the content of phenolics, flavonoid and tannins, as well as expression of the genes involved in synthesis of these substances, significantly increased compared with other treatments before and after infection. Lignin content and expression of the genes related to its synthesis were also induced by blue light before infection. Melon irradiated with RB31 light showed the best growth parameters. Compared with white light, red light and RB71, RB31 showed higher accumulation of lignin and lower incidence of powdery mildew. We conclude that blue light increases melon resistance to powdery mildew, which is dependent on the induction of secondary metabolism that may be related to H 2 O 2 accumulation before infection. Induction of tolerance of melon seeds to powdery mildew by RB31 is due to higher levels of sucrose metabolism and accumulation of lignin. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  15. Eradication of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett, by mass release of sterile flies in Okinawa prefecture, Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakinohana, H.; Kuba, H.; Kohama, T.; Kinjo, K.; Taniguchi, M.; Nakamori, H.; Tanahara, A.; Sokei, Y.

    1997-01-01

    In 1972, MAFF, Japan and the Okinawa Prefectural Government initiated an experimental eradication project of the melon fly from Kume Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan using the sterile insect technique (SIT). Following the successful eradication on Kume Island in 1978, large scale SIT was started to eradicate the melon fly on the 3 groups of islands, Miyako, Okinawa and Yaeyama of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan in 1984, 1986 and 1989, and eradication was achieved in 1987, 1990 and 1993, respectively. For the successful eradication on Miyako, Okinawa and Yaeyama groups of islands, about 6,340, 30,940 and 15,440 million sterile melon flies were released, respectively

  16. Fertilizer use efficiency by maize (Zea mays) and egusi- melon ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    DBOY

    fertilizers by maize and egusi-melon in various ratios of mixtures in an ultisol in ... fertilizers replicated three timesfor two years as experiments 2009 and 2010, .... design. In 2011, the fertilizer rates were increased to six to further determine the ...

  17. A new frontier of Okinawa's agriculture: An economic evaluation of the melon fly eradication project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakazu, H.

    2006-01-01

    During the post-reversion period (1972-2002), Okinawa's GDP has grown on average by 6.40% annually. In the growth process, agricultural activities have been rapidly replaced by construction and services activities such as public works and tourism. Okinawa's agriculture has been diversifying from traditional sugarcane and pineapple cultivation to flowers, tropical fruits and various healthy foods such as bitter melon or ''goya'' and turmeric. This paper attempts to post-evaluate the area-wide melon fly eradication project in Okinawa which was successfully completed in 1993. The melon flies affected more than 40 important vegetables and fruits in Okinawa. The sterile insect technique (SIT), an environmentally friendly method, was adopted to eradicate the flies. Based on conventional cost-benefit analysis, the project produced net accumulated benefits after 6 years of the eradication. The study shows that the project is viable even on commercial basis

  18. Characterization of a soluble phosphatidic acid phosphatase in bitter melon (Momordica charantia).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Heping; Sethumadhavan, Kandan; Grimm, Casey C; Ullah, Abul H J

    2014-01-01

    Momordica charantia is often called bitter melon, bitter gourd or bitter squash because its fruit has a bitter taste. The fruit has been widely used as vegetable and herbal medicine. Alpha-eleostearic acid is the major fatty acid in the seeds, but little is known about its biosynthesis. As an initial step towards understanding the biochemical mechanism of fatty acid accumulation in bitter melon seeds, this study focused on a soluble phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP, 3-sn-phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.4) that hydrolyzes the phosphomonoester bond in phosphatidate yielding diacylglycerol and P(i). PAPs are typically categorized into two subfamilies: Mg(2+)-dependent soluble PAP and Mg(2+)-independent membrane-associated PAP. We report here the partial purification and characterization of an Mg(2+)-independent PAP activity from developing cotyledons of bitter melon. PAP protein was partially purified by successive centrifugation and UNOsphere Q and S columns from the soluble extract. PAP activity was optimized at pH 6.5 and 53-60 °C and unaffected by up to 0.3 mM MgCl2. The K(m) and Vmax values for dioleoyl-phosphatidic acid were 595.4 µM and 104.9 ηkat/mg of protein, respectively. PAP activity was inhibited by NaF, Na(3)VO(4), Triton X-100, FeSO4 and CuSO4, but stimulated by MnSO4, ZnSO4 and Co(NO3)2. In-gel activity assay and mass spectrometry showed that PAP activity was copurified with a number of other proteins. This study suggests that PAP protein is probably associated with other proteins in bitter melon seeds and that a new class of PAP exists as a soluble and Mg(2+)-independent enzyme in plants.

  19. Induced resistance by cresotic acid (3-hydroxy-4-methyl methylbenzoic acid) against wilt disease of melon and cotton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, H.; Li, Z.; Zhang, D.; Li, W.; Tang, W.

    2004-01-01

    Cresotic acid (3-hydroxy-4-methylbenzoic acid) was proved be active in controlling wilt diseases of melon and cotton plants grown in the house. Soil drench with 200-1000 ppm cresotic acid induced 62-77 %, 69-79 % and 50-60 % protection against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp melonis (FOM) in melon, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp vasinfectum (FOV) and Verticillium dahliae in cotton, respectively. Since no inhibitory effect of cresotic acid on mycelial growth of these three fungual pathogens was observed in vitro, it is suggested that control of these wilt diseases with cresotic acid resulted from induced resistance. Cresotic acid induced resistance in melon plants not only against race 0, race 1, race 2 and race 1,2, but also against a mixture of these four races of FOM, suggesting a non-race- specific resistance. Level of induced resistance by cresotic acid against FOM depended on inoculum pressure applied to melon plants. At 25 day after inoculation with FOM, percentage protection induced by cresotic acid under low inoculum pressure retained a level of 51 %, while under high inoculum pressure percentage protection decreased to only 10 %. High concentrations of cresotic acid significantly reduced plant growth. Reduction in fresh weight of melon (36-51%) and cotton (42-71%) was obtained with 500-1000 ppm cresotic acid, while only less than 8% reduction occurred with 100-200 ppm. (author)

  20. A comparative study on the effectiveness of ozonated water and peracetic acid in the storability of packaged fresh-cut melon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botondi, Rinaldo; Moscetti, Roberto; Massantini, Riccardo

    2016-05-01

    Ozonated water and peracetic acid were tested as sanitizers to enhance the storability of fresh-cut melon cubes. Sanitizers were also combined with suitable packaging materials (polypropylene and polylactic acid based plastic films). Fresh-cut melon cubes were stored at 4 °C for up to 7 days. Ozonated water and peracetic acid treatments were given by dipping cubes into 0.8 ppm O3 and 100 ppm Tsunami 100™ solutions, respectively, for 3 min. Both sanitizers exhibited efficiency in reducing the total microbial counts on melon cubes (acid treatment in combination with polypropylene film packaging, consequently developing off-odors starting from day 3. Strong color changes were noted in cubes stored in polylactic acid packaging after 7 days of storage, affecting the sensory quality of the melon cubes. Sensory evaluation (overall visual quality) indicated loss in flavor in the polypropylene packaging. The overall visual quality started to decline on 3rd day because of the development of translucency.Overall, the use of ozone in combination with polypropylene packaging provided the best solution to maintain the quality of melon cubes for up to 5 days of storage at 4 °C.

  1. Preliminary Study on the Use of Urea Activated Melon ( Citrullus ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adsorption studies were carried out using urea activated melon (Citrullus colocynthis) husks as a low-cost potential adsorbent to remove cadmium from industrial effluents. Bioabsorption parameters considered were as contact time, adsorbent dosage and adsorbate concentration. Cadmium removal was found to be ...

  2. Exposure to minimally processed pear and melon during shelf life could modify the pathogenic potential of Listeria monocytogenes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colás-Medà, Pilar; Viñas, Inmaculada; Oliveira, Márcia; Anguera, Marina; Serrano, Jose C E; Abadias, Maribel

    2017-04-01

    Survival and virulence of foodborne pathogens can be influenced by environmental factors such as the intrinsic properties of food as well as the extrinsic properties that contribute to food shelf life (e.g., temperature and gas atmosphere). The direct contribution of food matrix characteristics on the survival of L. monocytogenes during fresh-cut fruit shelf life is not very well understood. In addition, the gastrointestinal tract is the primary route of listeriosis infection and penetration of the intestinal epithelial cell barrier is the first step in the infection process. Hence, the pathogenic potential of L. monocytogenes, measured as the capability for the organism to survive a simulated gastrointestinal tract and the proportion of cells able to subsequently adhere to and invade differentiated Caco-2 cells, subjected to fresh-cut pear and melon shelf life, was investigated. Samples were inoculated, stored at 10 °C for 7 days and evaluated after inoculation and again after 2 and 7 days of storage. A decrease in L. monocytogenes' capacity to survive a simulated gastrointestinal tract was observed with increasing storage time, regardless of the fruit matrix evaluated. Furthermore, L. monocytogenes placed on fresh-cut pear and melon was subjected to an attachment and invasion assay after crossing the simulated gastrointestinal tract. After inoculation, pathogen on fresh-cut pear showed 5-fold more capacity to adhere to Caco-2 cells than pathogen on fresh-cut melon. After 2 days of storage, L. monocytogenes grown on fresh-cut melon showed similar adhesive capacity (1.11%) than cells grown on pear (1.83%), but cells grown on melon had the higher invasive capacity (0.0093%). We can conclude that minimally processed melon could represent a more important hazard than pear under the studied shelf life. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Genome-wide identification and comparative expression analysis of LEA genes in watermelon and melon genomes

    OpenAIRE

    Celik Altunoglu, Yasemin; Baloglu, Mehmet Cengiz; Baloglu, Pinar; Yer, Esra Nurten; Kara, Sibel

    2017-01-01

    Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are large and diverse group of polypeptides which were first identified during seed dehydration and then in vegetative plant tissues during different stress responses. Now, gene family members of LEA proteins have been detected in various organisms. However, there is no report for this protein family in watermelon and melon until this study. A total of 73 LEA genes from watermelon (ClLEA) and 61 LEA genes from melon (CmLEA) were identified in this co...

  4. Cucurbits depicted in Byzantine mosaics from Israel, 350-600 ce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avital, Anat; Paris, Harry S

    2014-08-01

    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. 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. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of

  5. Cucurbits powdery mildew race identity and reaction of melon genotypes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Genetic resistance is one of the most suitable strategies to control cucurbit powdery mildew (CPM) on melon, incited by Podosphaera xanthii or Golovinomyces orontii. However, many races of these pathogens have been reported worldwide in recent years, what may compromise the effectiveness of this met...

  6. Influence of Potassium Installment (K on Melon Features Using System Tutoring in Sinop-Mt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João de Andrade Bonetti

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Potassium is an extremely important nutrient for the production of melon. To produce with quality is a necessity in today's market. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in productivity, length, diameter and oBrix content and acidity due to the fragmentation of fertilization. The research was developed in the city of Sinop-MT, in 2010. In the experience, randomized blocks (RBD with 2 treatments (DBC and 11 plots, totaling 22 repetitions, were used. Treatment (T1 consisted of the application of the total recommendation of potassium at planting (240 kg ha-¹. In treatment two (T2, 20% of the recommendation were applied at sowing, 20%, 30 days after sowing (DAS, 40%, 45 DAS and 20%, 60 DAS. Each plot consisted of 8 melon plants. 8 melons were harvested by repetition when they reached the point of physiological maturity. Productivity (kg-1, length and diameter (cm-1, sugar content and acidity were the parameters for evaluation. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and the obtained means were compared by Tukey test with p <(0.05. The analysis of variance showed significant results for treatment. Regarding the means, T1 was lower when compared to T2 °Brix values of 8.775 and 10.15 respectively differing among themselves. The same was true for the acidity, (T1 8,6 and T2 11.1. As for productivity, length and diameter there was no statistical difference. The results showed that potassium fertilizer management is important for obtaining high-quality melons.

  7. Physical and chemical characteristics of melon in organic farming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosete A. G. Kohn

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Melon farming is characterized as an important family agriculture activity and the organic production of fruits and vegetables has shown a large growth in terms of areas in Brazil and around the world. This work aimed to study the postharvest quality of melon cultivated in an organic system. The organic treatments constituted of base fertilizer with cattle manure vermicompost (recommended dose, ½ dose and double dose plus the use of biofertilizer (sprayed or sprayed + irrigated, and an additional treatment with chemical fertilization. The postharvest quality was evaluated through physico-chemical and phytochemical attributes. The organic management with half the recommended dose of vermicompost plus the sprayed biofertilizer and the chemical fertilization management produced fruits with higher levels of sugar, total carotenoids, ascorbic acid and folates, obtaining more balanced fruits, with a better phytochemical quality. The antioxidant capacity was defined mainly by the presence of the phenolic compounds, which were influenced by the type and the dose of the evaluated fertilizers, with superiority in the organic treatments with double the dose of cattle manure vermicompost.

  8. First attempts of linking modelling, Postharvest behaviour and Melon Genetics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tijskens, L.M.M.; Santos, Don N.; Obando-Ulloa, J.M.; Moreno, E.; Schouten, R.E.

    2008-01-01

    The onset of climacteric is associated with the end of melon fruit shelf-life. The aim of this research was to develop practical and applicable models of fruit ripening changes (hardness, moisture loss) also able to discriminate between climacteric and non-climacteric behaviour. The decrease in

  9. Population genetic structure of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae), from China and Southeast Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Jian; Zhang, Jun L; Nardi, Francesco; Zhang, Run J

    2008-11-01

    The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett, is a species of fruit flies of significant agricultural interest. Of supposed Indian origin, the melon fly is now widely distributed throughout South East Asia up to China, while it has been recently eradicated from Japan. The population structure of seven geographic populations from coastal China, as well as samples from other regions of South East Asia and Japan, including lab colonies, have been studied using a 782 bp fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene sequence. The observed genetic diversity was exceedingly low, considering the geographic scale of the sampling, and one single haplotype was found to be predominant from Sri Lanka to China. We confirm that Bactrocera cucurbitae exists in South East Asia as a single phyletic lineage, that Chinese populations are genetically uniform, and that no apparent genetic differentiation exists between these and three available Japanese melon fly sequences.

  10. Water and nutrient productivity in melon crop by fertigation under subsurface drip irrigation and mulching in contrasting soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo Otávio Câmara Monteiro

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Cropping intensification and technical, economic and environmental issues require efficient application of production factors to maintain the soil productive capacity and produce good quality fruits and vegetables. The production factors, water and NPK nutrients, are the most frequent limiting factors to higher melon yields. The objective of the present study was to identify the influence of subsurface drip irrigation and mulching in a protected environment on the water and NPK nutrients productivity in melon cropped in two soil types: sandy loam and clay. The melon crop cultivated under environmental conditions with underground drip irrigation at 0.20m depth, with mulching on sandy loam soil increased water and N, P2O5 and K use efficiency.

  11. Dietary supplementation with a superoxide dismutase-melon concentrate reduces stress, physical and mental fatigue in healthy people: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carillon, Julie; Notin, Claire; Schmitt, Karine; Simoneau, Guy; Lacan, Dominique

    2014-06-19

    We aimed to investigate effects of superoxide dismutase (SOD)-melon concentrate supplementation on psychological stress, physical and mental fatigue in healthy people. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 61 people divided in two groups: active supplement (n = 32) and placebo (n = 29) for 12 weeks. Volunteers were given one small hard capsule per day. One capsule contained 10 mg of SOD-melon concentrate (140 U of SOD) and starch for the active supplement and starch only for the placebo. Stress and fatigue were evaluated using four psychometric scales: PSS-14; SF-36; Stroop tests and Prevost scale. The supplementation with SOD-melon concentrate significantly decreased perceived stress, compared to placebo. Moreover, quality of life was improved and physical and mental fatigue were reduced with SOD-melon concentrate supplementation. SOD-melon concentrate supplementation appears to be an effective and natural way to reduce stress and fatigue. trial approved by the ethical committee of Poitiers (France), and the ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is NCT01767922.

  12. Influência do Uso de Imidacloprido na Qualidade das Águas e Sedimentos da Micro-bacia do Rio do Carmo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Di Souza

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The evaluation parameters such as heavy metals and pesticides molecules in aquatic environments, facilitates the determination of the level of pollution by subsidizing their identification and origin. The melon (Cucumis melo L. is one of the vegetable crops of greater economic importance in Brazil, especially in the Northeast, and the main factors contributing to its production, are associated with particular climatic conditions such as high temperatures, high luminosity and low soil moisture. The agricultural pole of the city of Mossoro is the largest melon producer in the region making it one of the largest consumers of imidacloprid (I of the country due to its use in pest control whitefly. Thus, in order to maintain the quality standards of water resources and due to deficiency of information on the presence of pesticides in the aquatic environment of the area surveyed and on the environmental liabilities generated by activity of melon for the rivers of the region, this work determined the concentration of I in the Carmo River water and sediment. The results found in water and sediments are high and influenced by human activities, especially monoculture melon and may be causing serious environmental problems of the river fauna. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v8i4.792 

  13. Effect of 1-methylcyclopropene on shelf life, visual quality and nutritional quality of netted melon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Y; Wang, B L; Shui, D J; Cao, L L; Wang, C; Yang, T; Wang, X Y; Ye, H X

    2015-04-01

    The effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on shelf life, fruit visual quality and nutritional quality were investigated. Netted melons were treated with air (control) and 0.6 µl l(-1) 1-MCP at 25 ℃ for 24 h, and then stored at 25 ℃ or 10 ℃ for 10 days. 1-MCP significantly extended the shelf life, inhibited weight loss and delayed firmness decline of melon fruits. Ethylene production was also inhibited and respiration rate was declined. 1-MCP retarded 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) increases and inhibited ACC synthase and ACC oxidase activity. Moreover, 1-MCP treatment reduced the decrease in total soluble solids and titratable acidity, as well as the decrease of the content of sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose). These results indicated that 1-MCP treatment is a good method to extend melon shelf life and maintain fruit quality, and the combination of 1-MCP and low temperature storage resulted in more acceptable fruit quality. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  14. QUALIDADE FISIOLÓGICA E SANITÁRIA DE SEMENTES DE MELÃO UTILIZADAS NO PÓLO AGRÍCOLA ASSU-BARAÚNA-MOSSORÓ

    OpenAIRE

    Andreya Kalyana de Oliveira; Salvador Barros Torres; Rui Sales Júnior

    2008-01-01

    This research was conducted to evaluate the physiological and sanity quality of melon (Cucumis melo L.) seeds used in agricultural region Assu-Baraúna-Mosssó in the Rio Grande do Norte. For seed lots each from the hybrids Goldex and Vereda were used. Research was conducted at the Seed Analysis Laboratory and Irrigation Agricultural of the Department of Crop Science of the UFERSA from August 2006 to July 2007. The physiological quality was evaluated by the germination, first count germination,...

  15. TOXICITY OF INSECTICIDES USED IN MUSKMELON ON FIRST-INSTAR LARVAE OF Chrysoperla genanigra FREITAS (NEUROPTERA: CHRYSOPIDAE)

    OpenAIRE

    SILVA, BÁRBARA KARINE DE ALBUQUERQUE; GODOY, MAURÍCIO SEKIGUCHI DE; LIMA, ALRICÉLIA GOMES DE; OLIVEIRA, ANNA KÉZIA SOARES DE; PASTORI, PATRIK LUIZ

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Brazil is one of the world's largest producers of melon (Cucumis melo L.), and Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará are the largest producers states of the country (99% of exports). This crop had great socio- economic importance in the Brazilian Northeast, however, it is affected by insect pests and consequently, large amounts of pesticides are applied to it, which greatly affect beneficial organisms, such as Chrysopidae. This bioassay evaluated the toxicity of nine insecticides used in com...

  16. The effect of ethylene on transgenic melon ripening and fruit quality ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In cell wall expression analysis, MPG1 increased when fruits of transgenic melons were exposed to ethylene; showing they are ethylene- dependent. MPG2 decreased ... Ethylene productions in transgenic fruits were reestablished when ethylene was applied, exhibiting the same behavior as transgenic fruits. Antioxidant ...

  17. FUNCTIONAL MALE STERILITY AND ITS USE IN BREEDING OF VEGETABLE AND MELON CROPS

    OpenAIRE

    A. N. Bocharnikov

    2014-01-01

    The article describes the manifestation of functional male sterility and its importance in the breeding of melons. Utilization of functional male sterility allows solving the problem effective hybrid seed production.

  18. Changes in evapotranspiration of summer and winter crops of netted melon [Cucumis melo] grown under glass in relation to meteorological and plant-related factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asakura, T.

    1998-01-01

    Measurements of evapotranspiration taken in the summer and winter on netted melon crops grown under glass were taken to characterize seasonal and daily changes. The data were compared to meteorological and plant-related factors to seek some relationships. Evapotranspiration followed a sigmoid curve until one week after pollination, and then decreased gradually during fruit growth. Cumulative evapotranspirations after transplanting were about 116 kg and 60 kg, respectively, for the summer and winter crops, whereas the peak evapotranspirations were 3.O kg plant(-1) day(-1) and 1.3 kg plant(-1) day(-1). The rapid increase h the evapotranspiration during the early stage was associated with the increase in leaf area; its gradual decrease during fruit growth was associated with a decrease in the transpiration potential of leaves. Therefore, irrigation amounts should be increased with leaf development and decreased with fruit growth. The curve of solar radiation in sunny summer days peaked at noon, whereas vapor pressure deficit usually peaked in early or mid afternoon; evapotranspirations in the afternoon had higher values than had those in the morning. In winter, vapor pressure deficit was relatively high during late afternoon and early morning because of heating, whereas it was low during the remainder of the day on account of low ventilation. These fluctuations led to a weak correlation between evapotranspiration and vapor pressure deficit. Regression analyses indicated that solar radiation was a main meteorological factor affecting evapotranspiration

  19. The use of powder and essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus against mould deterioration and aflatoxin contamination of "egusi" melon seeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bankole, S A; Joda, A O; Ashidi, J S

    2005-01-01

    Experiments were carried out to determine the potential of using the powder and essential oil from dried ground leaves of Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass) to control storage deterioration and aflatoxin contamination of melon seeds. Four mould species: Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. tamarii and Penicillium citrinum were inoculated in the form of conidia suspension (approx. 10(6) conidia per ml) unto shelled melon seeds. The powdered dry leaves and essential oil from lemon grass were mixed with the inoculated seeds at levels ranging from 1-10 g/100 g seeds and 0.1 to 1.0 ml/100 g seeds respectively. The ground leaves significantly reduced the extent of deterioration in melon seeds inoculated with different fungi compared to the untreated inoculated seeds. The essential oil at 0.1 and 0.25 ml/100 g seeds and ground leaves at 10 g/100 g seeds significantly reduced deterioration and aflatoxin production in shelled melon seeds inoculated with toxigenic A. flavus. At higher dosages (0.5 and 1.0 ml/100 g seeds), the essential oil completely prevented aflatoxin production. After 6 months in farmers' stores, unshelled melon seeds treated with 0.5 ml/ 100 g seeds of essential oil and 10 g/100 g seeds of powdered leaves of C. citratus had significantly lower proportion of visibly diseased seeds and Aspergillus spp. infestation levels and significantly higher seed germination compared to the untreated seeds. The oil content, free fatty acid and peroxide values in seeds protected with essential oil after 6 months did not significantly differ from the values in seeds before storage. The efficacy of the essential oil in preserving the quality of melon seeds in stores was statistically at par with that of fungicide (iprodione) treatment. ((c) 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim).

  20. Storage quality in different brines of pickled capers (Capparis spp.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özcan, Musa

    1999-08-01

    Full Text Available Middle sized buds of Capparis spinosa L. var. spinosa and Capparis ovata Desf. var. canescens (Coss. Heywood collected from wild plants were pickled for two months. The buds after the fermentation were processed in 10% and 20% brines. Storage stability of the fermented capers was determined by physical, chemical and microbiological analysis at certain interval in 10 and 20% old or fresh brines 180 days. Storaged in 10% and 20% old or fresh brines for 180 days of pickled buds of both species maintained the product quality in all samples. Acidity was higher in old brine during storage. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB growth was observed only in 10% fresh brine, it decreased from initial and 30 days at C. ovata and C. spinosa, respectively. C. spinosa, compared with C. ovata was desirable due to low sediment and more firm texture. During storage of buds in fresh brines, sediment and off-flavour were not observed for both species. Pickled products can be stored in fresh brine long-term containing at least 10% salt concentration.

    Se encurtieron durante dos meses botones florales de tamaño intermedio de Capparis spinosa L. var. spinosa y Capparis ovata Desf. var. canescens (Coss recogidos de plantas silvestres. Las alcaparras después de la fermentación se conservaron en salmueras del 10% y 20%. Las alcaparras fermentadas fueron mantenidas durante 180 días en salmueras usadas o recién preparadas (frescas del 10 y 20%, determinándose a intervalos la estabilidad durante la conservación por análisis físicos, químicos y microbiológicos. La calidad del producto se mantuvo en todas las muestras de alcaparras fermentadas durante los 180 días, tanto en 10% como en 20% y en salmueras usadas o frescas. La acidez durante la conservación fue mayor en salmueras usadas. El crecimiento de bacterias del ácido láctico se observó sólo en salmueras frescas del 10

  1. Dietary Supplementation with a Superoxide Dismutase-Melon Concentrate Reduces Stress, Physical and Mental Fatigue in Healthy People: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Carillon

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: We aimed to investigate effects of superoxide dismutase (SOD-melon concentrate supplementation on psychological stress, physical and mental fatigue in healthy people. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 61 people divided in two groups: active supplement (n = 32 and placebo (n = 29 for 12 weeks. Volunteers were given one small hard capsule per day. One capsule contained 10 mg of SOD-melon concentrate (140 U of SOD and starch for the active supplement and starch only for the placebo. Stress and fatigue were evaluated using four psychometric scales: PSS-14; SF-36; Stroop tests and Prevost scale. Results: The supplementation with SOD-melon concentrate significantly decreased perceived stress, compared to placebo. Moreover, quality of life was improved and physical and mental fatigue were reduced with SOD-melon concentrate supplementation. Conclusion: SOD-melon concentrate supplementation appears to be an effective and natural way to reduce stress and fatigue. Trial registration: trial approved by the ethical committee of Poitiers (France, and the ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is NCT01767922.

  2. Distribution and stability of Aflatoxin M1 during processing and ripening of traditional white pickled cheese.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oruc, H H; Cibik, R; Yilmaz, E; Kalkanli, O

    2006-02-01

    The distribution of aflatoxin M(1) (AFM(1)) has been studied between curd, whey, cheese and pickle samples of Turkish white pickled cheese produced according to traditional techniques and its stability studied during the ripening period. Cheeses were produced in three cheese-making trials using raw milk that was artificially contaminated with AFM(1) at the levels of 50, 250 and 750 ng/l and allowed to ripen for three months. AFM(1) determinations were carried out at intervals by LC with fluorescence detection after immunoaffinity column clean-up. During the syneresis of the cheese a proportionately high concentration of AFM(1) remained in curd and for each trial the level was 3.6, 3.8 and 4.0 times higher than levels in milk. At the end of the ripening, the distribution of AFM(1) for cheese/whey + brine samples was 0.9, 1.0 and 1.3 for first, second and third spiking respectively indicating that nearly half of the AFM(1) remained in cheese. It has been found that only 2-4% of the initial spiking of AFM(1) transferred into the brine solution. During the ripening period AFM(1) levels remained constant suggesting that AFM(1) was quite stable during manufacturing and ripening.

  3. Screening of Turkish Melon Accessions for Resistance to ZYMV, WMV and CMV

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ercan EKBIC

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available In the Çukurova University Department of Horticulture more than 350 melon accessions were collected from different ecological parts of Turkey which is located on the secondary genetic diversification center of this crop, and their characterization studies are near completion. Furthermore, evaluation studies of these materials have started. In the present study 67 melon accessions, sampled from this germplasm, were tested for resistance to zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV, Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV and watermelon mosaic virus (WMV. After resistance tests made by mechanical inoculation, four accessions (‘CU 100’, ‘CU 287’, ‘CU 305’ and ‘CU 328’ were found resistant to ZYMV and three accessions (‘CU 305’, ‘C 264’, and ‘C 276’ to WMV. No resistant genotype was found to CMV.

  4. Polyphasic analysis of Acidovorax citrulli strains from northeastern Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirley Michele Marques Silva

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB of cucurbit plants is caused by Acidovorax citrulli and represents a serious concern to melon (Cucumis melo L. growers worldwide, including those in Brazil. Thirty-four A. citrulli strains from different melon production areas of northeastern Brazil were characterized for their virulence on melon fruits and their substrate utilization and molecular profiles. Based on the analysis of BFB severity on melon fruits, the A. citrulli strains were divided into three groups, classified as mildly, moderately or highly virulent. Although host-related groups were not observed, the watermelon and ‘melão-pepino’ strains exhibited only low or moderate virulence on melon fruit. Substrate utilization profiles revealed that 94 % of the 95 tested compounds were used by A. citrulli strains as a carbon source. Overall, based on substrate utilization, low variability was observed with no relationship to host of origin. The formation of one group of A. citrulli strains based on Repetitive Sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR analysis confirmed the low variability observed in the substrate utilization analyses. Bayesian inference based on the analysis of 23S rDNA partial sequence data resulted in one well-supported clade and clustered the strains with the A. citrulli-type species with high posterior probability support. Based on the markers used, the Brazilian A. citrulli strains belong to a single group, which corresponds to the previously described Group I for this bacterium in the United States.

  5. an evalution of some mechanical methods for shelling melon seeds ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dr Obe

    When the pressure was increased, more seeds were broken and there was a lot of heat generated between the drum and the belt due to friction. In general the results of the tests on the two devices indicate that the application of pressure coupled .... The static bending properties of melon seeds show that both the shells and.

  6. FUNCTIONAL MALE STERILITY AND ITS USE IN BREEDING OF VEGETABLE AND MELON CROPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. N. Bocharnikov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article describes the manifestation of functional male sterility and its importance in the breeding of melons. Utilization of functional male sterility allows solving the problem effective hybrid seed production.

  7. Determination of total mercury in fillets of sport fishes collected from Folsom and New Melones Reservoirs, California, 2004

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Thomas W.; Brumbaugh, William G.

    2007-01-01

    This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, to determine mercury concentrations in selected sport fishes from Folsom and New Melones Reservoirs in California. Fillets were collected from each fish sample, and after homogenization and lyophilization of fish fillets, mercury concentrations were determined with a direct mercury analyzer utilizing the process of thermal combustion-gold amalgamation atomic absorption spectroscopy. Mercury concentrations in fish fillets from Folsom Reservoir ranged from 0.09 to 1.16 micrograms per gram wet weight, and from New Melones Reservoir ranged from 0.03 to 0.94 microgram per gram wet weight. Most of the fish fillets from Folsom Reservoir (87 percent) and 27 percent of the fillets from New Melones Reservoir exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's fish consumption advisory of 0.30 microgram per gram wet weight.

  8. Influence of adding borax and modifying pH on effectiveness of food attractants for melon fly (Diptera: Tephritidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duyck, P F; Rousse, P; Ryckewaert, P; Fabre, F; Quilici, S

    2004-06-01

    The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is the most damaging pest of cucurbits in Reunion Island. The influence of adding borax and modifying pH on the effectiveness of different food attractants for both sexes of the melon fly is analyzed by a release-recapture method in field cages. Adding borax to protein hydrolysates Nulure and Buminal strongly reduced their attractiveness for B. cucurbitae. Acidification of 5% Buminal solution (from pH 6 to pH 3) doubled its attractiveness for melon fly. Conversely, Torula yeast at pH 10.5 was significantly more attractive than the standard Torula yeast at pH 9 (28% of captured flies compared with 17%). However, a further pH increase of the yeast solution does not improve its attractiveness. The results are discussed in relation to other studies on pH modification of various baits for Tephritidae.

  9. Clinical evaluation of unadapted sheep submited to sudden intake of melon with high levels of sugar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Leonardo Costa Oliveira

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This study evaluated the clinical effects of two different amounts of melon, with a high sugar content, suddenly offered to unadapted sheep. Twelve rumem cannulated crossbred 8-months-old sheep , weighing 25 kg each, were used. These sheep had never been fed with food concentrated with sugar or fruits. The animals were kept in collective pens with a basal diet of roughage and then randomly divided into two equal groups. The sheep in the two groups received 25% and 75% of dry matter (DM of the diet the crushed melon, administered by the rumen cannula. Physical examination and measurement of rumen fluid pH was performed at the following times: 0, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h. The animals of G25% did not present clinical signs despite subacute acidosis expected after administration of the melon. However, in the G75%, sheep developed clinical manifestation indicative of lactic acidosis with rumen fluid pH lower than 5.0 from T6h, but did not present with dehydration. In sheep from G75 %, tachycardia was observed at 3 h and continued until the end of the study; tachypnea was also observed at 3 h, which was caused by increased abdominal circumference. Based on the results obtained, the supplementation of high amounts of melon (75% DM in the diet is not recommended for sheep, although the use of 25% DM is safe. However, greater amounts of this fruit could be used in the diet of sheep with gradual adaptation to the substrate.

  10. Effect of Water Quality and Drip Irrigation Management on Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Late Summer Melon

    OpenAIRE

    javad baghani; A. Alizadeh; H. Ansari; M. Azizi

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: Production and growth of plants in many parts of the world due to degradation and water scarcity have been limited and particularly, in recent decades, agriculture is faced with stress. In the most parts of Iran, especially in the Khorasan Razavi province, drought is a fact and water is very important. Due to melon cultivation in this province, and the conditions of quality and quantity of water resources and water used to produce the melon product in this province, any researc...

  11. Host plants of Melon Fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae(Coquillett)(Diptera:Tephritidae); and provisional list of suitable host plants of the Melon Fly, Bactrocera(Zeugodacus)cucurbitae(Coquillett)(Diptera:Tephritidae),Version 2.0

    Science.gov (United States)

    The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a widespread, economically important tephritid fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) species. Bactrocera cucurbitae infests fruits and vegetables of a number of different plant species, with many host plants in the plant family Cucurbitaceae, but with...

  12. Performance Evaluation Of Africa Elemi Melon And Africa Locust Bean Oil As Potential Quenchants For Medium Carbon Steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. S. Ibeh

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available A qualitative and comparative study was carried out on some locally sourced oils melon oil Africa elemi oil and Africa locust bean oil to evaluate suitability as substitute quenching media to mineral-based oil. The cooling ability of the oils was investigated using AISI 1034 medium carbon steel. The effect of heat transfer coefficient on quench severity mechanical properties of the quenched specimens were investigated in the course of the study. Results showed that the peak rate of heat extraction of melon oil Africa locust bean and Africa elemi oil were higher than that of mineral oil. Higher heat transfer coefficient of 1463 1023 Wm2k were obtained for melon oil and Africa locust bean Africa elemi and SAE 40 oil have heat transfer coefficient of 982 and 469 Wm2k respectively. The selected oils can be used as quenchants for medium carbon steel since the oils exhibits better cooling properties and mechanical properties than mineral-based oil.

  13. Improving the quality of fresh-cut apples, pears, and melons using natural additives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alandes, L; Quiles, A; Pérez-Munuera, I; Hernando, I

    2009-03-01

    Improving the quality of different fresh-cut fruits by adding natural substances was studied. "Fuji" apples, "Flor de Invierno" pears, and "Piel de Sapo" melons were treated with calcium lactate, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, glutathione, and malic acid and stored for 4 wk at 4 degrees C. Instrumental texture (penetration), microstructure (light microscopy), acidity, soluble solids, color, pectinmethylesterase activity, and microflora were studied. The results showed that the combined treatment reinforced the cell walls strengthening the structure and texture of these fruits and maintained the L* and a* values throughout 4 wk of storage at 4 degrees C. The combination of additives provided low microbial counts in apples until the 4th week and in melons until the 2nd week. So, this combined treatment could be used to extend the shelf life of some fresh-cut fruits while preserving their quality.

  14. Genome-wide characterization of microsatellites in Cucumis hystrix and in silico identification of polymorphic SSR markers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cucumis hystrix (2n = 2x = 24, genome HH) is a wild relative of cucumber (C. sativus L., 2n = 2x = 14) that possesses multiple disease resistances and has a great potential for cucumber improvement. Despite its importance, there is no genomic resource currently available for C. hystrix. To expedite ...

  15. An Optimised Aqueous Extract of Phenolic Compounds from Bitter Melon with High Antioxidant Capacity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sing Pei Tan

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L. is a tropical fruit claimed to have medicinal properties associated with its content of phenolic compounds (TPC. The aim of the study was to compare water with several organic solvents (acetone, butanol, methanol and 80% ethanol for its efficiency at extracting the TPC from freeze-dried bitter melon powder. The TPC of the extracts was measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and their antioxidant capacity (AC was evaluated using three assays. Before optimisation, the TPC and AC of the aqueous extract were 63% and 20% lower, respectively, than for the best organic solvent, 80% ethanol. However, after optimising for temperature (80 °C, time (5 min, water-to-powder ratio (40:1 mL/g, particle size (1 mm and the number of extractions of the same sample (1×, the TPC and the AC of the aqueous extract were equal or higher than for 80% ethanol. Furthermore, less solvent (40 mL water/g and less time (5 min were needed than was used for the 80% ethanol extract (100 mL/g for 1 h. Therefore, this study provides evidence to recommend the use of water as the solvent of choice for the extraction of the phenolic compounds and their associated antioxidant activities from bitter melon.

  16. Relationship between the nutrition status and sensory characteristics of melon fertilized with wine-distillery waste compost

    Science.gov (United States)

    Requejo, María Isabel; Sánchez-Palomo, Eva; González, Miguel Angel; Castellanos, Maria Teresa; Villena, Raquel; Cartagena, Maria Carmen; Ribas, Francisco

    2015-04-01

    The interest in developing sustainable agriculture is becoming more important day by day. A large quantity of wastes from the wine and distillery industry are produced and constitute a serious problem not only environmental but also economic. The use of exhausted grape marc compost as organic amendment is a management option of the fertility of soils. On the other hand, consumers are increasingly concerned about the type, quality and origin of food production. Flavor and aroma are most often the true indicators of shelf-life from the consumer's point of view. The aim of this study was to relate the nutritional status of melon fertilized with exhausted grape marc compost with the sensory profile of fresh-cut fruits. A field experiment was established with three doses of compost (1, 2 and 3 kg per linear meter) and a control. Melons were harvested at maturity and the sensory evaluation was carried out by an expert panel of melon tasters to describe odour, flavour and texture. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium concentration was determined in the fruits to calculate nutrient absorption. Acknowledgements: This project has been supported by INIA-RTA2010-00110-C03-01

  17. Studies on the dispersal behavior of melon flies, Dacus cucurbitae coquilett (Diptera: Tephritidae), and the influence of gamma-irradiation on dispersal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamada, Ryoichi

    1980-01-01

    The distribution of released male adults of the melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae, was not the same in three directions from the release point. This bias seemed to depend on the habitat selection of melon flies because these was a linear relationship between the number of released flies caught and that of wild flies caught. The mean dispersal distance ranged from 50 m to 90 m and there were no remarkable differences in the values among groups which were allowed to disperse for different periods. Flies released at one point reached a stable distribution pattern in two or three days after their release. Another group of flies released at a different point, where the environment was less favourable to melon flies, showed a wider range of dispersal. It was concluded that in planning the arrangement of release points for the sterile male technique, a preliminary survey is needed to determine whether habitats favorable to the insect, that is, areas of high population density, exist continuously or not. A preliminary test to assess the influence of γ-irradiation on dispersal showed that the dosage of 10000 R reduced the dispersing ability of male adults of the melon fly. (author)

  18. Sterilization of DACUS CUCUMIS FRENCH (DIPTERA:TEPHRITIDAE) by gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hooper, G.H.S.

    1975-01-01

    The effect of gamma radiation administered to newly emerged adults of Dacus cucumis French on sterility and competitiveness was evaluated. A dose of 11 krad caused almost complete sterility in males while females given 6 krad were totally sterile, through infecundity. Sterilized males showed reduced competitiveness. In competitive mating tests a dose of 7 krad gave the lowest egg hatch and this hatch was significantly lower than that given by 9 and 11 krad. In a paired comparison mating test, 7 and 9 krad treated males mated significantly less frequently than untreated males, but the ability of 6 krad treated males was unimpared. (author)

  19. THE USE OF GENETIC RESOURCES IN BREEDING OF VEGETABLE AND MELON CROPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. I. Burenin

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The analysis of the modern homeland assortment of vegetable crops is given. The donors of the most important traits and the accessions  of vegetable and melon crops perspective for breeding from the VIR collection are shown. The short characteristic of the varieties is given.

  20. Effect of irradiation on color of minimally processed melon and papaya

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fabbri, Adriana D.T.; Sagretti, Juliana M.A.; Hirashima, Fabiana K.; Rogovschi, Vladimir D.; Nunes, Thaise C.F.; Sabato, Susy F., E-mail: adriana.fabbri@yahoo.com.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Lab. de Irradiacao de Alimentos

    2013-07-01

    The access to nutritious food is an essential dimension of food meal. High potential for fresh-cut industry exists and ready-to-eat fruit market has grown rapidly in recent years due to the health benefits associated. Although there is many concerns to food safety other parameters like texture, taste, color and sensory acceptance are fundamental principles of acceptance to any food. Actually the use of instrumental measurements has proven to be a major predictor of sensory responses. According to many authors, the addition of different techniques should always be considered to provide additional information of the sensory aspects. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of irradiation on color of minimally processed melon and papaya. The fruits were purchased in a market of Sao Paulo, at the same point of ripeness and sent to the IPEN/CNEN-SP. The fruits were sanitized and manually cut into cubes of approximately 2 x 2 cm with the aid of stainless steel knives and packed in polyethylene bags. Melons and papaya were irradiated in a Multipurpose Gamma Source (IPEN - Sao Paulo - Brazil) and were divided in six groups for color analysis: Control; 0.5 kGy; 1.0 kGy, 1.5kGy, 2.0 kGy and 3.0kGy. After the treatment, the MP fruits were kept in a refrigerator at 4 deg C ± 1 deg C until the end of the analysis. The color of the samples was determined using a Minolta colorimeter CR-400 Chromameter. The parameters L{sup *}, a{sup *} and b{sup *} were evaluated. The results were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance One-Dimensional Analysis of Variance (One-Way-ANOVA) followed by Tukey test. All statistical analysis was performed using the program Graph Pad Prism 5 and adopting a significance level of 5 % (p<0.05), expressed as the mean results ± standard deviation. Samples of papaya and melons showed no statistical difference for the L{sup *} parameter of any dose despite the tendency to darkening observed for the group of 3.0 kGy. This

  1. The structure of melon necrotic spot virus determined at 2.8 Å resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wada, Yasunobu; Tanaka, Hideaki; Yamashita, Eiki; Kubo, Chikako; Ichiki-Uehara, Tamaki; Nakazono-Nagaoka, Eiko; Omura, Toshihiro; Tsukihara, Tomitake

    2007-01-01

    The structure of melon necrotic spot virus is reported. The structure of melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV) was determined at 2.8 Å resolution. Although MNSV is classified into the genus Carmovirus of the family Tombusviridae, the three-dimensional structure of MNSV showed a higher degree of similarity to tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), which belongs to the genus Tombusvirus, than to carnation mottle virus (CMtV), turnip crinkle virus (TCV) or cowpea mottle virus (CPMtV) from the genus Carmovirus. Thus, the classification of the family Tombusviridae at the genus level conflicts with the patterns of similarity among coat-protein structures. MNSV is one of the viruses belonging to the genera Tombusvirus or Carmovirus that are naturally transmitted in the soil by zoospores of fungal vectors. The X-ray structure of MNSV provides us with a representative structure of viruses transmitted by fungi

  2. Cucurbita spp. and Cucumis sativus enhance the dissipation of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners by stimulating soil microbial community development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Hua; Brookes, Philip C; Xu, Jianming

    2014-01-01

    A number of Cucurbita species have the potential to extract polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from soil, but their impact on the soil microbial communities responsible for PCB degradation remains unclear. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of three Cucurbita and one Cucumis species on PCB dissipation and soil microbial community structure. Compared to the unplanted control, enhanced losses of PCBs (19.5%-42.7%) were observed in all planted soils. Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita moschata treatments were more efficient in PCB dissipation, and have similar patterns of soil phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and PCB congener profiles. Cucurbita treatments tend to have higher soil microbial biomass than Cucumis. Gram-negative (G(-)) bacteria were significantly correlated with PCB degradation rates (R(2) = 0.719, p Cucurbita related soil microorganisms could play an important role in remediation of PCB contaminated soils. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Quantity and quality of guinea pig (cavia porcellus) spermatozoa after administration of methanol extract of bitter melon (momordica charantia) seed and depot medroxy progesterone acetate (DMPA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilyas, Syafruddin; Hutahaean, Salomo; Nursal

    2018-03-01

    The discovery of male contraceptive drugs continues to be pursued, due to the few participation of men associated with the lack of contraceptive options for men. The combination of bitter melon seed methanol extract and DMPA are the options that currently apply to men. Therefore, the use of guinea pigs as experimental animals conducted research using experimental methods with complete randomized design (CRD). There are 4 control groups and 4 treatment groups. The first group, control group of dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) for 0 week (K0), The second one, bitter melon seed extract of 50 mg/100g Body Weight/day for 0 week (P0), the third one, control group of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 4 weeks (K1), the fourth one, bitter melon seed extract of 50 mg/100g BW/day for 4 weeks + Depot medroxy Progesterone Acetate (P1), the fifth one, control group of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 8 weeks (K2), the sixth one, bitter melon seed extract of 50 mg/100g BW/day for 8 weeks + DMPA (P2), the seventh one, control group of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 12 weeks (K3), the eighth one, bitter melon seed extract of 50 mg/100g BW/day for 12 weeks + DMPA (P3). Methanol extract of bitter melon seed to decrease the quantity and quality of guinea pig spermatozoa decreased significantly, i.e. viability and normal morphology of spermatozoa (p<0.05).

  4. First report of powdery mildew on cucumis zambianus, cucurbita digitata and zehneria scabraCaused by podosphaera xanthii

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powdery mildew is a serious disease of cucurbit crops worldwide. In the fall of 2016, symptoms of powdery mildew were observed on 2-month old plants of Cucumis zambianus, Cucurbita digitata and Zehneria scabra in research plots in Charleston, SC. Incidence on 28 plants of C. zambianus was 64.3%. On ...

  5. Economic analysis of irrigated melon cultivated in greenhouse with and without soil plastic mulching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elvis M. de C. Lima

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to analyze technically and economically the irrigated ‘Gália’ melon (Hybrid Nectar, cultivated in greenhouse with and without using plastic mulch covering on the soil. Simultaneously, two experiments were conducted using a completely randomized design (CRD, in which melon plants were submitted to five water availability levels, defined by 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150% of crop evapotranspiration, with four replicates. The difference between experiments were only about the soil covering with plastic mulch: with (CC or without (SC plastic mulch. The economically optimal irrigation depths were 208.83 and 186.88 mm, resulting in yields of 50.85 and 44.51 t ha-1 for the experiments with and without mulching, respectively. The results showing the economically optimal irrigation depths were very close to those that produced the highest yield.

  6. Wear behavior of Al-7%Si-0.3%Mg/melon shell ash particulate composites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdulwahab, M; Dodo, R M; Suleiman, I Y; Gebi, A I; Umar, I

    2017-08-01

    The present study examined wear characteristics of A356/melon shell ash particulate composites. Dry-sliding the stainless steel ball against specimen disc revealed the abrasive wear behavior of the composites under loads of 2 and 5N. The composite showed lower wear rate of 2.182 × 10 -4 mm 3 /Nm at 20 wt% reinforced material under load of 5N. Results showed that wear rate decreased significantly with increasing weight percentage of melon shell ash particles. Microstructural analyses of worn surfaces of the composites reveal evidence of plastic deformation of matrix phase. The wear resistance of A356 increased considerably with percentage reinforcement. In other words, the abrasive mass loss decreased with increasing percentage of reinforcement addition at the both applied loads. The control sample suffered a highest mass loss at 5 N applied load.

  7. Use of Non-Normalized, Non-Amplified cDNA for 454-Based RNA Sequencing of Fleshy Melon Fruit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vitaly Portnoy

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The melon ( L. fruit is an important crop and model system for the genomic study of both fleshy fruit development and the Cucurbitaceae family. To obtain an accurate representation of the melon fruit transcriptome based on expressed sequence tag (EST abundance in 454-pyrosequencing data, we prepared double-stranded complementary DNA (cDNA of melon without the usual amplification and normalization steps. A purification step was also included to eliminate small fragments. Complementary DNAs were obtained from 14 individual fruit libraries derived from two genotypes, separated into flesh and peel tissues, and sampled throughout fruit development. Pyrosequencing was performed using Genome Sequencer FLX (GS FLX technology, resulting in 1,215,359 reads, with mean length of >200 nucleotides. The global digital expression data was validated by comparative reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR of 40 selected genes and expression patterns were similar for the two methods. The results indicate that high-quality, nonbiased cDNA for next-generation sequencing can be prepared from mature, fleshy fruit, which are notorious for difficulties in ribonucleic acid (RNA preparation.

  8. Phytotoxicity of Alachlor, Bromacil and Diuron as single or mixed herbicides applied to wheat, melon, and molokhia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Nahhal, Yasser; Hamdona, Nisreen

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the phytotoxicity of herbicides applied singly or as mixtures to different crops under greenhouse conditions. Growth inhibition of the crops was taken as an indicator of phytotoxicity. Phytotoxicity of mixtures was estimated by calculating EC50 value in toxic units. EC50 (mg/kg soil) of Alachlor, Bromacil and/or Diuron were: 11.37, 4.77, 1.64, respectively, on melon; 0.11, 0.08, 0.24, respectively, on molokhia, and 3.91, 3.08, 1.83, respectively, on wheat. EC50 values of binary mixture tests of (Alachlor + Bromacil), (Alachlor + Diuron), and (Bromacil + Diuron) were 12.21, 5.84, 10.22 on melon, 0.982, 925.4, 38.1 on molokhia, and 0.673, 1.34, 0.644 on wheat. Tertiary mixture tests showed EC50 values (TU/kg soil) of (Alachlor + Bromacil + Diuron) was 633.9 on melon, 3.02 on molokhia and 32.174 on wheat. Diuron was more toxic than Alachlor and Bromacil to the tested crops based on individual tests. Molokhia was the most sensitive crop to herbicides. Binary mixtures showed a synergistic effect as compared to the tertiary mixtures.

  9. Trichoderma harzianum T-78 supplementation of compost stimulates the antioxidant defence system in melon plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernal-Vicente, Agustina; Pascual, José A; Tittarelli, Fabio; Hernández, José A; Diaz-Vivancos, Pedro

    2015-08-30

    Compost is emerging as an alternative plant growing medium in efforts to achieve more sustainable agriculture. The addition of specific microorganisms such as Trichoderma harzianum to plant growth substrates increases yields and reduces plant diseases, but the mechanisms of such biostimulants and the biocontrol effects are not yet fully understood. In this work we investigated how the addition of citrus and vineyard composts, either alone or in combination with T. harzianum T-78, affects the antioxidant defence system in melon plants under nursery conditions. Compost application and/or Trichoderma inoculation modulated the antioxidant defence system in melon plants. The combination of citrus compost and Trichoderma showed a biostimulant effect that correlated with an increase in ascorbate recycling enzymes (monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase) and peroxidase. Moreover, the inoculation of both composts with Trichoderma increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes, especially those involved in ascorbate recycling. Based on the long-established relationship between ascorbic acid and plant defence responses as well as plant growth and development, it can be suggested that ascorbate recycling activities play a major role in the protection provided by Trichoderma and its biostimulant effect and that these outcomes are linked to increases in antioxidant enzymes. We can conclude that the combination of citrus compost and T. harzianum T-78 constitutes a viable, environmentally friendly strategy for improving melon plant production. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  10. Adapting the Melon Production Model to Climate Change in Giao Thuy district, Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ngo, AT.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Embedded in a package of climate change adaptation, researchers and farmers tested the melon hybrid variety, Kim Hoang Hau (KHH, for yield and disease resistance during the spring-summer season from March to June 2015 in Giao Thuy district, Nam Dinh province. The results were analysed and subsequently discussed with local farmers in focused groups. Analysis showed that the KHH was suitable to local soil conditions. The farmers preferred this new variety over the local melon, because not only did KHH give higher yield and pest resistance, it also showed less vulnerability to climatic stressors. Farmers decided to grow KHH based on the prevailing good market price at that time. However, farmers only shifted away from the old melon when they could anticipate the possibility of selling the new product. Those who did not continue with the KHH had difficulty in actively accessing the market for this new product. This study suggests that the market information does not solely drive the process of the adaptation itself, but it also provides relevant stimuli to farmers enabling them to successfully shift to new crop varieties. This study also implies that such process-based understanding is crucial in formulating strategies that increase the farmer's capacity to adapt to climate change.

  11. Odor-Active Compounds in the Special Flavor Hops Huell Melon and Polaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neiens, Silva D; Steinhaus, Martin

    2018-02-14

    The volatiles isolated from samples of the special flavor hop varieties, Huell Melon and Polaris, and from the aroma hop variety, Hallertau Tradition, by solvent extraction and solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) were subjected to a comparative aroma extract dilution analysis (cAEDA), which resulted in 46 odor-active compounds in the flavor dilution (FD) factor range of 16 to 2048. On the basis of high FD factors, myrcene, (3R)-linalool, and 2- and 3-methylbutanoic acid were confirmed as important variety-independent hop odorants. (1R,4S)-Calamenene was identified for the first time as an odor-active compound in hops. Clear differences in the FD factors and their subsequent objectification by stable isotope dilution quantitation suggested that high concentrations of the esters ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, ethyl 2-methylpropanoate, and propyl 2-methylbutanoate cause the characteristic fruity, cantaloupe-like odor note in Huell Melon hops, whereas the fruity and minty odor notes in Polaris are associated with high amounts of 3-methylbutyl acetate and 1,8-cineole.

  12. Development of a field-suitable test method to evaluate the danger of hydrogen embrittlement due to hydrochloric acid pickling bathes and comparison of the effectiveness of pickling inhibitors; Entwicklung eines praxisgeeigneten Pruefverfahrens zur Bewertung des Wasserstoffgefaehrdungspotenzials von Salzsaeurebeizen und zum Vergleich der Wirksamkeit von Inhibitoren

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schroeder-Rentrop, I.; Landgrebe, R.; Berger, C.; Hasselmann, U. [Institut fuer Werkstoffkunde, Staatliche Materialpruefungsanstalt Darmstadt, TU Darmstadt, Grafenstrasse 2, 64283 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2005-11-01

    Within the scope of the before hot dip galvanizing necessary treatment in pickling bathes, which are mostly run with hydrochloric acid the possibility of development of atomic hydrogen on the steel surface is given. The subsequent described trials aimed at making the process of hot dip galvanizing of high tensile fasteners, which are possibly susceptible of cracking due to influences of hydrogen because of their high tensile strength, more controllable under aspects of quality assurance and possibly improve the process. The field-suitable test method for process monitoring of inhibited pickling bathes is realized by tension tests. The test method works with locking rings according to DIN 471 in a specially developed tensioning device. The safety of the indication of the test method is proved by the comparison of the results with those achieved with other test methods achieved with the same pickling bathes. The ''safety of iteration'' of the developed test method is proved by similar results of trials with samples from different charges of production and heat treatment. As a consequence the tension test is qualified as test method for the field. In addition it requires little time and expenses, is easy to handle and has a robust and fault-tolerant construction. With the testing scheme developed during the project it is moreover possible to evaluate capaciously the effectiveness of inhibitors for the pickling of high-tensile fasteners. (Abstract Copyright [2005], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [German] Bei der im Rahmen einer Feuerverzinkung notwendigen Beizbehandlung, die zumeist in Salzsaeure vorgenommen wird, kann es zur Entwicklung von atomarem Wasserstoff an der Stahloberflaeche kommen. Ziel der nachfolgend dargestellten Untersuchungen war, den Prozess der Feuerverzinkung von hochfesten Schrauben, die aufgrund der geforderten hohen Zugfestigkeiten in einem sproedbruchanfaelligen Werkstoffzustand vorliegen koennen, insbesondere unter Aspekten der

  13. EFSA BIOHAZ Panel (EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards), 2014. Scientific Opinion on the risk posed by pathogens in food of non-animal origin. Part 2 (Salmonella in melons)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hald, Tine; Baggesen, Dorte Lau

    and 2012. Risk factors for melon and watermelon contamination by Salmonella were considered in the context of the whole food chain, together with available estimates of Salmonella occurrence and mitigation options relating to prevention of contamination and the relevance of microbiological criteria......Melons and watermelons are ready-to-eat foods, with an internal pH of 5.1 to 6.7 and can be consumed whole, as fresh-cut products or as fresh juices. Epidemiological data from the EU identified one salmonellosis outbreak associated with consumption of both pre-cut and whole melon between 2007....... It was concluded that each farm environment represents a unique combination of risk factors that can influence occurrence and persistence of Salmonella in melon and watermelon production. Appropriate implementation of food safety management systems including Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Hygiene...

  14. Variation in herbivory-induced volatiles among cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) varieties has consequences for the attraction of carnivorous natural enemies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kappers, I.F.; Hoogerbrugge, H.; Bouwmeester, H.J.; Dicke, M.

    2011-01-01

    In response to herbivory by arthropods, plants emit herbivory-induced volatiles that attract carnivorous enemies of the inducing herbivores. Here, we compared the attractiveness of eight cucumber varieties (Cucumis sativus L.) to Phytoseiulus persimilis predatory mites after infestation of the

  15. Map-based molecular diversity, linkage disequilibrium and association mapping of fruit traits in melon

    Science.gov (United States)

    The wide phenotypic diversity, in melon fruits, is the result of consumer preferences combined with genotype fitness to the different agro-climatic zones. There is no sufficient information with respect to the extent of genetic divergence, population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) in mel...

  16. Mining the bitter melon (momordica charantia l.) seed transcriptome by 454 analysis of non-normalized and normalized cDNA populations for conjugated fatty acid metabolism-related genes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seeds of Momordica charantia (bitter melon) produce high levels of eleostearic acid, an unusual conjugated fatty acid with industrial value. Deep sequencing of non-normalized and normalized cDNAs from developing bitter melon seeds was conducted to uncover key genes required for biotechnological tran...

  17. Conservação pós-colheita de melão Charentais tratado com 1-MCP e armazenado sob refrigeração e atmosfera modificada Postharvest conservation of charentais melons treated with 1-MCP and stored under refrigeration and modified atmosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pahlevi A de Souza

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Objetivando avaliar a vida útil pós-colheita de melão tipo Charentais (Cucumis melo L. sob refrigeração, tratados com 1-MCP e associado ou não a atmosfera modificada (AM, foram conduzidos dois experimentos em laboratório da Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, Fortaleza-CE. Os frutos foram provenientes da Agroindústria Nolem Comercial Importadora e Exportadora Ltda, localizada no Agropólo Mossoró Açu-RN. Os frutos foram tratados com 300 e 600 ppb de 1-MCP, em seguida, metade desses frutos foram embalados em filmes plásticos, mantendo-se frutos embalados sem aplicação de 1-MCP nas mesmas condições de armazenamento dos demais. Os melões foram armazenados por 21 dias sendo 14 dias (9±1ºC e 87±5% UR + 7 dias (22±2ºC e 70±5% UR. Em função da aparência externa, a vida útil pós-colheita dos frutos armazenados sob atmosfera modificada, com ou sem tratamento inicial de 1-MCP foi de 21 dias, enquanto que dos frutos tratados inicialmente apenas com 1-MCP foi de 19 dias. A aplicação do 1-MCP proporcionou redução na atividade respiratória e na produção de etileno, e maior retenção da firmeza da polpa, menor perda de massa e melhor aparência externa quando associado a atmosfera modificada. A atmosfera modificada, isoladamente, foi eficiente em reduzir a perda de massa e manter melhor aparência externa.Aiming to evaluate the postharvest shelf life of Charentais melon (Cucumis melo L. stored under refrigeration, the fruits were treated with 1-MCP, associated or not with modified atmosphere (MAP. Two experiments were carried out at the laboratory of Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical in Fortaleza, Brazil, analyzing the chemical and physic quality characteristics. The fruits were obtained at the Agroindústria Nolem Comercial Importadora e Exportadora Ltda, located in Mossoró Açu, Brazil. The fruits were treated with 300 and 600 nL L-1 of 1-MCP, half of those were wrapped in plastic films, which were wrapped without the use of 1

  18. QUALIDADE FISIOLÓGICA E SANITÁRIA DE SEMENTES DE MELÃO UTILIZADAS NO PÓLO AGRÍCOLA ASSU-BARAÚNA-MOSSORÓ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreya Kalyana de Oliveira

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This research was conducted to evaluate the physiological and sanity quality of melon (Cucumis melo L. seeds used in agricultural region Assu-Baraúna-Mosssó in the Rio Grande do Norte. For seed lots each from the hybrids Goldex and Vereda were used. Research was conducted at the Seed Analysis Laboratory and Irrigation Agricultural of the Department of Crop Science of the UFERSA from August 2006 to July 2007. The physiological quality was evaluated by the germination, first count germination, accelerated aging, emergence speed index, electrical conductivity and seedling emergence, beyond the seed moisture content. The sanity was determinated by the method of filter paper with freezer, in four replications with 100 seeds per lot and completly randomized design. From the results obtained, it was concluded that first count germination, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity and seedling emergence tests only identified low and high seed lot from the hybrids Goldex and Vereda. The electrical conductivity test is most indicated to estimation of melon seed physiological potential, it was also possible to reduce the imbibition period of seeds prior this test. The pathogens associated with melon seeds were Aspergillus spp., Fusarium sp. and Macrophomina sp. and the physiological quality of seeds was not affected with the microrganisms presence.

  19. A deletion of the gene encoding amino aldehyde dehydrogenase enhances the "pandan-like" aroma of winter melon (Benincasa hispida) and is a functional marker for the development of the aroma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruangnam, Saowalak; Wanchana, Samart; Phoka, Nongnat; Saeansuk, Chatree; Mahatheeranont, Sugunya; de Hoop, Simon Jan; Toojinda, Theerayut; Vanavichit, Apichart; Arikit, Siwaret

    2017-12-01

    The gene conferring a "pandan-like" aroma of winter melon was identified. The sequence variation (804-bp deletion) found in the gene was used as the target for functional marker development. Winter melon (Benincasa hispida), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is a commonly consumed vegetable in Asian countries that is popular for its nutritional and medicinal value. A "pandan-like" aroma, which is economically important in crops including rice and soybean, is rarely found in most commercial varieties of winter melon, but is present in some landraces. This aroma is a value-added potential trait in breeding winter melon with a higher economic value. In this study, we confirmed that the aroma of winter melon is due to the potent volatile compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) as previously identified in other plants. Based on an analysis of public transcriptome data, BhAMADH encoding an aminoaldehyde dehydrogenase (AMADH) was identified as a candidate gene conferring aroma of winter melon. A sequence comparison of BhAMADH between the aromatic and non-aromatic accessions revealed an 804-bp deletion encompassing exons 11-13 in the aromatic accession. The deletion caused several premature stop codons and could result in a truncated protein with a length of only 208 amino acids compared with 503 amino acids in the normal protein. A functional marker was successfully developed based on the 804-bp deletion and validated in 237 F 2 progenies. A perfect association of the marker genotypes and aroma phenotypes indicates that BhAMADH is the major gene conferring the aroma. The recently developed functional marker could be efficiently used in breeding programs for the aroma trait in winter melon.

  20. Beneficial Role of Bitter Melon Supplementation in Obesity and Related Complications in Metabolic Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subhan, Nusrat; Rahman, Md Mahbubur; Jain, Preeti; Reza, Hasan Mahmud

    2015-01-01

    Diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome are becoming epidemic both in developed and developing countries in recent years. Complementary and alternative medicines have been used since ancient era for the treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Bitter melon is widely used as vegetables in daily food in Bangladesh and several other countries in Asia. The fruits extract of bitter melon showed strong antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities in experimental condition both in vivo and in vitro. Recent scientific evaluation of this plant extracts also showed potential therapeutic benefit in diabetes and obesity related metabolic dysfunction in experimental animals and clinical studies. These beneficial effects are mediated probably by inducing lipid and fat metabolizing gene expression and increasing the function of AMPK and PPARs, and so forth. This review will thus focus on the recent findings on beneficial effect of Momordica charantia extracts on metabolic syndrome and discuss its potential mechanism of actions. PMID:25650336

  1. Annotated world bibliography of host plants of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Cocquillett) (Diptera:Tephritidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae(Coquillett), is a widespread, economically important tephritid fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) species. Bactrocera cucurbitae infests fruits and vegetables of a number of different plant species, with many host plants in the plant family Cucurbitaceae, but with ...

  2. Reducing the impact of irrigated crops on freshwater availability: the case of Brazilian yellow melons

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brito de Figueirêdo, M.C.; Boer, de I.J.M.; Kroeze, C.; Silva Barros, da V.; Sousa, de J.A.; Souza de Aragão, F.A.; Sonsol Gondim, R.; Potting, J.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose This study quantifies freshwater consumption throughout the life cycle of Brazilian exported yellow melons and assesses the resulting impact on freshwater availability. Results are used to identify improvement options. Moreover, the study explores the further impact of variations in

  3. Potencial de vida útil pós-colheita de quatro genótipos de melão tipo Galia Potential of postharvest shelf life of four genotypes of Galia type melons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Lígia Dantas de Morais

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available Avaliou-se o potencial de vida útil pós-colheita de melões (Cucumis melo L. tipo Galia (genótipos Primal, Solarking, Total e Vicar. Utilizou-se o delineamento inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 4 (genótipos x 4 (tempos de armazenamento: 0, 3, 6 e 9 dias, com três repetições. Os frutos foram colhidos no estádio de maturação IV (predominantemente amarelo e armazenados à temperatura de 20 ± 1ºC e umidade relativa de 50 ± 2%. O genótipo Solarking apresentou uma firmeza média de polpa superior aos demais, do inicio ao final do período de armazenamento. Em todos os genótipos, os valores de sólidos solúveis no início do armazenamento encontraram-se dentro da faixa aceitável para comercialização no mercado externo, havendo pouca variação com o decorrer do período de armazenamento. A aparência interna limitou o tempo de vida útil pós-colheita do genótipo Total em apenas seis dias. Os genótipos Solarking, Vicar e Primal apresentaram maior potencial na conservação pós-colheita, principalmente o híbrido Solarking, que chegou aos nove dias de armazenamento com boa aparência interna.The postharvest life span of Galia (genotypes Primal, Solarking, Total, and Vicar melons (Cucumis melo L. was evaluated by a four (genotypes x four (storage periods: 0, 3, 6, and 9 days factorial experiment, in a completely randomized design with three replications. The fruits were harvested at maturation stage IV (yellow color predominance, and stored under 20 ± 1ºC and HR 50 ± 2%. Solarking's average firmness was better than that of the other genotypes during the experimental period. At the beginning of the experiment all genotypes had soluble solids contents at the level (eight to ten percent required for exportation, with these levels varying slightly during storage. The internal aspect limited to six days the postharvest life span of genotype Total. Solarking, Vicar, and Primal showed great postharvest conservation potential

  4. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. sunkii subsp. nov., isolated from sunki, a traditional Japanese pickle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kudo, Yuko; Oki, Kaihei; Watanabe, Koichi

    2012-11-01

    Although four strains of bacteria isolated from sunki, a traditional Japanese, non-salted pickle, were initially identified as Lactobacillus delbrueckii, the molecular and phenotypic characteristics of the strains did not match those of any of the four recognized subspecies of L. delbrueckii. Together, the results of phenotypic characterization, DNA-DNA hybridizations (in which the relatedness values between the novel strains and type strains of the recognized subspecies of L. delbrueckii were all >88.7%) and 16S rRNA gene sequence, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and whole-cell MALDI-TOF/MS spectral pattern analyses indicated that the four novel strains represented a single, novel subspecies, for which the name Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. sunkii subsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIT 11221(T) (=JCM 17838(T) =DSM 24966(T)).

  5. The Effect of Different Cucurbit Rootstocks on Some Morphological and Physiological Traits of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus cv. Super Dominus

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    reihane Mesgari

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Cucumber is one of the most important vegetable crops for the local consumption and exportation. The use of grafted vegetable seedlings has been popular in many countries during recent years. Growing fruit-bearing vegetables, chiefly tomato, cucumber and watermelon through grafted seedlings become a widespread practice worldwide. Grafting is a valuable technique to avoid soil-borne diseases, provide biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, enhance nutrient uptake, optimize water use, and increase fruit yield and quality. Vegetable grafting is a new topic in Iran and there are a limited number of studies on grafted vegetable production. However, attention to grafting by researchers has recently increased. Suitable rootstocks should be identified and characterized for the effective utilization of grafting. The rootstock's vigorous root system increases the efficiency of water and nutrient absorption, and may also serve as a source of endogenous plant hormones, thus leading to increased growth and yield in addition to disease control. In the present study, we investigated the response of two Cucurbita sp. and an Iranian melon as rootstocks for cucumber. Materials and methods: In order to study the effect of cucurbit rootstocks and grafting method on growth, yield and fruit quality of cucumber (Cucumis sativus cv. Super Dominus, an experiment was conducted as a factorial design in the base of RCBD with three replications in the greenhouse and research farm, University of Zanjan. Treatments were included three rootstocks (Cucurbita moschata L., Lagenaria siceraria and Cucumis melo L. and ungrafted plants (control and two grafting method (hole insertion and splice grafting. Seeds were sown simultaneously in plastic pots. For obtaining the same stem diameter of scion and rootstocks, cucumber seeds were planted four days earlier than rootstocks seeds. The seedlings were grown in an environment-controlled greenhouse with 25/20 day

  6. Translocation-based genetic sexing system to enhance the sterile insect technique against the melon fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCombs, S.D.; Lee, S.G.; Saul, S.H.

    1993-01-01

    The autosomal recessive bubble wing (bw) mutant was used to construct a translocation-based genetic sex sorting system in the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett). The translocation stock has females with the bubble wing phenotype that are unable to fly, but the males are wild-type and fly normally. The bubble wing translocation strain has lower egg hatch, larval viability, and eclosion rates than the wild-type strain. Expression of the bubble wing trait is temperature-dependent, with high expression of the trait in 92% of adults at 23°C but in only 15% of adults at 28°C. This translocation-based sex sorting system is the only method available for automatic separation of male and female melon flies in sterile insect release programs

  7. Cucurbita spp. and Cucumis sativus enhance the dissipation of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners by stimulating soil microbial community development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin, Hua; Brookes, Philip C.; Xu, Jianming

    2014-01-01

    A number of Cucurbita species have the potential to extract polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from soil, but their impact on the soil microbial communities responsible for PCB degradation remains unclear. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of three Cucurbita and one Cucumis species on PCB dissipation and soil microbial community structure. Compared to the unplanted control, enhanced losses of PCBs (19.5%–42.7%) were observed in all planted soils. Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita moschata treatments were more efficient in PCB dissipation, and have similar patterns of soil phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and PCB congener profiles. Cucurbita treatments tend to have higher soil microbial biomass than Cucumis. Gram-negative (G − ) bacteria were significantly correlated with PCB degradation rates (R 2 = 0.719, p − bacteria were correlated with dissipation of the penta homologue group (R 2 = 0.590, p − bacteria contributed significantly to soil PCB dissipation. • Fungi have a great potential in the dissipation of high chlorinated biphenyls. -- Cucurbita associated fungi and G − bacteria have important influence on soil PCB dissipation rate and congener profile

  8. Application of Cinnamon oil Nanoemulsion to Control Foodborne Bacteria such as Listeria Sp. and Salmonella Sp. On Melons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paudel, Sumit Kumar

    Listeria and Salmonella related recalls and outbreaks are of major concern to the melon industry. Cinnamon oil has shown its usefulness in food treatment due to strong antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial activities. However, its applications are limited due to poor solubility of cinnamon oil in water. Utilization of Cinnamon oil nanoemulsion may offer effective antimicrobial washing treatment to melon industry. The purpose of this study was to test the antimicrobial efficacy of cinnamon oil nanoemulsion on melons against major food borne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica. Different formulations of cinnamon oil nanoemulsion were made by ultrasonication using Tween 80 as an emulsifier. Nanoemulsion exhibiting the smallest oil droplets was applied. Oil droplets were characterized for particle size by dynamic light scattering. Microbroth dilution assay was performed on three strains each of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica to find out the antimicrobial efficacy of cinnamon oil nanoemulsion. Honeydew and cantaloupe were artificially inoculated with the strains mentioned above followed by treatment in nanoemulsion (control, 0.1%, 0.25%, and 0.5%) for one minute. Samples were dried and enumerated after one hour of treatment on selective media (PALCAM and XLD agar). The average diameter of nanoemulsion was 9.63+/-0.3nm. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of cinnamon oil nanoemulsion for both Listeria and Salmonella strains was 0.078% v/v and 0.039% v/v, respectively and the minimum bactericidal concentration was 0.078125% v/v for both. Compared to the water control, 0.5% nanoemulsion showed up to 7.7 and 5.5 log CFU/gm reductions in L. monocytogenes and S. enterica, respectively. The data suggests that cinnamon oil nanoemulsion can be used as an effective natural microbial control agent for melons. Keywords: Nanoemulsion, ultrasonication, antimicrobial.

  9. Hexanoic Acid Treatment Prevents Systemic MNSV Movement in Cucumis melo Plants by Priming Callose Deposition Correlating SA and OPDA Accumulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emma Fernández-Crespo

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Unlike fungal and bacterial diseases, no direct method is available to control viral diseases. The use of resistance-inducing compounds can be an alternative strategy for plant viruses. Here we studied the basal response of melon to Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV and demonstrated the efficacy of hexanoic acid (Hx priming, which prevents the virus from systemically spreading. We analysed callose deposition and the hormonal profile and gene expression at the whole plant level. This allowed us to determine hormonal homeostasis in the melon roots, cotyledons, hypocotyls, stems and leaves involved in basal and hexanoic acid-induced resistance (Hx-IR to MNSV. Our data indicate important roles of salicylic acid (SA, 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA, jasmonic-isoleucine, and ferulic acid in both responses to MNSV. The hormonal and metabolites balance, depending on the time and location associated with basal and Hx-IR, demonstrated the reprogramming of plant metabolism in MNSV-inoculated plants. The treatment with both SA and OPDA prior to virus infection significantly reduced MNSV systemic movement by inducing callose deposition. This demonstrates their relevance in Hx-IR against MNSV and a high correlation with callose deposition. Our data also provide valuable evidence to unravel priming mechanisms by natural compounds.

  10. Quantitative determination of cucurbitane-type triterpenes and triterpene glycosides in dietary supplements containing bitter melon (Momordica charantia) by HPLC-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jun; Krynitsky, Alexander J; Grundel, Erich; Rader, Jeanne I

    2012-01-01

    Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae), commonly known as bitter melon, is widely cultivated in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It is a common food staple; its fruits, leaves, seeds, stems, and roots also have a long history of use in traditional medicine. In the United States, dietary supplements labeled as containing bitter melon can be purchased over-the-counter and from Internet suppliers. Currently, no quantitative analytical method is available for monitoring the content of cucurbitane-type triterpenes and triterpene glycosides, the major constituents of bitter melon, in such supplements. We investigated the use of HPLC-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS/MS for the quantitative determination of such compounds in dietary supplements containing bitter melon. Values for each compound obtained from external calibration were compared with those obtained from the method of standard additions to address matrix effects associated with ESI. In addition, the cucurbitane-type triterpene and triterpene glycoside contents of two dietary supplements determined by the HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method with standard additions were compared with those measured by an HPLC method with evaporative light scattering detection, which was recently developed for quantification of such compounds in dried fruits of M. charantia. The contents of five cucurbitane-type triterpenes and triterpene glycosides in 10 dietary supplements were measured using the HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method with standard additions. The total contents of the five compounds ranged from 17 to 3464 microg/serving.

  11. Engineering melon plants with improved fruit shelf life using the TILLING approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatima Dahmani-Mardas

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Fruit ripening and softening are key traits that have an effect on food supply, fruit nutritional value and consequently, human health. Since ethylene induces ripening of climacteric fruit, it is one of the main targets to control fruit over ripening that leads to fruit softening and deterioration. The characterization of the ethylene pathway in Arabidopsis and tomato identified key genes that control fruit ripening.To engineer melon fruit with improved shelf-life, we conducted a translational research experiment. We set up a TILLING platform in a monoecious and climacteric melon line, cloned genes that control ethylene production and screened for induced mutations that lead to fruits with enhanced shelf life. Two missense mutations, L124F and G194D, of the ethylene biosynthetic enzyme, ACC oxidase 1, were identified and the mutant plants were characterized with respect to fruit maturation. The L124F mutation is a conservative mutation occurring away from the enzyme active site and thus was predicted to not affect ethylene production and thus fruit ripening. In contrast, G194D modification occurs in a highly conserved amino acid position predicted, by crystallographic analysis, to affect the enzymatic activity. Phenotypic analysis of the G194D mutant fruit showed complete delayed ripening and yellowing with improved shelf life and, as predicted, the L124F mutation did not have an effect.We constructed a mutant collection of 4023 melon M2 families. Based on the TILLING of 11 genes, we calculated the overall mutation rate of one mutation every 573 kb and identified 8 alleles per tilled kilobase. We also identified a TILLING mutant with enhanced fruit shelf life. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of TILLING as a reverse genetics tool to improve crop species. As cucurbits are model species in different areas of plant biology, we anticipate that the developed tool will be widely exploited by the scientific community.

  12. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and kabocha squash (Cucurbita moschata Duch).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nanasato, Yoshihiko; Tabei, Yutaka

    2015-01-01

    We established improved methods for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and kabocha squash (Cucurbita moschata Duch). Vacuum infiltration of cotyledonary explants with Agrobacterium suspension enhanced the Agrobacterium infection efficiency in the proximal regions of explants. Wounding treatment was also essential for kabocha squash. Cocultivation on filter paper wicks suppressed necrosis of explants, keeping regeneration efficacy. Putative transgenic plants were screened by kanamycin resistance and green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence. These putative transgenic plants grew normally and T1 seeds were obtained, and stable integration and transmission of the transgene in T1 generations were confirmed by Southern hybridization and PCR. The average transgenic efficiency for cucumber and kabocha squash was 11.9 ± 3.5 and 9.2 ± 2.9 %, respectively.

  13. Melon oil methyl ester: an environmentally friendly fuel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.K. Fasogbon

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Demand for energy is growing across the globe due to the direct relationship between the well-being and prosperity of people and energy usage. However, meeting this growing energy demand in a safe and environmentally friendly manner is a key challenge. To this end, methyl esters (biodiesels have been and are being widely investigated as alternatives to fossil fuels in compression ignition engines. In this study, melon (Colocynthis Citrullus Lanatus oil was used to synthesize biodiesel (methyl ester using the transesterification method in the presence of a sodium hydroxide promoter. The emissions profile of the biodiesel was investigated by setting up a single-cylinder four-stroke air-cooled CI engine connected to a TD115-hydraulic dynamometer and an Eclipse Flue Gas Analyzer (FGA with model number EGA4 flue gas analyzer. The engine was run at engine speeds of 675, 1200 and 1900rpm for biodiesel/diesel blends at 21°C on a volume basis of 0/100(B0, 10/90(B10, 20/80(B20, 30/70(B30, 40/60(B40 and 50/50(B50. The test showed a downward trend in the emissions profile of the biodiesel, with remarkable reductions of about 55% in the dangerous-carbon monoxide exhaust gas pollutant and 33.3% in the unfriendly SOX from 100% diesel to B30-biodiesel concentration. Increasing the speed from 675 to 1200 and then to 1900 rpm also afforded further reductions in CO and SOX exhaust emissions. NOX however increased marginally by 2.1% from the same 100% diesel to the B30-biodiesel composition. Based on the remarkable reduction in CO and SOX and the marginal increase in NOX as the concentration of the biodiesel increased in the blends, the study concludes that melon oil methyl ester is an environmentally friendly fuel.

  14. Use of molecular markers aids in the development of diverse inbred backcross lines in Beit Alpha cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beit Alpha cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a Mediterranean fresh-market type with a relatively narrow genetic base. To broaden its base for plant improvement, 42 diverse accessions were compared employing a previously defined standard marker array to choose wide-based parental lines for use in bac...

  15. Assessment of agro-ecological service crop managements combined with organic fertilisation strategies in organic melon crop

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariangela Diacono

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available In organic horticultural systems, cover crops could provide several ecological services, therefore, they can be defined agroecological service crops (ASCs. The objective of this two-year research was to study the suitability on melon production of different ASC termination strategies, in combination with organic fertilisers application. In a split-block design, the main-plot was the ASC management, comparing: i green manure, in which the vetch was chopped and plowed into the soil; and ii roller-crimper (RC, in which the vetch was flattened by a roller-crimper; with iii fallow control, without vetch. The subplot consisted of offfarm organic inputs: i commercial humified fertiliser; ii anaerobic digestate fertiliser; iii composted municipal solid wastes; which were compared to iv unfertilised control (N0. At vetch termination, above soil biomass and nitrogen (N content were determined. At harvesting, crop yield performance and quality, N status and N efficiency were investigated. Also, main soil characteristics were assessed at the end of the trial. Among the ASC managements, the slightly reduced yield in the RC plots particularly in combination with N0 might have been the result of less N supplied by the vetch during the melon cycle. Anyway, no negative effects were observed for yield quality. The use of the RC showed a great potential in enhancing soil fertility. Our study suggests the suitability in organic farming of properly matching management of ASC and fertilisation strategies on melon crop.

  16. Evolução da salinidade e pH de solo sob cultivo de melão irrigado com água salina Evolution of salinity and pH of soil cultivated with melon irrigated with brackish water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco de Q. Porto Filho

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Com o presente trabalho objetivou-se estudar os efeitos da irrigação com águas salinas em um solo cultivado com melão a evolução da salinidade e reação do solo. O experimento foi conduzido na Fazenda Santa Júlia, município de Mossoró, RN, em dois plantios consecutivos, no período de 2001 a 2002. As plantas de melão (Cucumis melo L. cv. AF646 foram irrigadas com água de salinidade 0,6 (testemunha; 1,9; 3,2 e 4,5 dS m-1 durante todo o ciclo (70 dias e de forma incremental, em três fases de desenvolvimento do meloeiro (1-30, 31-50, 51-70 dias após a semeadura - DAS. O delineamento experimental adotado foi em blocos ao acaso, com 15 tratamentos e quatro repetições. A salinidade e o pH do solo foram medidos no início e aos 30, 50 e 70 DAS, em amostras de solo coletadas nas camadas de 0-15, 15-30 e 30-45 cm. Observou-se maior acúmulo de sais no solo na camada superficial (até 15 cm em todos os níveis de salinidade e que a utilização de águas de maior salinidade aumentou a salinidade média no perfil do solo. Os valores médios de pH estiveram dentro da faixa ótima de absorção de nutrientes requerida para a cultura do melão, com pequena variação entre os tratamentos estudados.This work aimed to study the effects of irrigation with saline waters in an area cultivated with melon on soil salinity and pH. The experiment was conducted in the Santa Julia Farm, Mossoró city, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, during the years 2001 to 2002. Water with different salinity levels (0.6; 1.9; 3.2 and 4.5 dS m-1 was used throughout the cycle and in incremental way in three periods of melon development, forming 15 treatments, arranged in randomized blocks with four replications. The salinity was measured at 0, 30, 50 and 70 days after sowing in soil samples collected in layers of 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm. There was greater accumulation of salts in the surface layer (up to 15 cm in all salinity levels and the use of more saline water

  17. Substrate and nutrient solution developed using a biodigestor effluent for melon cultivation

    OpenAIRE

    Villela Jr., Luiz V. E. [UNESP; De Araújo, Jairo A. C. [UNESP; Barbosa, José C. [UNESP; Perez, Luiz R.B.

    2007-01-01

    Buscando a sustentabilidade em uma pequena propriedade agrícola visou-se com o presente estudo, ao aproveitamento do efluente de biodigestor proveniente da fermentação anaeróbia de estrume bovino, no cultivo sem solo do meloeiro. O experimento foi conduzido em Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil, localizado na Latitude 21º 15- 22" S e Longitude 48º 18- 58" W. Cultivou-se o meloeiro (Cucumis melo L. cv. Bonus nº 2) em substrato, com semeadura realizada em outubro de 2003 e se utilizou delineamento experim...

  18. Rainbow tensor model with enhanced symmetry and extreme melonic dominance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Itoyama

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available We introduce and briefly analyze the rainbow tensor model where all planar diagrams are melonic. This leads to considerable simplification of the large N limit as compared to that of the matrix model: in particular, what are dressed in this limit are propagators only, which leads to an oversimplified closed set of Schwinger–Dyson equations for multi-point correlators. We briefly touch upon the Ward identities, the substitute of the spectral curve and the AMM/EO topological recursion and their possible connections to Connes–Kreimer theory and forest formulas.

  19. Rainbow tensor model with enhanced symmetry and extreme melonic dominance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itoyama, H.; Mironov, A.; Morozov, A.

    2017-08-01

    We introduce and briefly analyze the rainbow tensor model where all planar diagrams are melonic. This leads to considerable simplification of the large N limit as compared to that of the matrix model: in particular, what are dressed in this limit are propagators only, which leads to an oversimplified closed set of Schwinger-Dyson equations for multi-point correlators. We briefly touch upon the Ward identities, the substitute of the spectral curve and the AMM/EO topological recursion and their possible connections to Connes-Kreimer theory and forest formulas.

  20. Effect of pickling processes on the microstructure and properties of electroless Ni–P coating on Mg–7.5Li–2Zn–1Y alloy

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    Chunjie Xu

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The electroless plating Ni–P is prepared on the surface of Mg–7.5Li–2Zn–1Y alloys with different pickling processes. The microstructure and properties of Ni–P coating are investigated. The results show that the Ni–P coatings deposited using the different pickling processes have a different high phosphorus content amorphous Ni–P solid solution structure, and the Ni–P coatings exhibit higher hardness. There is higher phosphorus content of Ni–P amorphous coating using 125 g/L CrO3 and 110 ml/L HNO3 (w=68% than using 180 g/L CrO3 and 1 g/L KF during pre-treatment, and the coating structure is more compact, and the Ni–P coatings exhibit more excellent adhesion with substrate (Fc up to 22 N. The corrosion potential of Ni–P coating is improved and exhibits good corrosion resistance. As a result, Mg-7.5Li-2Zn-1Y alloy is remarkably protected by the Ni–P coating.

  1. Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Extract Inhibits Tumorigenicity and Overcomes Cisplatin-Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Cells Through Targeting AMPK Signaling Cascade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yung, Mingo M H; Ross, Fiona A; Hardie, D Grahame; Leung, Thomas H Y; Zhan, Jinbiao; Ngan, Hextan Y S; Chan, David W

    2016-09-01

    Objective Acquired chemoresistance is a major obstacle in the clinical management of ovarian cancer. Therefore, searching for alternative therapeutic modalities is urgently needed. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is a traditional dietary fruit, but its extract also shows potential medicinal values in human diabetes and cancers. Here, we sought to investigate the extract of bitter melon (BME) in antitumorigenic and cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells. Three varieties of bitter melon were used to prepare the BME. Ovarian cancer cell lines, human immortalized epithelial ovarian cells (HOSEs), and nude mice were used to evaluate the cell cytotoxicity, cisplatin resistance, and tumor inhibitory effect of BME. The molecular mechanism of BME was examined by Western blotting. Cotreatment with BME and cisplatin markedly attenuated tumor growth in vitro and in vivo in a mouse xenograft model, whereas there was no observable toxicity in HOSEs or in nude mice in vivo Interestingly, the antitumorigenic effects of BME varied with different varieties of bitter melon, suggesting that the amount of antitumorigenic substances may vary. Studies of the molecular mechanism demonstrated that BME activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in an AMP-independent but CaMKK (Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase)-dependent manner, exerting anticancer effects through activation of AMPK and suppression of the mTOR/p70S6K and/or the AKT/ERK/FOXM1 (Forkhead Box M1) signaling cascade. BME functions as a natural AMPK activator in the inhibition of ovarian cancer cell growth and might be useful as a supplement to improve the efficacy of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer. © The Author(s) 2015.

  2. Expression analysis of fusarium wilt resistance gene in melon by real-time quantitative pcr

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, X.; Xu, B.; Zhao, L.; Gao, P.; Luan, F.

    2014-01-01

    Melon Actin gene was used as a reference gene, to explore the gene expression profiles of the Fom-2 gene in roots, stems, and leaves of melon MR-1 under induction by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis. Monitoring using real-time quantitative PCR showed similar accumulation patterns of Fom-2 in roots, stems, and leaves over the observation period of 1 to 11 days; the expression level in stems was the highest. The expression of the Fom-2 gene was strengthened by the prolongation of induction time. In stems, the expression of Fom-2 was 5.737 times higher than in the control at three days; in roots, expression of Fom-2 was 5.617 times higher than in the control at five days. Similarly, the expression of Fom-2 in leaves obviously increased. It was 4.441 times higher than in the control at 5 days. The expression of Fom-2 was non-tissue specific, up-regulated under induction by Fusarium, and related to early resistance to Fusarium wilt. (author)

  3. Anatomical Description of the Female Reproductive Organ and Radiation Induced Histological changes of Ovary of Melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coq.) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roksana Huque and Sharmina Ahmed

    2006-01-01

    Application of gamma radiation as a physical method of disinfestations against melon flies was recognized as a potential quarantine treatment. At 50 Gy, oocytes showed degeneration one day after treatment whereas seven-day-old oocytes did not differ greatly in appearance from control groups. Abnormal enlargement of trophocyte cells and vacuolization of oocytes occurred predominantly following the treatment with 100 and 150 Gy. One day after treatment with 150 Gy trophocytes underwent hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Irradiation at 100 and 150 Gy reduced the fertility to almost zero percent in the female melon flies.(authors)

  4. Investigation of the Use of "Cucumis Sativus" for Remediation of Chromium from Contaminated Environmental Matrices: An Interdisciplinary Instrumental Analysis Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, Lynsey R.; Edwards, Michael R.; Farmer, Russell; Greenly, Kathryn J.; Hensler, Sherri; Jenkins, Scott E.; Joyce, J. Michael; Mann, Jason A.; Prentice, Boone M.; Puckette, Andrew E.; Shuford, Christopher M.; Porter, Sarah E. G.; Rhoten, Melissa C.

    2009-01-01

    An interdisciplinary, semester-long project is presented in which students grow Cucumis sativus (cucumber) plants from seeds and study the ability of the plants to remediate a heavy metal from contaminated soil or water or both. Phytoremediation strategies for environmental cleanup are presented as possible alternatives to chemical based clean-up…

  5. Stabilisation of Clay Soil with Lime and Melon Husk Ash for use in Farm Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. S. Mohammed

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The rising cost of traditional stabilising agents and the need for economical utilisation of industrial and agricultural waste for beneficial engineering purposes has encouraged an investigation into the stabilization of clay soil with lime and melon husk ash. The chemical composition of the melon husk ash that was used in stabilising clay soil was determined. The clay soil was divided into two parts, one part was used to determine the index properties while the other part was treated at British Standard Light (BSL compaction energy with 0 %, 2 %, 4 %, 6 % and 8 % melon husk ash by dry weight of the soil and each was admixed with 2 %, 4 %, 6 % and 8 % lime. The stabilised clay soil was cured for 7, 14 and 28 days before the unconfined compressive strength were determined while the coefficients of permeability of the stabilised clay soil were also determined at 28 days of curing. The data obtained from the experiment was subjected to analysis of variance to examine the significance at 5% level. Results showed that the natural clay soil belong to A-7-6 or CH (clay of high plasticity in the American Association of State Highway Transportation Official (AASHTO and Unified Soil Classification System (1986. The chemical composition of the ash had aluminum oxide, iron oxide and silicon dioxide values of 18.5%, 2.82% and 51.24% respectively. The unconfined compressive strength and coefficient of permeability of the natural clay soil was determined to be 285 kN/m2 and 1.45 x 10-5 cm/s, respectively. Increase in melon husk ash and lime percent increases the unconfined compressive strength (UCS of the stabilised clay soil significantly (p < 0.05 and decrease the coefficient of permeability when compared with the natural clay soil. The peak values of unconfined compressive strength for 7, 14 and 28 days of curing are 1200 kN/m2, 1598 kN/m2 and 1695 kN/m2 respectively at 6% MHA and 8% lime content while the lowest value for coefficient of permeability was 0

  6. Influence of inorganic acid pickling on the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy AZ31 sheet

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nwaogu, Ugochukwu Chibuzoh; Blawert, C.; Scharnagl, N.

    2009-01-01

    Surface contaminants as a result of thermo-mechanical processing of magnesium alloys, e.g. sheet rolling, can have a negative effect on the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys. Especially contaminants such as Fe, Ni and Cu, left on the surface of magnesium alloys result in the formation...... of micro-galvanic couples and can therefore increase corrosion attack on these alloys. Due to this influence they should be removed to obtain good corrosion resistance. In this study, the effect of inorganic acid pickling on the corrosion behaviour of a commercial AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet...... cleaning the AZ31 sheet. However, to obtain reasonable corrosion resistance at least 5 mu m of the surface of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet have to be removed....

  7. Effect of irradiation on color of minimally processed melon and papaya

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fabbri, Adriana D.T.; Sagretti, Juliana M.A.; Hirashima, Fabiana K.; Rogovschi, Vladimir D.; Nunes, Thaise C.F.; Sabato, Susy F.

    2013-01-01

    The access to nutritious food is an essential dimension of food meal. High potential for fresh-cut industry exists and ready-to-eat fruit market has grown rapidly in recent years due to the health benefits associated. Although there is many concerns to food safety other parameters like texture, taste, color and sensory acceptance are fundamental principles of acceptance to any food. Actually the use of instrumental measurements has proven to be a major predictor of sensory responses. According to many authors, the addition of different techniques should always be considered to provide additional information of the sensory aspects. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of irradiation on color of minimally processed melon and papaya. The fruits were purchased in a market of Sao Paulo, at the same point of ripeness and sent to the IPEN/CNEN-SP. The fruits were sanitized and manually cut into cubes of approximately 2 x 2 cm with the aid of stainless steel knives and packed in polyethylene bags. Melons and papaya were irradiated in a Multipurpose Gamma Source (IPEN - Sao Paulo - Brazil) and were divided in six groups for color analysis: Control; 0.5 kGy; 1.0 kGy, 1.5kGy, 2.0 kGy and 3.0kGy. After the treatment, the MP fruits were kept in a refrigerator at 4 deg C ± 1 deg C until the end of the analysis. The color of the samples was determined using a Minolta colorimeter CR-400 Chromameter. The parameters L * , a * and b * were evaluated. The results were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance One-Dimensional Analysis of Variance (One-Way-ANOVA) followed by Tukey test. All statistical analysis was performed using the program Graph Pad Prism 5 and adopting a significance level of 5 % (p * parameter of any dose despite the tendency to darkening observed for the group of 3.0 kGy. This fact also occurred for the chromatographic coordinates a * and b * which remained in the same tonality for all treatments (p<0.05). Current results

  8. An AFLP marker linked to the Pm-1 gene that confers resistance to Podosphaera xanthii race 1 in Cucumis melo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Paula Matoso Teixeira

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Brazil produced 330,000 metric tons of melons in 2005, principally in the Northeast region where one of the most important melon pathogens is the powdery mildew fungus Podosphaera xanthii. The disease is controlled mainly by incorporating single dominant resistance genes into commercial hybrids. We report on linkage analysis of the Pm-1 resistance gene, introgressed from the AF125Pm-1 Cantalupensis Charentais-type breeding line into the yellow-fleshed melon (Group Inodorus breeding line AF426-S by backcrossing to produce the resistant line AF426-R, and the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP marker M75/H35_155 reported to be polymorphic between AF426-S and AF426-R. Segregation analysis of M75/H35_155 using a backcross population of 143 plants derived from [AF426-R x AF426-S] x AF426-S and screened for resistance to P. xanthii race 1 produced a recombination frequency of 4.9%, indicating close linkage between M75/H35_155 and Pm-1. Using the same segregating population, the M75/H35_155 marker had previously been reported to be distantly linked to Prv¹, a gene conferring resistance to papaya ringspot virus-type W. Since M75/H35_155 is linked to Prv¹ at a distance of 40.9 cM it is possible that Pm-1 and Prv¹ are also linked.

  9. Agrobiodiversity Indices for Three Cucurbit Species in Khorasan- Razavi Province

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehdi Nassiri Mahallati

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction The deterioration of genetic resources of many field crops due to monoculture and other agricultural activities has been well documented. Estimates indicate that the introduction of new varieties has contributed at least 80% of the increase in crop production, yet, these gains have been offset by the loss of 90% of landraces. The importance of biodiversity in enhancing the sustainability of crop production in agroecosystems has been well acknowledged in the literature. This has been achieved by increasing the biodiversity at cropping systems, species, and variety levels, which corresponds to biodiversity at the ecosystem, species, and ecotype levels in natural ecosystems. Conservation of biodiversity is prerequisite for sustainable agroecosystems. In the past, diverse species, genotypes and varieties were used in agroecosystems that ensured their sustainability. At present, this approach has changed and new varieties have replaced old ones and on sustainability of systems has been negatively impacted. In the other word, agrobiodiversity or the variety of species in cropping systems has dropped rapidly. Materials and methods In this research, agrobiodiversity of melon (Cucumis.melo var. Inodorus, watermelon (Citrullus Vulgaris and cantaloupe (Cucumis.melo var. Cantaloupensis were evaluated at the genotype and variety levels. For this purpose necessary data including the number of cultivated genotypes or land races and cultivated area for each of them were collected from 25 counties of Khorasan Razavi province. Accurate data was gathered from the appropriate database and also by filling questionnaire for growing season of 2010-2011. Then spatial biodiversity indices of Simpson and Shannon, evenness, and similarity indices of Sorenson were calculated for three cucurbit crops. Results and discussion The results showed that from total cultivated area of cucurbit species in 2010-2011 growing season, 48, 30, 20 and 2 percent belonged to

  10. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorines in melon-headed whales, Peponocephala electra, mass stranded along the Japanese coasts: Maternal transfer and temporal trend

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kajiwara, Natsuko; Kamikawa, Satoko; Amano, Masao; Hayano, Azusa; Yamada, Tadasu K.; Miyazaki, Nobuyuki; Tanabe, Shinsuke

    2008-01-01

    Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine compounds (OCs) were determined in the blubber of 55 melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) mass stranded along the Japanese coasts since 1982. DDTs and PCBs were predominant in all the specimens investigated. In whales that died during the latest event in 2006, concentrations of PBDEs (190-510 ng/g lipid wt) were approximately two orders of magnitude lower than DDTs and PCBs, but comparable with HCHs and HCB. Maternal transfer of PBDEs to offspring through the whole reproductive process was estimated to be 85% of the mother's body burden, while that occurring during gestation was much lower (2.6-3.5%). Concentrations of PCBs, DDTs, and HCB were lower in melon-headed whales stranded after the year 2000 than those stranded in 1982, whereas PBDE and CHL levels showed a temporal increase during the past 20 years, suggesting that the peak of their usage and contamination occurred after the year 1982. - PBDE levels in melon-headed whales increased during the past two decades

  11. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorines in melon-headed whales, Peponocephala electra, mass stranded along the Japanese coasts: Maternal transfer and temporal trend

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kajiwara, Natsuko; Kamikawa, Satoko [Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8577 (Japan); Amano, Masao [Department of Animal Sciences, Teikyo University of Science and Technology, 2525 Yatsusawa, Uenohara, Yamanashi 409-0193 (Japan); Hayano, Azusa [Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan); Yamada, Tadasu K. [National Museum of Nature and Science, 3-23-1 Hyakunin-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073 (Japan); Miyazaki, Nobuyuki [Center for International Cooperation, Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Minamidai 1-15-1, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-8639 (Japan); Tanabe, Shinsuke [Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8577 (Japan)], E-mail: shinsuke@agr.ehime-u.ac.jp

    2008-11-15

    Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine compounds (OCs) were determined in the blubber of 55 melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) mass stranded along the Japanese coasts since 1982. DDTs and PCBs were predominant in all the specimens investigated. In whales that died during the latest event in 2006, concentrations of PBDEs (190-510 ng/g lipid wt) were approximately two orders of magnitude lower than DDTs and PCBs, but comparable with HCHs and HCB. Maternal transfer of PBDEs to offspring through the whole reproductive process was estimated to be 85% of the mother's body burden, while that occurring during gestation was much lower (2.6-3.5%). Concentrations of PCBs, DDTs, and HCB were lower in melon-headed whales stranded after the year 2000 than those stranded in 1982, whereas PBDE and CHL levels showed a temporal increase during the past 20 years, suggesting that the peak of their usage and contamination occurred after the year 1982. - PBDE levels in melon-headed whales increased during the past two decades.

  12. Selection of refractory materials for acid tanks at the CSN continuous pickling line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Sidiney Nascimento; Marques, Oscar Rosa; Bueno, Mauricio Chaves; Longo, Elson; Silva Pinheiro, Adriano da

    1997-01-01

    Aiming at the revamping of the CSN continuous pickling line 4 acid tanks, a Post Mortem study of the refractory lining was carried out. The collected samples were characterized through techniques such as chemical analysis, mercury porosimetry, X-ray diffraction and scanning electronic microscopy. Trying to reproduce the operational conditions closely, laboratorial simulations were carried out. Such simulations lead to the addition of some alterations on the test method proposed by ABNT. Primarily, the sulfuric acid was substituted by hydrochloric acid (30%), containing iron in solution (130g/l). As result, it was concluded that acid resistant refractories containing a smaller alumina and /or corundum and mullite concentrations, presenting a smaller open porosity and average pore diameter, have a better performance face to corrosion due to hydrochloric acid solution. In addition, abrasion wear resistance tests, according to the ASTM-G65-85 standard were carried out in order to select different materials to the acid tanks cells. (author)

  13. A newly developed real-time PCR assay for detection and quantification of Fusarium oxysporum and its use in compatible and incompatible interactions with grafted melon genotypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haegi, Anita; Catalano, Valentina; Luongo, Laura; Vitale, Salvatore; Scotton, Michele; Ficcadenti, Nadia; Belisario, Alessandra

    2013-08-01

    A reliable and species-specific real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was developed for detection of the complex soilborne anamorphic fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The new primer pair, designed on the translation elongation factor 1-α gene with an amplicon of 142 bp, was highly specific to F. oxysporum without cross reactions with other Fusarium spp. The protocol was applied to grafted melon plants for the detection and quantification of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis, a devastating pathogen of this cucurbit. Grafting technologies are widely used in melon to confer resistance against new virulent races of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis, while maintaining the properties of valuable commercial varieties. However, the effects on the vascular pathogen colonization have not been fully investigated. Analyses were performed on 'Charentais-T' (susceptible) and 'Nad-1' (resistant) melon cultivars, both used either as rootstock and scion, and inoculated with F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis race 1 and race 1,2. Pathogen development was compared using qPCR and isolations from stem tissues. Early asymptomatic melon infections were detected with a quantification limit of 1 pg of fungal DNA. The qPCR protocol clearly showed that fungal development was highly affected by host-pathogen interaction (compatible or incompatible) and time (days postinoculation). The principal significant effect (P ≤ 0.01) on fungal development was due to the melon genotype used as rootstock, and this effect had a significant interaction with time and F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis race. In particular, the amount of race 1,2 DNA was significantly higher compared with that estimated for race 1 in the incompatible interaction at 18 days postinoculation. The two fungal races were always present in both the rootstock and scion of grafted plants in either the compatible or incompatible interaction.

  14. Probiotic Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Croatian Fresh Soft Cheese and Serbian White Pickled Cheese

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ksenija Uroić

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to gain insight into the probiotic potential of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB isolated from artisanal fresh soft and white pickled cheeses. Eleven out of 86 LAB isolates from traditionally produced artisanal fresh soft and white pickled cheeses which survived the most rigorous simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions and did not show resistance to antibiotics were subjected to further evaluation for functional probiotic properties. The ability of the examined strains to assimilate cholesterol in the presence of bile salts was strain dependent, with the highest percentage of cholesterol assimilated by strain Lactobacillus brevis BGGO7-28 possessing S-layer proteins on its cell surface. The growth of strains with mannitol or lactulose as the only carbon source was better than with fructooligosaccharides (FOS and inulin as prebiotic substrates, which should be considered in the production of synbiotics. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the strains were highly adhesive to human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells and to a lesser extent to HT29-MTX cells, with the exception of strain Lb. brevis BGGO7-28, which showed similar percentage of adhesion to both cell lines. This strain was the only one with the acidic cell surface, while other examined strains have the cell surfaces with electron donor and basic properties. In addition, all selected strains decreased the proliferation of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT cells, suggesting possible immunomodulatory potential of the isolates. Finally, the number of viable cells in dry active preparations after lyophilisation depended on the lyoprotectant used (inulin, FOS or skimmed milk, as well as on the strain subjected to lyophilisation. In conclusion, the results obtained in this study demonstrate that particular dairy LAB isolates exhibit strain-specific probiotic properties. Thus, they could be further examined as part of mixed autochthonous starter cultures for

  15. Effects of salinity stress on chlorophyll and carotenoid contents and stomata size of grafted and ungrafted galia c8 melon cultivar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yarsi, G.; Sivaci, A.; Dasgan, H.Y.; Altuntas, O.

    2017-01-01

    Salinity is known as the most important abiotic stress that decreases crop production and plant growth, and changes the anatomy and morphology of plants. In this study, the growth rate of grafted and ungrafted melon plants were studied under salinity stress. Maximus F1, Shintoza F-90 F1 and Nun 9075 F1 (Cucurbita maxima x Cucurbita moschata) were used as a rootstock and Galia C8 melon cultivar was used as a scion. In this study, the stomata size and chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were investigated. According to the results, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents and stomata length and width of upper and lower surface of leaf were generally reduced under salinity stress. (author)

  16. Appearance and overall acceptability of fresh-cut cantaloupe pieces from whole melon treated with wet steam process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minimally processed fresh-cut fruits have a limited shelf-life because of deterioration caused by spoilage microflora and changes in physiological processes. Whole melons were inoculated with 7 log CFU/ml of each bacterium (Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes) and then t...

  17. CROSS-TOLERANCE MECHANISM INDUCTION IN MELON SEEDS BY PRIMING PRIOR DRYING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean Marcel Sousa Lira

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The loss of benefits after re-drying is one of the drawbacks of the seed priming technique. Different types of stresses have been used before re-drying to preserve the priming benefits. This process may be seen as promoting cross tolerance to increase the defense mechanisms that prevent loss of viability in seeds primed after drying. We tested the effect of some stresses to induce cross-tolerance and different drying conditions with the aim of maintaining priming benefits in melon seeds. The seeds were primed in an aerated KNO3 solution (0.35M, -1.7MPa, 25 °C, in the dark for six days. The primed seeds were then submitted to slow drying, fast drying, cold shock + slow drying, cold shock + fast drying, heat shock + slow drying, heat shock + fast drying, PEG + slow drying, PEG + fast drying, ABA + slow drying, ABA + fast drying and no drying (planted directly after priming. We evaluated antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX, germinability, mean time of germination (MTG and mean rate of germination (MRG. A completely randomized design was used with three repetitions of 50 seeds in each treatment. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and means were compared by the Scott-Knott test (p ≤ 0.05. ABA increased SOD activity after drying and CAT activity was reduced by priming. APX activity was not observed. The stress submission prior to re-drying improved the MRG and reduced MTG. Therefore, the induction of the cross-tolerance mechanism could be effective to maintain priming benefits in melon seeds.

  18. The utilization of alkali-treated melon husk by broilers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abiola, S S; Amalime, A C; Akadiri, K C

    2002-09-01

    The effects of alkali treatment on chemical constituents of melon husk (MH) and performance characteristics of broilers fed alkali-treated MH (ATMH) diets were investigated. The chemical analysis showed that alkali treatment increased the ash content of MH (from 15.70% to 16.86%) and reduced the crude fibre content (from 29.00% to 14.00%). Result of feed intake was superior on 30% alkali diet with a value of 100.14 g/bird/day. Body weight gain decreased with increase in the level of ATMH in the diet. Highest dressing percentage of 66.33% and best meat/bone ratio of 2.57 were obtained on 10% and 20% alkali diets, respectively. Dietary treatments had significant effect (P poultry carcases and chicken meat with favourable shelf life.

  19. The Diet Composition of Beaked Whales and Melon-Headed Whales from the North Pacific

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-09-30

    description and comparison of diet composition as well as provide insight into the foraging behavior and ecology of these whales in the North...activities. Assessing diet for many species of cetaceans is difficult, given that most foraging occurs far below the surface and that stomach...furthering our understanding of the foraging behavior of this species. Such an examination of food habits from Hawaiian melon-headed whales would be

  20. Epidemiology of Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus in the US Southwest and development of virus resistant melon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), emerged in the Southwest USA in 2006, where it is transmitted by the MEAM1 cryptic species of Bemisia tabaci. The virus results in late-season infection of spring melon crops with limited economic impact; however, all summer and fall cucurbits become ...

  1. Cristalização de melão pelo processo lento de açucaramento Crystallization of melon fruit through slow sugary process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ângelo Shigueyuki Morita

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Este trabalho foi conduzido no laboratório de Tecnologia de Alimentos da Escola Superior de Agricultura de Mossoró (ESAM. Avaliou-se a possibilidade de processar o melão como fruta cristalizada. Foram testadas as variedades Gália, Pele de Sapo e Orange Fresh, utilizando-se o processo lento de açucaramento, retirando-se as polpas em formas de bolas e colocando-as sucessivamente em soluções de sacarose a 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 e 70º Brix até abrir a fervura, mantendo-se a polpa em repouso por 24 horas a cada solução de sacarose. Em seguida, os frutos foram colocados em uma estufa a 50ºC durante 6 horas, atingindo-se assim, a umidade final entre 26,16 a 27,53%. Foram determinados teor de umidade, pH, sólidos solúveis totais, e os produtos submetidos a uma análise sensorial. Constatou-se que a cristalização em melão foi tecnicamente viável, que a variedade Pele de Sapo foi a melhor aceita, e que não houve mudança na coloração da polpa das variedades.The experiment was carried out in the Food Technology Laboratory of the Escola Superior de Agricultura de Mossoró (ESAM, Mossoró-RN, Brazil to evaluate the possibility of processing the melon pulp as a crystallized fruit by using the us following melon varieties: Gália, Pele de Sapo, and Orange Flesh, utilizing the slow sugary process. The pulps were withdrawn in little ball form and put successively into sucrose solutions at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70°Brix, until boiling, keeping them in inactivity for 24 hours in each solution. After that, the fruits were placed in a stove at 50°C during 6 hours, reaching final humidity between 26.16 and 27.53%. Evaluations for humidity content, pH and total soluble solids were made. In addition a sensorial analysis was made. It was observed that the melon crystallization was technically feasible. Pele de Sapo melon was the best in comparison to the other types. Changing in the melon pulp colouring was not observed.

  2. Getting to know you: Identification of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata and melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra under challenging conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvatore Siciliano

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra and Pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata are very poorly known species and are often confused with each other. We examined in detail Figure 3 in MARIGO and GIFFONI (2010 who reported that two melon-headed whales were taken in a surface driftnet about 90 nm off Santos, Brazil. We concluded they were in fact pygmy killer whales and explain our reasoning. To aid in future identifications, we illustrate and describe some of the main differences between these two species of small cetaceans. The incident reported by MARIGO and GIFFONI (2010 might represent the 'tip of the iceberg' regarding the incidental catches of cetaceans by pelagic drift nets off Brazil. Offshore driftnetting operating along the south-southeastern coast of Brazil may threaten pygmy killer whales.

  3. Sterilization of melon flies: mating competitiveness after treatment with tepa or gamma irradiation and ratios of treated to untreated flies producing population suppression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashraf, M.; Keiser, I.; Harris, E.J.

    1976-01-01

    Male melon flies, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett, treated with a single dose of the chemosterilant tepa (tris(l-aziridinyl) phosphine oxide), or with gamma irradiation, either single or fractionated doses, did not differ significantly in sexual competitiveness as determined by percentage hatch of eggs. Mating competitiveness of males treated by either method ranged from 53 to 66 percent of that of untreated males. In another study, melon flies (males and females) sterilized with 0.0125 percent tepa, the threshold dose for both sexes, completely suppressed a population when the ratio was 16:16:1:1 (sterile males-sterile females-untreated males-untreated females) as determined by no egg hatch

  4. Survival and growth populations of Salmonella transferred from melon rind surfaces to cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon pulps during preparation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Consumers are eating more fresh vegetable and fruit due to nutritional and health-related benefits. Whole melons (cantaloupes, honeydew and watermelons) are of particular interest because of their nutrient contents. However, they are frequently contaminated with foodborne pathogens. Conditions neces...

  5. Concentração de nitrogênio na solução nutritiva e número de frutos sobre a qualidade de frutos de melão Nitrogen concentration in nutrient solution and number of fruits on quality of melon fruits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Felipe Villani Purquerio

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available O trabalho foi conduzido em ambiente protegido, na UNESP-FCAV, em Jaboticabal (SP, de junho a novembro de 2001, com o objetivo de avaliar a qualidade dos frutos do meloeiro (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus, híbrido Bônus nº2, cultivado em sistema hidropônico NFT, em função da concentração de nitrogênio na solução nutritiva (80; 140; 200 e 300 mg L-1 e do número de fruto por planta (2; 3; 4 e livre. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos ao acaso, em parcelas subdivididas, com seis repetições. O teor de sólidos solúveis totais e acidez total titulável foram maiores em frutos colhidos de plantas com menor número de frutos pré-estabelecidos. O aumento da concentração de N na solução nutritiva proporcionou aumento na acidez total titulável e nenhum efeito sobre o teor de sólidos solúveis totais. Houve redução nos diâmetros longitudinal, transversal e na espessura do mesocarpo com o aumento da concentração de N, bem como com o aumento do número de frutos por planta. O índice de formato de fruto manteve-se igual ou muito próximo a 1.The effect of nitrogen concentrations (80; 140; 200 and 300 mg L-1 and fruit number per plant (2; 3; 4 and free setting, on the quality of net melon fruits (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus, Bonus nº 2 hybrid was investigated. The experiment was carried out at UNESP-FCAV, Jaboticabal, Brazil, using a NFT hydroponic system, from June to November/2001. The experimental design was of randomized split plots, with six replications. Total soluble solids content and total acidity were higher in fruits harvested from plants with a smaller number of pre-set fruits. A slight increase was observed on total acidity due to the increase of nitrogen concentration in nutrient solution, without any significant effect on total soluble solids. An increase of the N concentration and the number of fruits per plant resulted in a reduction of fruit longitudinal and transversal diameters and pulp thickness. Fruit

  6. Métodos de conservação aplicados a melão minimamente processado Conservation methods applied to fresh-cut melon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anaí Peter Batista

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo desta revisão é apresentar alguns métodos de conservação que podem ser utilizados para prolongar a vida útil do melão minimamente processado. Dentre os métodos, serão abordados revestimento comestível, irradiação, antimicrobianos naturais, antioxidantes, agentes de firmeza, atmosfera modificada, branqueamento, luz ultravioleta e alta pressão. Dependendo do método pode haver redução das alterações associadas ao processo mínimo do melão, como a perda de água, alteração da cor e firmeza, alteração do metabolismo e crescimento de micro-organismos, sendo o resultado muitas vezes dependente da cultivar do melão utilizado.The objective of this review is to present some conservation methods that can be used to prolong the life of fresh-cut melon. Among the methods, edible coating, irradiation, natural antimicrobials, antioxidants, firmness agent, modified atmosphere, whitening, ultraviolet light and high pressure will be discussed. Depending on the method, the changes associated to minimum process of melon, such as water loss, change in color and firmness, change in the metabolism and growth of micro-organisms can be reduced and the result is often dependent on the melon cultivar used.

  7. A Vegetal Biopolymer-Based Biostimulant Promoted Root Growth in Melon While Triggering Brassinosteroids and Stress-Related Compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luigi Lucini

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Plant biostimulants are receiving great interest for boosting root growth during the first phenological stages of vegetable crops. The present study aimed at elucidating the morphological, physiological, and metabolomic changes occurring in greenhouse melon treated with the biopolymer-based biostimulant Quik-link, containing lateral root promoting peptides, and lignosulphonates. The vegetal-based biopolymer was applied at five rates (0, 0.06, 0.12, 0.24, or 0.48 mL plant-1 as substrate drench. The application of biopolymer-based biostimulant at 0.12 and 0.24 mL plant-1 enhanced dry weight of melon leaves and total biomass by 30.5 and 27.7%, respectively, compared to biopolymer applications at 0.06 mL plant-1 and untreated plants. The root dry biomass, total root length, and surface in biostimulant-treated plants were significantly higher at 0.24 mL plant-1 and to a lesser extent at 0.12 and 0.48 mL plant-1, in comparison to 0.06 mL plant-1 and untreated melon plants. A convoluted biochemical response to the biostimulant treatment was highlighted through UHPLC/QTOF-MS metabolomics, in which brassinosteroids and their interaction with other hormones appeared to play a pivotal role. Root metabolic profile was more markedly altered than leaves, following application of the biopolymer-based biostimulant. Brassinosteroids triggered in roots could have been involved in changes of root development observed after biostimulant application. These hormones, once transported to shoots, could have caused an hormonal imbalance. Indeed, the involvement of abscisic acid, cytokinins, and gibberellin related compounds was observed in leaves following root application of the biopolymer-based biostimulant. Nonetheless, the treatment triggered an accumulation of several metabolites involved in defense mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stresses, such as flavonoids, carotenoids, and glucosinolates, thus potentially improving resistance toward plant stresses.

  8. Optimization of Vacuum Impregnation with Calcium Lactate of Minimally Processed Melon and Shelf-Life Study in Real Storage Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tappi, Silvia; Tylewicz, Urszula; Romani, Santina; Siroli, Lorenzo; Patrignani, Francesca; Dalla Rosa, Marco; Rocculi, Pietro

    2016-10-05

    Vacuum impregnation (VI) is a processing operation that permits the impregnation of fruit and vegetable porous tissues with a fast and more homogeneous penetration of active compounds compared to the classical diffusion processes. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact on VI treatment with the addition of calcium lactate on qualitative parameters of minimally processed melon during storage. For this aim, this work was divided in 2 parts. Initially, the optimization of process parameters was carried out in order to choose the optimal VI conditions for improving texture characteristics of minimally processed melon that were then used to impregnate melons for a shelf-life study in real storage conditions. On the basis of a 2 3 factorial design, the effect of Calcium lactate (CaLac) concentration between 0% and 5% and of minimum pressure (P) between 20 and 60 MPa were evaluated on color and texture. Processing parameters corresponding to 5% CaLac concentration and 60 MPa of minimum pressure were chosen for the storage study, during which the modifications of main qualitative parameters were evaluated. Despite of the high variability of the raw material, results showed that VI allowed a better maintenance of texture during storage. Nevertheless, other quality traits were negatively affected by the application of vacuum. Impregnated products showed a darker and more translucent appearance on the account of the alteration of the structural properties. Moreover microbial shelf-life was reduced to 4 d compared to the 7 obtained for control and dipped samples. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  9. Ultrastructure of compatible and incompatible interactions in phloem sieve elements during the stylet penetration by cotton aphids in melon

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Garzo, E.; Fernández-Pascual, Mercedes; Morcillo, Cesar; Fereres, Alberto; Gómez-Guillamón, M.L.; Tjallingii, W.F.

    2017-01-01

    Resistance of the melon line TGR-1551 to the aphid Aphis gossypii is based on preventing aphids from ingesting phloem sap. In electrical penetration graphs (EPGs), this resistance has been characterized with A. gossypii showing unusually long phloem salivation periods (waveform E1) mostly

  10. Impact of Listeria Inoculation and Aerated Steam Sanitization on Volatile Emissions of Whole Fresh Cantaloupes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forney, Charles F; Fan, Lihua; Bezanson, Gregory S; Ells, Timothy C; LeBlanc, Denyse I; Fillmore, Sherry

    2018-04-01

    Rapid methods to detect bacterial pathogens on food and strategies to control them are needed to mitigate consumer risk. This study assessed volatile emissions from whole cantaloupe melons (Cucumis melo) as an indicator of Listeria contamination and in response to steam vapor decontamination. Cantaloupe were inoculated with Listeria innocua, a nonpathogenic surrogate for L. monocytogenes, then exposed to 85 °C steam for 240 s (4 min) followed by rapid chilling and storage for 0, 7, 10, or 14 days at 4, 7, or 10 °C. Volatile emissions from whole melons were collected on Carbopack B/Carboxen 1000 headspace collection tubes and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy following thermal desorption. Introduction of L. innocua to cantaloupe rind resulted in a reduction of aromatic compound emission. However, this response was not unique to Listeria contamination in that steam vapor treatment also reduced emission of these compounds. As well, steam vapor treatment diminished the number of viable Listeria and indigenous microflora while causing physiological injury to melon rind. Heat treatment had no significant effects on flesh firmness, color, titratable acidity, or soluble solids, but the production of typical aroma volatiles during postharvest ripening was inhibited. No unique volatile compounds were detected in Listeria contaminated melons. While changes in volatile emissions were associated with Listeria inoculation, they could not be differentiated from heat treatment effects. Results indicate that volatile emissions cannot be used as a diagnostic tool to identify Listeria contamination in whole cantaloupe melons. The detection of pathogen contamination on fresh produce is a continuing challenge. Using a nondestructive screening method, the presence of surrogate Listeria innocua on fresh whole cantaloupes was shown to alter the emissions of aromatic volatiles from whole cantaloupes. However, these altered emissions were not found to be unique to Listeria

  11. Arsenic speciation in xylem sap of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mihucz, Victor G. [Joint Research Group of Environmental Chemistry of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and L. Eoetvoes University, Budapest (Hungary); Hungarian Satellite Centre of Trace Elements Institute to UNESCO, Budapest (Hungary); Tatar, Eniko [Hungarian Satellite Centre of Trace Elements Institute to UNESCO, Budapest (Hungary); L. Eoetvoes University, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Budapest (Hungary); Virag, Istvan [L. Eoetvoes University, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Budapest (Hungary); Cseh, Edit; Fodor, Ferenc [L. Eoetvoes University, Department of Plant Physiology, Budapest (Hungary); Zaray, Gyula [Joint Research Group of Environmental Chemistry of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and L. Eoetvoes University, Budapest (Hungary); Hungarian Satellite Centre of Trace Elements Institute to UNESCO, Budapest (Hungary); L. Eoetvoes University, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Budapest (Hungary)

    2005-10-01

    Flow injection analysis (FIA) and high-performance liquid chromatography double-focusing sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-DF-ICP-MS) were used for total arsenic determination and arsenic speciation of xylem sap of cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in hydroponics containing 2 {mu}mol dm{sup -3} arsenate or arsenite, respectively. Arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)] and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were identified in the sap of the plants. Arsenite was the predominant arsenic species in the xylem saps regardless of the type of arsenic treatment, and the following concentration order was determined: As(III) > As(V) > DMA. The amount of total As, calculated taking into consideration the mass of xylem sap collected, was almost equal for both treatments. Arsenite was taken up more easily by cucumber than arsenate. Partial oxidation of arsenite to arsenate (<10% in 48 h) was observed in the case of arsenite-containing nutrient solutions, which may explain the detection of arsenate in the saps of plants treated with arsenite. (orig.)

  12. Novel edible oil sources: Microwave heating and chemical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashemi, Seyed Mohammad Bagher; Mousavi Khaneghah, Amin; Koubaa, Mohamed; Lopez-Cervantes, Jaime; Yousefabad, Seyed Hossein Asadi; Hosseini, Seyedeh Fatemeh; Karimi, Masoumeh; Motazedian, Azam; Asadifard, Samira

    2017-02-01

    The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of various microwave heating times (1, 3, 5, 10, and 15min) on the chemical properties of novel edible oil sources, including Mashhadi melon (Cucumis melo var. Iranians cv. Mashhadi), Iranian watermelon (Citrullus lanatus cv. Fire Fon), pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo var. Styriaca), and yellow apple (Malus domestica cv. Golden Delicious) seed oils. The evaluated parameters were peroxide value (PV), conjugated diene (CD) and triene (CT) values, carbonyl value (CV), p-anisidine value (AnV), oil stability index (OSI), radical scavenging activity (RSA), total tocopherols, total phenolics, as well as chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. Results showed that extended microwave heating involves decreased quality of the seed oils, mainly due to the formation of primary and secondary oxidation products. Microwave heating time also affects the total contents of chlorophylls, carotenoids, phenolics and tocopherols, which clearly decrease by increasing the exposure time. The order of oxidative stability of the analyzed edible oils was pumpkin>Mashhadi melon>Iranian watermelon>yellow apple. The obtained results demonstrated the promising potential of these novel edible oils for different food applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Modelling sensorial and nutritional changes to better define quality and shelf life of fresh-cut melons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Luisa Amodio

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The shelf life of fresh-cut produce is mostly determined by evaluating the external appearance since this is the major factor affecting consumer choice at the moment of purchase. The aim of this study was to investigate the degradation kinetics of the major quality attributes in order to better define the shelf life of fresh-cut melons. Melon pieces were stored for eight days in air at 5°C. Sensorial and physical attributes including colour, external appearance, aroma, translucency, firmness, and chemical constituents, such as soluble solids, fructose, vitamin C, and phenolic content, along with antioxidant activity were monitored. Attributes showing significant changes over time were used to test conventional kinetic models of zero and first order, and Weibullian models. The Weibullian model was the most accurate to describe changes in appearance score, translucency, aroma, firmness and vitamin C (with a regression coefficient always higher than 0.956, while the other parameters could not be predicted with such accuracy by any of the tested models. Vitamin C showed the lowest kinetic rate among the model parameters, even though at the limit of marketability (appearance score 3, estimated at five days, a loss of 37% of its initial content was observed compared to the fresh-cut product, indicating a much lower nutritional value. After five days, the aroma score was already 2.2, suggesting that this quality attribute, together with the vitamin C content, should be taken into account when assessing shelf life of fresh-cut melons. In addition, logistical models were used to fit the percentage of rejected samples on the basis of non-marketability and non-edibility (appearance score <3 and <2, respectively. For both parameters, correlations higher than 0.999 were found at P<0.0001; for each mean score this model helps to understand the distribution of the samples among marketable, nonmarketable, and non-edible products.

  14. LOLA SYSTEM: A code block for nodal PWR simulation. Part. II - MELON-3, CONCON and CONAXI Codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aragones, J. M.; Ahnert, C.; Gomez Santamaria, J.; Rodriguez Olabarria, I.

    1985-01-01

    Description of the theory and users manual of the MELON-3, CONCON and CONAXI codes, which are part of the core calculation system by nodal theory in one group, called LOLA SYSTEM. These auxiliary codes, provide some of the input data for the main module SIMULA-3; these are, the reactivity correlations constants, the albe does and the transport factors. (Author) 7 refs

  15. LOLA SYSTEM: A code block for nodal PWR simulation. Part. II - MELON-3, CONCON and CONAXI Codes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aragones, J M; Ahnert, C; Gomez Santamaria, J; Rodriguez Olabarria, I

    1985-07-01

    Description of the theory and users manual of the MELON-3, CONCON and CONAXI codes, which are part of the core calculation system by nodal theory in one group, called LOLA SYSTEM. These auxiliary codes, provide some of the input data for the main module SIMULA-3; these are, the reactivity correlations constants, the albe does and the transport factors. (Author) 7 refs.

  16. Nutrient uptake by greenhouse net melonAcúmulo de nutrientes e rendimento de óleo em plantas de girassol influenciados pelo vigor dos aquênios e pela densidade de semeadura

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvana da Silva Cardoso

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available For presenting more commercial value, the net melon (Cucumis melo L. var reticulatus Naud. has been an option of greenhouse planting for the horticulturists. This work was carried out in Piracicaba, Brazil with the aim of evaluating the nutrient uptake from this melon cultivated in greenhouse. To obtain the nutrients accumulation in the different stages of the plant development, plants were collected in the transplant day (seedling, in the vegetative stage, in the beginning of the flowering stage, in the beginning and in the middle of fruit production period and in the harvest period. It was verified that the greatest increase of nutrient uptake happened between the beginning of the flowering and the beginning of the fruit production. The greatest dry matter accumulation happened between the beginning of the fruit production and the middle of fruit production period. The decrescent order of nutrients accumulated in the above ground part of the plant was: potassium > nitrogen > calcium > magnesium > sulphur > phosphorus > iron > manganese > zinc > copper ~ boron. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o acúmulo de nutrientes e o rendimento de óleo dos aquênios em plantas de girassol produzidas sob a influência do vigor dos aquênios e da densidade de semeadura. Para isto, foi instalado um experimento no campo experimental no município de Seropédica/RJ, em outubro de 2006, com três distintos lotes de aquênios de girassol cv Embrapa 122 V2000, classificados como de baixo, de médio e de alto vigor, sob duas densidades de semeadura (45.000 e 75.000 sementes ha-1. Aos 20, 60 e 100 dias após a semeadura (DAS, foram coletadas as plantas para avaliação da massa de matéria seca e do acúmulo de nitrogênio, de fósforo, de potássio e de cálcio, no caule, nas folhas e nos capítulos. Nas plantas coletadas aos 100 DAS, foi feita também a avaliação do rendimento de aquênios (kg ha-1, do teor de óleo e do rendimento de óleo (kg ha-1. Observou

  17. Efeito do tipo de corte nas características físico-químicas e microbiológicas do melão 'cantaloupe' (Cucumis melo L. Híbrido hy-Mark minimamente processado Effect of type of cutting on the physical chemical and microbiological characteristics of 'Cantaloupe' melon (Cucumis melo L. Hybrid hy-Mark minimally processed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ariane Cordeiro de Oliveira

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de dois tipos de cortes (manual e mecânico nas características físico-químicas e microbiológicas do melão 'Cantaloupe' minimamente processado e refrigerado. Frutos com grau de maturação adequado foram selecionados, lavados, sanificados (200 ppm de cloro ativo/2 minutos e processados de acordo com o tipo de corte. Os frutos utilizados para o corte mecânico foram descascados em máquina descascadora e após a retirada das sementes, submetidos ao corte com auxílio de máquina de corte. Os destinados ao corte manual foram descascados e cortados com auxílio facas, colocados em imersão em solução de hipoclorito de sódio (20 ppm de cloro ativo por 30 segundos e acondicionados em embalagens flexíveis PET, armazenados a 4°C ± 1°C e avaliados a cada três dias por um período de 15 dias. Ao final dos experimentos, concluiu-se que para o processamento mínimo de melão 'Cantaloupe', o corte manual foi o mais indicado, por apresentar melhor estabilidade das características de cor, textura, pH, umidade e contagens microbiológicas durante o armazenamento.The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of two types of cutting (manual and mechanic on the physical-chemical and microbiological characteristics of processed and refrigerated 'Cantaloupe' melon. The fruits in the appropriate stage of ripening were selected, washed, sanitized (200ppm of active chlorine/2 minutes and processed in agreement with types of cutting. The fruits used for the mechanical cutting were cutting in peeling machine and after at retreat of the seeds, submitted to the cutting with aid of cutting machine. The fruits destined at manual cutting were peeled and cut with aid of knives, immerged in chlorinated water (20 mg.L-1 of active chlorine for 30 seconds and conditioned in PET flexible packing, stored at 4°C ± 1°C and were carried out each three days during 15 days. At the end of the experiments it was

  18. Influence of several nonferrous metals in the treatment of residual liquors from hydrochloric acid pickling processes. Influencia de diversos metales no ferreos en el tratamiento de lejias residuales de decapado con acido clorhidrico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Negro, C.; Cobos, M.A.; Latorre, R.; Dufour, J.; Formoso, A.; Lopez, F.

    1994-01-01

    In the oxiprecipitation of waste liquors from siderurgical processes of pickling with hydrochloric acid, several kinds of iron oxides and oxihydroxides are obtained: alpha-FeOOH, gamma-FeOOH, Fe[sub 3]O[sub 4], gamma-Fe[sub 2]O[sub 3]. Fe[sub 2]O[sub 3].1,2H[sub 2]O, etc. These products can be used like pigments in the painting industry and like raw materials for the obtaining of ferrites. Varying the operation conditions, the presence of these products can be changed greatly, obtaining different mixtures of them. The presence of non-ferrous metals catalyzes and modifies the mechanism of the reaction, yielding pure products. This simplifies their later industrial applications. The aim of this work is to determine the influence of Cu(II), Zn(II), Mo(VI) and Al(III) on the oxiprecipitation of residual liquors from hydrochloric acid pickling processes, selecting the most favourable operation conditions at which it is possible to obtain products for industrial applications.

  19. Genetic divergence among accessions of melon from traditional agriculture of the Brazilian Northeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aragão, F A S; Torres Filho, J; Nunes, G H S; Queiróz, M A; Bordallo, P N; Buso, G S C; Ferreira, M A; Costa, Z P; Bezerra Neto, F

    2013-12-06

    The genetic divergence of 38 melon accessions from traditional agriculture of the Brazilian Northeast and three commercial hybrids were evaluated using fruit descriptors and microsatellite markers. The melon germplasm belongs to the botanic varieties cantalupensis (19), momordica (7), conomon (4), and inodorus (3), and to eight genotypes that were identified only at the species level. The fruit descriptors evaluated were: number of fruits per plant (NPF), fruit mass (FM; kg), fruit longitudinal diameter (LD; cm), fruit transversal diameter (TD; cm), shape index based on the LD/TD ratio, flesh pulp thickness, cavity thickness (CT; cm), firmness fruit pulp (N), and soluble solids (SS; °Brix). The results showed high variability for all descriptors, especially for NPF, LD, and FM. The grouping analysis based on fruit descriptors produced eight groups without taxonomic criteria. The LD (22.52%), NPF (19.70%), CT (16.13%), and SS (9.57%) characteristics were the descriptors that contributed the most to genotype dissimilarity. The 17 simple sequence repeat polymorphic markers amplified 41 alleles with an average of 2.41 alleles and three genotypes per locus. Some markers presented a high frequency for the main allele. The genetic diversity ranged from 0.07 to 0.60, the observed heterozygosity had very low values, and the mean polymorphism information content was 0.32. Molecular genetic similarity analyses clustered the accessions in 13 groups, also not following taxonomic ranks. There was no association between morphoagronomic and molecular groupings. In conclusion, there was great variability among the accessions and among and within botanic groups.

  20. Anti diabetic effect of Momordica charantia (bitter melone on alloxan induced diabetic rabbits.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yakaiah Vangoori, Mishra SS, Ambudas B, Ramesh P, Meghavani G, Deepika K, Prathibha A

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective: to investigate the anti diabetic effect of the bitter melon on Alloxan induced diabetes in experimental animals (rabbits. Materials and Methods: the alcohol extract of whole fruit was tested for its efficacy in Alloxan (150mg/kg induced diabetic rabbit. The diabetic rabbits were divided into 5groups. Group I (control received 2% gumacasia, groupie (positive control received standard drug Metformin (62.5mg+2%GA, group III, IV, V (T1 T2 T3 were treated orally with a daily dose of 0.5(gm 1gm, 1.5gm respectively for 35 days, for all diabetic rabbits after giving TEST,NC,PC preparations, the blood samples were collected and determined the blood glucose level 0,1,3,24hrs intervals. 0hr reading is before drug giving and remaining 3 readings after drugs giving. 24th her reading is considered as 0hr reading for the next day. Results: administration of alcohol of an extract of bitter melon produced a dose dependent decrease in blood glucose levels in Alloxan induced rabbits. There was a significant fall in blood sugar level in High dose (1.5GM/kg in comparison to low dose (0.5gm/kg and median dose (1gm/kg shown by LSD test. This is comparable to the effect of Metformin. Conclusion: the results of this study show that chronic oral administration of an extract of Momordica charantia fruit at an appropriate dosage may be good alternative anti diabetic agent.

  1. Effect of main stem pruning and fruit thinning on the postharvest conservation of melon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafaella M. de A. Ferreira

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Main stem pruning and fruit thinning are cultivation practices that can influence the yield and quality of the fruit. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of main stem pruning and fruit thinning on the postharvest conservation of Charentais Banzai melons. In the field, the plants were subjected to main stem pruning and fruit thinning, with harvesting done 74 days after sowing (DAS. The fruits were transported to the laboratory where they were cleaned, characterized, and stored in a cold chamber (5 °C and 90 ± 2% RH. In the field, the experiment was designed as a split-plot using a 2 × 4 + 1 factorial design, with two levels of main stem pruning (pruned and unpruned, four levels of thinning times (42, 45, 48, and 51 DAS, and a control (unpruned and unthinned. The sub-plot consisted of storage times (0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days, with four blocks. The preharvest treatments did not significantly influence the production characteristics of the Banzai hybrid. The treatment without pruning increased the titratable acidity of fruit, and the thinning at 51 days after sowing (DAS reduced soluble sugars. There was a decline in pulp firmness, titratable acidity, reducing sugars, and an increase in soluble solids, total soluble sugar, and non-reducing sugars during storage. Pruning the main melon stem reduced the weight loss of the fruit after 28 days of storage.

  2. Effects of UV-B irradiation on photomovement in the desmid, Cosmarium cucumis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haeder, D.-P.

    1987-01-01

    Monochromatic UV-B irradiation affects neither the absorption nor the fluorescence of the bulk pigments in the desmid Cosmarium cucumis but it impairs photomovement of these organisms at fluence rates which are not higher than the ambient level of solar UV-B irradiation. Photoaccumulations and phototaxis are strongly inhibited especially at wavelengths <= 300 nm while photodispersal at higher white light fluence rates is hardly affected by supplementary UV-B. This effect has important consequences for the growth and survival of populations in their natural environment: these photosynthetic organisms utilize photomovement to find and stay in areas of suitable visible light fluence rates. The UV-B component of solar irradiation both impairs the strategy of the organisms to find a suitable position and the escape mechanism by which the cells move out of areas with too strong white illuminances which photooxidize the bulk pigments and bleach the population within a few days. (author)

  3. The effect of leaf presence on the rooting of stem cutting of bitter melon and on changes in polyamine levels

    Science.gov (United States)

    The study was conducted to investigate the optimal hormone treatment for rooting in bitter melon and the effect of defoliation on rooting and polyamine levels. Commercial preparation (diluted 1:10 and 1: 20) gave extensive rooting within five days after treatment. The presence of leaf with the stem ...

  4. Equilibrium and Kinetics Study of Adsorption of Crystal Violet onto the Peel of Cucumis sativa Fruit from Aqueous Solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Smitha

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The use of low-cost, locally available, high efficiency and eco-friendly adsorbents has been investigated as an ideal alternative to the current expensive methods of removing dyes from wastewater. This study investigates the potential use of the peel of Cucumis sativa fruit for the removal of crystal violet (CV dye from simulated wastewater. The effects of different system variables, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, pH and contact time were investigated and optimal experimental conditions were ascertained. The results showed that as the amount of the adsorbent increased, the percentage of dye removal increased accordingly. Optimum pH value for dye adsorption was determined as 7.0. The adsorption of crystal violet followed pseudo-second order rate equation and fit well Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The maximum removal of CV was obtained at pH 7 as 92.15% for adsorbent dose of 0.2 g/50 mL and 25 mg L-1 initial dye concentration at room temperature. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained from Langmuir equation was 34.24 mg g-1. Furthermore, adsorption kinetics of (CV was studied and the rate of adsorption was found to conform to pseudo-second order kinetics with a good correlation (R2 > 0.9739. The peel of Cucumis sativa fruit can be attractive options for dye removal from diluted industrial effluents since test reaction made on simulated dyeing wastewater show better removal percentage of (CV.

  5. Phylogenetic analysis of Melon chlorotic leaf curl virus from Guatemala: Another emergent species in the Squash leaf curl virus clade

    KAUST Repository

    Brown, J.K.

    2011-06-01

    The genome of a new bipartite begomovirus Melon chlorotic leaf curl virus from Guatemala (MCLCuV-GT) was cloned and the genome sequence was determined. The virus causes distinct symptoms on melons that were not previously observed in melon crops in Guatemala or elsewhere. Phylogenetic analysis of MCLCuV-GT and begomoviruses infecting cucurbits and other host plant species indicated that its closest relative was MCLCuV from Costa Rica (MCLCuV-CR). The DNA-A components of two isolates shared 88.8% nucleotide identity, making them strains of the same species. Further, both MCLCuV-GT and MCLCuV-CR grouped with other Western Hemisphere cucurbit-infecting species in the SLCV-clade making them the most southerly cucurbit-infecting members of the clade to date. Although the common region of the cognate components of MCLCuV-GT and MCLCuV-CR, shared similar to 96.3% nucleotide identity. While DNA-A and DNA-B components of MCLCuV-GT were less than 86% nucleotide identity with the respective DNAA and DNA-B common regions of MCLCuV-CR. The late viral genes of the two strains shared the least nt identity (<88%) while their early genes shared the highest nt identity (>90%). The collective evidence suggests that these two strains of MCLCuV are evolutionarily divergent owing in part to recombination, but also due to the accumulation of a substantial number of mutations. In addition they are differentially host-adapted, as has been documented for other cucurbit-infecting, bean-adapted, species in the SLCV clade. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Comparative chromosomal localization of 45S and 5S rDNAs and implications for genome evolution in Cucumis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhen-Tao; Yang, Shu-Qiong; Li, Zi-Ang; Zhang, Yun-Xia; Wang, Yun-Zhu; Cheng, Chun-Yan; Li, Ji; Chen, Jin-Feng; Lou, Qun-Feng

    2016-07-01

    Ribosomal DNAs are useful cytogenetic markers for chromosome analysis. Studies investigating site numbers and distributions of rDNAs have provided important information for elucidating genome organization and chromosomal relationships of many species by fluorescence in situ hybridization. But relevant studies are scarce for species of the genus Cucumis, especially in wild species. In the present study, FISH was conducted to investigate the organization of 45S and 5S rDNA among 20 Cucumis accessions, including cultivars and wild accessions. Our results showed that the number of 45S rDNA sites varied from one to five pairs in different accessions, and most of these sites are located at the terminal regions of chromosomes. Interestingly, up to five pairs of 45S rDNA sites were observed in C. sativus var. sativus, the species which has the lowest chromosome number, i.e., 2n = 14. Only one pair of 5S rDNA sites was detected in all accessions, except for C. heptadactylus, C. sp, and C. spp that had two pairs of 5S rDNA sites. The distributions of 5S rDNA sites showed more variation than 45S rDNA sites. The phylogenetic analysis in this study showed that 45S and 5S rDNA have contrasting evolutionary patterns. We find that 5S rDNA has a polyploidization-related tendency towards the terminal location from an interstitial location but maintains a conserved site number, whereas the 45S rDNA showed a trend of increasing site number but a relatively conserved location.

  7. Cooling parameters for fruits and vegetables of different sizes in a hydrocooling system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teruel Bárbara

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The cooling of fruits and vegetables in hydrocooling system can be a suitable technique. This work aimed to define cooling time for fruits and vegetables of different sizes, presenting practical indexes that could be used to estimate cooling time for produce with similar characteristics. Fruits (orange melon-Cucumis melo, mango-Mangifera indica, guava-Psidium guajava, orange-Citrus sinensis Osbeck, plum-Prunus domestica, lime-Citrus limon, and acerola-Prunus cerasus and vegetables (cucumber-Cucumis sativus, carrot-Daucus carota, and green bean-Phaseolus vulgaris, were cooled in a hydrocooling system at 1°C. The volume of fruits and vegetables ranged between 8.18 cm³ and 1,150.35 cm³, and between 13.06 cm³ and 438.4 cm³, respectively. Cooling time varied proportionally to produce volume (from 8.5 to 124 min for fruits, and from 1.5 to 55 min, for vegetables. The relationship between volume and time needed to cool fruits (from 1.03 min cm-3 to 0.107 min cm-3 and vegetables (from 0.06 min cm-3 to 0.12 min cm-3 is an index that could be used to estimate cooling time for fruits and vegetables with similar dimensions as those presented in this work.

  8. Identification of the monobrominated derivative of Acid Red 52 (Food Red No. 106) in pickled vegetables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochi, Naoki; Okuda, Tetsuya; Fujii, Hisashi

    2016-09-01

    Two unknown dyes (purple and purplish-red) were detected by TLC in two pickled vegetable (sakura-zuke daikon) samples containing Acid Red 52 (AR) and New Coccine as food colorants. HPLC with diode-array detection and LC/MS analyses suggested that the purple dye is monobrominated AR and the purplish-red dye is its N-desethyl derivative, which would be generated mainly during sample preparation. For the identification of the purple dye, a reference compound was prepared by bromination of AR followed by isolation of the monobrominated AR, the structure of which was elucidated as 4'-brominated AR (4'BrAR) by LC/ToF-MS and (1)H-NMR spectroscopy. The purple dye was confirmed as 4'BrAR by comparison of its retention time, ultraviolet-visible spectrum and mass spectrum with those of the prepared reference compound. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the detection of 4'BrAR in foods.

  9. Recovery of surface bacteria from and surface sanitization of cantaloupes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barak, Jeri D; Chue, Bryan; Mills, Daniel C

    2003-10-01

    Practical, effective methods that could be implemented in a food service establishment (restaurant or delicatessen) for the surface sanitization of cantaloupes were microbiologically evaluated. Cantaloupes (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulates) were immersed in an inoculum containing Salmonella enterica serovar Poona or Pantoea agglomerans at ca. 10(4) to 10(5) CFU/ml. An efficient method for the recovery of bacteria from the cantaloupe surface was developed and validated. The method consisted of washing the entire melon with Butterfield's buffer containing 1% Tween 80 in a plastic bag placed inside a plastic pail affixed to an orbital shaker. Levels of S. enterica Poona recovered by washing the entire melon were significantly higher than those recovered by the more common laboratory method of blending the rind. P. agglomerans can be used as a non-pathogenic proxy for S. enterica Poona. A three-compartment surface sanitization method consisting of washing with an antimicrobial soap solution, scrubbing with a brush in tap water, and immersion in 150 ppm of sodium hypochlorite reduced the initial level of recoverable viable bacteria by 99.8%. When examined separately, scrubbing with a vegetable brush in tap water, washing with soap, and dipping in chlorine were found to reduce the bacterial load by 70, 80, and 90%, respectively.

  10. Detection of viruses and the spatial and temporal spread patterns of viral diseases of cucurbits (Cucurbitaceae spp.) in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gyamena, A. E

    2013-07-01

    Cucurbits are susceptible to over 35 plant viruses; each of these viruses is capable of causing total crop failure in a poorly managed virus pathosystem. The objectives of this study were to detect the viruses that infect six cucurbit species in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana and to describe the spatial and temporal spread patterns of virus epidemics in zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) by the use of mathematical and geostatistical models. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.), zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne), egushi (Citrullus colocynthis L. Schrad.) and melon (Cucumis melo L.) were grown on an experimental field in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana and were monitored for the expression of virus and virus-like symptoms. The observed symptoms were further confirmed by Double Antibody Sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (DAS ELISA) and mechanical inoculation of indicator plants. The temporal spread patterns of virus disease in zucchini squash were analyzed by exponential logistic, monomolecular and gompertz mechanistic models. The spatial patterns of virus disease spread in zucchini squash field were analyzed by semivariograms and inverse distance weighing (IDW) methods. Cucumber, zucchini squash, melon and butternut squash were infected by both Cucumber mosaic virus (CMW) and Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV-W). Egushi was infected by CMW but not PRSV-W. None of the six cucurbit species were infected by Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) or Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV). The temporal pattern of disease incidence in the zucchini squash field followed the gompertz function with an average apparent infection rate of 0.026 per day. The temporal pattern of disease severity was best described by the exponential model with coefficient of determination of 94.38 % and rate of progress disease severity of 0.114 per day. As at 49 days after planting (DAP), disease incidence and

  11. Analysis of Powdery Mildew Resistance in Wild Melon MLO Mutants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng Hong

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Wild species have a potential value in crop breeding. Explore MLO gene which related with powdery mildew natural resistance is very important for improving the quality of melon. Resistance to powdery mildew was examined in cultivar and wild species by leaf inoculation. The wild germplasms showed resistance to powdery mildew Race1. Cloning and sequence analysis of the CmMLO2 gene identified an 85 bp difference between the wild and cultivated species. The CmMLO2 gene was expressed in the wild germplasm after fluorescence-labeled Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. A positive transgenic plant showed successful invasion by powdery mildew Race1. These results suggested that the wild species might have failed to encode the MLO protein, thereby resulting in the MLO-negative regulation of powdery mildew, which in turn resulted in the broad-spectrum resistance of the wild species to powdery mildew.

  12. The genome sequence of the North-European cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) unravels evolutionary adaptation mechanisms in plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wóycicki, Rafał; Witkowicz, Justyna; Gawroński, Piotr; Dąbrowska, Joanna; Lomsadze, Alexandre; Pawełkowicz, Magdalena; Siedlecka, Ewa; Yagi, Kohei; Pląder, Wojciech; Seroczyńska, Anna; Śmiech, Mieczysław; Gutman, Wojciech; Niemirowicz-Szczytt, Katarzyna; Bartoszewski, Grzegorz; Tagashira, Norikazu; Hoshi, Yoshikazu; Borodovsky, Mark; Karpiński, Stanisław; Malepszy, Stefan; Przybecki, Zbigniew

    2011-01-01

    Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), a widely cultivated crop, has originated from Eastern Himalayas and secondary domestication regions includes highly divergent climate conditions e.g. temperate and subtropical. We wanted to uncover adaptive genome differences between the cucumber cultivars and what sort of evolutionary molecular mechanisms regulate genetic adaptation of plants to different ecosystems and organism biodiversity. Here we present the draft genome sequence of the Cucumis sativus genome of the North-European Borszczagowski cultivar (line B10) and comparative genomics studies with the known genomes of: C. sativus (Chinese cultivar--Chinese Long (line 9930)), Arabidopsis thaliana, Populus trichocarpa and Oryza sativa. Cucumber genomes show extensive chromosomal rearrangements, distinct differences in quantity of the particular genes (e.g. involved in photosynthesis, respiration, sugar metabolism, chlorophyll degradation, regulation of gene expression, photooxidative stress tolerance, higher non-optimal temperatures tolerance and ammonium ion assimilation) as well as in distributions of abscisic acid-, dehydration- and ethylene-responsive cis-regulatory elements (CREs) in promoters of orthologous group of genes, which lead to the specific adaptation features. Abscisic acid treatment of non-acclimated Arabidopsis and C. sativus seedlings induced moderate freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis but not in C. sativus. This experiment together with analysis of abscisic acid-specific CRE distributions give a clue why C. sativus is much more susceptible to moderate freezing stresses than A. thaliana. Comparative analysis of all the five genomes showed that, each species and/or cultivars has a specific profile of CRE content in promoters of orthologous genes. Our results constitute the substantial and original resource for the basic and applied research on environmental adaptations of plants, which could facilitate creation of new crops with improved growth and yield in

  13. Calidad de melón cantaloupe ( Cucumis melo cubierto con una película comestible de alginato - hpmc - parafina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma Concepción Reyes-Avalos

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introducción : El melón es un fruto que tiene un corto periodo de almacenamiento. Una alternativa para extender este periodo es el uso de películas comestibles. En el presente estudio se evaluó el efecto de la aplicación de una película comestible de alginato de sodio - hidroxipropilmetilcelulosa - parafina (ALG - HPMC - PAR, sobre la calidad de melón Cantaloupe durante dos tipos de almacenamiento. Método : Frutos de melón Cantaloupe se cubrieron con una película comestible de alginato - hidroxipropilmetil celulosa - parafina (ALG - HPMC - PAR, y no cubiertos (CONTROL. Los melones se almacenaron por 21 días a 5ºC y 95% de humedad relativa (Hr. Cada siete días, los frutos se sometieron a análisis de índice de daños por frío, pérdida de peso, textura, y concentración de CO 2 y etileno d e la atmósfera interna del fruto. Además, para simular manejo comercial, al término de cada periodo de siete días en refrigeración, una muestra de melones era extraída del frigorífico y expuesta a condiciones ambientales de temperatura y humedad relativa ( 25ºC y 21 - 25% respectivamente durante tres días (almacenamiento combinado, y medidos los parámetros anteriormente mencionados. Resultados : La aplicación de la película comestible provocó que los frutos cubiertos tuvieran una mayor concentración de CO 2 y menor concentración de etileno en la atmósfera interna del fruto, contribuyendo a que los melones cubiertos mantuvieron su calidad por un mayor tiempo de almacenamiento, manteniéndose más firmes, con menor pérdida de peso y sufrir menor índice de daños por frío con respecto los frutos control. Discusión : Los resultados demuestran la factibilidad de la aplicación de películas comestibles para mantener la calidad del melón Cantaloupe almacenado en refrigeración y en almacenamiento combinado.

  14. Antimicrobial activity and agricultural properties of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) grown in northern parts of Turkey: a case study for adaptation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaldız, Gülsüm; Sekeroglu, Nazım; Kulak, Muhittin; Demirkol, Gürkan

    2015-01-01

    This study was designed to determine the adaptation capability of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.), which is widely grown in tropical and subtropical climates, in northern parts of Turkey. In this study, plant height, number of fruits, fruit length, fruit width, number of seeds and fruit weight of bitter melon grown in field conditions were determined. The antimicrobial effect of the ethanol extract of fruit and seeds against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans microorganisms was tested in vitro by the disc diffusion method. In conclusion, plant height (260 cm), number of fruits (16 per  plant), number of seeds (30.2  per fruit), fruit width (3.8 cm), fruit length (10.6 cm) and fruit weight (117.28 g fruit(- 1)) were determined; fruits were found to have antimicrobial activity against A. niger; oil and seeds were found to have antimicrobial activity against A. niger and E. coli.

  15. Raman Imaging of Plant Cell Walls in Sections of Cucumis sativus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeise, Ingrid; Heiner, Zsuzsanna; Holz, Sabine; Joester, Maike; Büttner, Carmen; Kneipp, Janina

    2018-01-25

    Raman microspectra combine information on chemical composition of plant tissues with spatial information. The contributions from the building blocks of the cell walls in the Raman spectra of plant tissues can vary in the microscopic sub-structures of the tissue. Here, we discuss the analysis of 55 Raman maps of root, stem, and leaf tissues of Cucumis sativus , using different spectral contributions from cellulose and lignin in both univariate and multivariate imaging methods. Imaging based on hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) indicates different substructures in the xylem cell walls of the different tissues. Using specific signals from the cell wall spectra, analysis of the whole set of different tissue sections based on the Raman images reveals differences in xylem tissue morphology. Due to the specifics of excitation of the Raman spectra in the visible wavelength range (532 nm), which is, e.g., in resonance with carotenoid species, effects of photobleaching and the possibility of exploiting depletion difference spectra for molecular characterization in Raman imaging of plants are discussed. The reported results provide both, specific information on the molecular composition of cucumber tissue Raman spectra, and general directions for future imaging studies in plant tissues.

  16. Structures of Two Yellow Dyes Found in Cucumbers Pickled in Soy Sauce Colored with Tartrazine (Y4).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogawa, Asamoe; Shindo, Tetsuya; Kyoko, Hitomi; Sadamasu, Yuki; Sakamaki, Narue; Uematsu, Yoko; Monma, Kimio

    2017-01-01

    Two yellow dyes, together with tartrazine (Y4), were found in cucumbers pickled in soy sauce, for which the use of tartrazine is permitted, by TLC, LC-DAD, and LC-MS. The retention times on LC chromatograms and the maximum absorbance wavelengths measured by LC-DAD of the two dyes were different from those of tartrazine. Mass spectra of the dyes indicated that these dyes lacked one sulfonyl group of tartrazine. The presence of two less sulfonated dyes in tartrazine has been reported. Hence, the two less sulfonated dyes were synthesized. The two dyes found in cucumbers were compared with the synthesized dyes by LC-DAD and LC-MS. Since the retention times of the dyes in cucumbers on the LC chromatograms, as well as their LC-DAD spectra and mass spectra, were found to be identical with those of the synthesized dyes, we concluded these dyes are the less sulfonated subsidiary dyes of tartrazine.

  17. Pepino japonês (Cucumis sativus L. submetido ao tratamento com fécula de mandioca Japonese cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. submitted of the treatment with cassava starch film

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelen Cristina dos Reis

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Com o presente trabalho objetivou-se avaliar a qualidade e a vida útil do pepino (Cucumis sativus L., utilizando recobrimento com película de fécula de mandioca. Após seleção, amostras de pepino japonês foram mergulhadas em suspensões de fécula de mandioca a 0, 2, 3 e 4%, secos ao ar e armazenados em câmara fria a 5ºC e 95% de UR por 8 dias. As análises realizadas foram perda de massa, pH, sólidos solúveis (SS , acidez titulável (AT, Cor L*a*b e firmeza. O delineamento utilizado foi o DIC com 3 repetições, com os tratamentos dispostos em esquema fatorial 4 x 5. O valor encontrado para firmeza nas amostras tratadas com película a 4% foram menores em comparação aos outros tratamentos, isto, provavelmente se deve à plasticidade do tecido que estas amostras apresentaram. A película reduziu significativamente a perda de massa das amostras mantidas sob refrigeração. A aplicação de película de fécula de mandioca na concentração mais elevada (4%, proporcionou ao pepino um aspecto melhor de conservação, tornando o produto mais atraente.This work was made to evaluate the properties and postharvest life of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. coated with cassava starch film. After the selection the fruits were dipped in suspensions 0, 2, 3 and 4% starch, dried naturally and stored in chamber cold (5ºC ± 1ºC and 90% ± 5% HR during 8 days and the analyses were done in the time zero and in intervals of 2 days. The analyses done were loss mass, titratable acidity (TA, pH, soluble solids (SS, color L*a*b and firmness. The test was conducted in completely randomized design, with three repetitions, with the treatments disposed in factory layout 4x5. The value found for firmness in the samples treated with biofilm at 4% was smaller in comparison to the other treatments, this, is probably due to the plasticity of the tissue that these samples presented. The film reduced the loss of mass of the samples maintained under refrigeration

  18. Beneficiamento do cultivo do Meloeiro pela apicultura no sertão do Moxotó representado por Modelo Digital do Terreno | Processing of Melon crops for beekeeping in the backwoods of Moxotó represented by Digital Terrain Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raphael Miller de Souza Caldas

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available A região Nordeste é a principal produtora de melão do Brasil. O Semiárido brasileiro é uma região caracterizada por apresentar fatores climáticos favoráveis ao desenvolvimento da cultura do meloeiro. No presente estudo foi realizada a modelagem digital do terreno (MDT da microrregião Sertão do Moxotó para os parâmetros de precipitação, temperatura, PIB e IDH, afim de verificar a relação entre a cultura do meloeiro e a apicultura. Os municípios analisados foram Arcoverde, Betânia, Custódia, Ibimirim, Inajá, Sertânia e Manari. O cultivo do meloeiro tem potencial para ser implantado nos municípios do Sertão do Moxotó e está diretamente ligado a apicultura, pois a Apis mellifera é seu principal polinizador. Seu cultivo pode desempenhar papel vital no aumento ou manutenção da produção apícola. The Northeast region is the main melon producer of Brazil. The Brazilian semiarid region is characterized by climatic conditions favorable to the development of melon crop. In the present study, the digital terrain modeling (DTM of Sertão do Moxotó was performed to precipitation parameters, temperature, GDP, HDI and population in order to verifythe relationship between melon crop and apiculture. The districts analyzed were Arcoverde, Betânia, Custódia, Ibimirim, Inajá, Sertânia and Manari. Apis mellifera is the main pollinator of melon crop. Melon crop can support the bees during the shortage of bee flora and increase in bee production.

  19. [Influence of exogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on GABA metabolism and amino acid contents in roots of melon seedling under hypoxia stress].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chun-Yan; Li, Jing-Rui; Xia, Qing-Ping; Wu, Xiao-Lei; Gao, Hong-Bo

    2014-07-01

    This paper investigated the influence of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on GABA metabolism and amino acid content under hypoxia stress by accurately controlling the level of dissolved oxygen in hydroponics, using the roots of melon 'Xiyu 1' seedlings as the test material. The results showed that compared with the control, the growth of roots was inhibited seriously under hypoxia stress. Meanwhile, the hypoxia-treated roots had significantly higher activities of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), glutamate synthase (GOGAT), glutamine synthetase (GS), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as well as the contents of GABA, pyruvic acid, alanine (Ala) and aspartic acid (Asp). But the contents of glutamic acid (Glu) and alpha-keto glutaric acid in roots under hypoxia stress was obviously lower than those of the control. Exogenous treatment with GABA alleviated the inhibition effect of hypoxia stress on root growth, which was accompanied by an increase in the contents of endogenous GABA, Glu, alpha-keto glutaric acid and Asp. Furthermore, under hypoxia stress, the activities of GAD, GDH, GOGAT, GS, ALT, AST as well as the contents of pyruvic acid and Ala significantly decreased in roots treated with GABA. However, adding GABA and viny-gamma-aminobutyric acid (VGB) reduced the alleviation effect of GABA on melon seedlings under hypoxia stress. The results suggested that absorption of GABA by roots could alleviate the injury of hypoxia stress to melon seedlings. This meant that GABA treatment allows the normal physiological metabolism under hypoxia by inhibiting the GAD activity through feedback and maintaining higher Glu content as well as the bal- ance of carbon and nitrogen.

  20. Effect of the time of application of phosphorus fertilizer on yield and quality parameters of melon crop amended with winery waste compost.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Requejo Mariscal, María Isabel; Cartagena, María Carmen; Villena Gordo, Raquel; Arce Martínez, Augusto; Ribas Elcorobarrutia, Francisco; Jesús Cabello Cabello, María; Castellanos Serrano, María Teresa

    2016-04-01

    In Spain, drip irrigation systems are widely used for horticultural crop production. In drip irrigation systems, emitter clogging has been identified as one of the most important concerns. Clogging is closely related to the quality of the irrigation water and the structure of the emitter flow path, and occurs as a result of multiple physical, biological and chemical factors. So, the use of acid fertilizers (e.g. phosphoric acid) in these systems is common to avoid the emitter clogging. Moreover, in this country the use of exhausted grape marc compost as source of nutrients and organic matter has been identified as a good management option of soil fertility, especially in grape-growing areas with a large generation of wastes from the wine and distillery industries. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of the time of application of phosphorus fertilizer with fertirrigation in a melon crop amended with winery waste compost on yield and quality parameters. During two years, the melon crop was grown under field conditions and beside the control treatment, three doses of compost were applied: 6.7, 13.3 and 20.0 t ha-1. All the compost treatments received 120 kg ha-1 of phosphorus fertilizer (phosphoric acid) for the season varying the time of application: The first year phosphorus application started after male and female flowering, and the second year the application started before flowering. Yield and quality parameters were evaluated to assess the suitability of these practices. Acknowledgements: This project has been supported by INIA-RTA2010-00110-C03. Keywords: Phosphorus fertilizer, exhausted grape marc compost, melon crop, yield and quality parameters.

  1. Monitoring of the microbiota profile in nukadoko, a naturally fermented rice bran bed for pickling vegetables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ono, Hiroshi; Nishio, Shoko; Tsurii, Jun; Kawamoto, Tetsuhiro; Sonomoto, Kenji; Nakayama, Jiro

    2014-11-01

    Nukadoko is a fermented rice bran mash traditionally used for pickling vegetables in Japan. To date, the production of both homemade and commercial nukadoko depends on natural fermentation without using starter cultures. Here, we monitored chemical and microbiological changes in the initial batch fermentation of nukadoko. Nukadoko samples were prepared by spontaneous fermentation of four different brands of rice bran, and microbiome dynamics were analyzed for 2 months. In the first week, non-Lactobacillales lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species, which differed among the samples, grew proportionally to pH decrease and lactate increase. Thereafter, Lactobacillus plantarum started growing and consumed residual sugars, causing further lactate increase in nukadoko. Finally, microbial communities in all tested nukadoko samples were dominated by L. plantarum. Taken together, our results suggest that the mixture of the fast-growing LAB species and slow-growing L. plantarum may be used as a suitable starter culture to promote the initial fermentation of nukadoko. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. VALORACIÓN DE ATRIBUTOS DE CALIDAD EN PEPINO (Cucumis sativus L. FORTIFICADO CON VITAMINA E VALORAÇÃO DE ATRIBUTOS DE QUALIDADE EM PEPINO (Cucumis sativus L. FORTIFICADO COM VITAMINA E VALUATION OF QUALITY ATTRIBUTES IN CUCUMBER (Cucumis sativus L. FORTIFIED WITH VITAMIN E

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MISAEL CORTÉS

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available El objetivo de este trabajo fue desarrollar un producto mínimamente procesado fortificado con vitamina E, a partir de pepino (Cucumis sativus L, utilizando la ingeniería de matrices. Rodajas impregnadas al vacío (IV con DL-α-tocoferol acetato emulsificado en una fase acuosa isotónica al pepino (NaCl al 1%, son evaluadas en cuanto a propiedades fisicoquímicas, color, textura, estabilidad de la vitamina E y sensorialmente, por influencia del proceso, tiempo de almacenamiento y envasado (con y sin vacío. La vitamina E se cuantifica por HPLC (% del valor diario recomendado (VDR/100 g de pepino fresco, según la norma Colombiana. La respuesta IV alcanza niveles de 6.05±1.49%, correspondiente a 33.3±5.8 mg vitamina E y 110.5±19.1% VDR en 100 g de pepino fresco. Durante el almacenamiento en 9 días se presenta una pérdida aproximadamente del 50%, debido a la poca retención de la emulsión en el interior de la matriz. Los parámetros fisicoquímicos, el color y la textura son afectados por la IV, el tiempo y el envasado, siendo durante el almacenamiento más oscuras y más resistentes que el producto fresco. La ingeniería de matrices representa una metodología efectiva para fortificar el pepino con vitamina E.O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver um produto mínimamente processado fortificado com vitamina E, a partir de pepino (Cucumis sativus L, utilizando a engenharia de matrizes. Fatias de pepino foram impregnadas a vácuo (IV com DL-α- acetato de tocoferol emulsificado numa fase aquosa isotónica (NaCl a 1%, e foram avaliadas quanto às propiedades fisico-químicas, cor, textura, estabilidade da vitamina E e sensorialmente, tendo em consideração os factores: processo, tempo de armazenamento e envasado (com e sem vácuo. A vitamina E quantificou-se por HPLC (% do Valor Diario Recomendado (VDR/100 g de pepino fresco, de acordo com a norma Colombiana. A resposta à IV alcanzou niveis de 6.05±1.49%, correspondente a 33.3±5.8 mg

  3. Pickled essence of Englishman: Thomas Lovell Beddoes--time to unearth a neglected poet?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamforth, I

    2004-06-01

    Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803-1849) was a doctor and intermittently brilliant poet whose explorations of "the florid Gothic in poetry" (his words) offer some of the most haunting, claustrophobic, and grotesque verse in the English language. Son of the pioneering Bristol scientist Thomas Beddoes and nephew of Maria Edgeworth the novelist, he stemmed, like Mary Shelley, author of the celebrated novel Frankenstein, from a line of influential freethinkers. This article situates Beddoes's work in the transition from the confident empiricism of the eighteenth century to the nineteenth century's imaginative reaction to social and intellectual life after the Napoleonic wars. Having spent most of his adult life in Germany (where he studied anatomy with the famous biologist Blumenbach) and latterly Switzerland, Beddoes engaged in radical politics, dabbled in the occult, and may even have encountered the German doctor/playwright Georg Büchner, whose career parallels his own. Beddoes hoped that by reading the body literally, in terms of its material structure, he would be able to bring about a revival of English theatre. Inevitable defeat led him to develop his signature form of abject irony. In view of the current interest in semiotics (a development of medical semiology), and the subterranean analogies in Beddoes's writing between the corpus and the corpse, his reputation ought to be rescued from the "critical pickle".

  4. In Vitro Properties of Potential Probiotic Indigenous Lactic Acid Bacteria Originating from Traditional Pickles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Tokatlı

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The suitable properties of potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB strains (preselected among 153 strains on the basis of their potential technological properties isolated from traditional Çubuk pickles were examined in vitro. For this purpose, these strains (21 Lactobacillus plantarum, 11 Pediococcus ethanolidurans, and 7 Lactobacillus brevis were tested for the ability to survive at pH 2.5, resistance to bile salts, viability in the presence of pepsin-pancreatin, ability to deconjugate bile salts, cholesterol assimilation, and surface hydrophobicity properties. Most of the properties tested could be assumed to be strain-dependent. However, L. plantarum and L. brevis species were found to possess desirable probiotic properties to a greater extent compared to P. ethanolidurans. In contrast to P. ethanolidurans strains, the tested L. plantarum and L. brevis strains exhibited bile salt tolerance, albeit to different extent. All tested strains showed less resistance to intestinal conditions than gastric juice environment. Based on the survival under gastrointestinal conditions, 22 of the 39 strains were selected for further characterization. The eight strains having the highest cholesterol assimilation and surface hydrophobicity ratios could be taken as promising probiotic candidates for further in vivo studies, because of the strongest variations found among the tested strains with regard to these properties.

  5. Cucumis melo ssp. Agrestis var. Agrestis Ameliorates High Fat Diet Induced Dyslipidemia in Syrian Golden Hamsters and Inhibits Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shankar, Kripa; Singh, Sumit K; Kumar, Durgesh; Varshney, Salil; Gupta, Abhishek; Rajan, Sujith; Srivastava, Ankita; Beg, Muheeb; Srivastava, Anurag Kumar; Kanojiya, Sanjeev; Mishra, Dipak K; Gaikwad, Anil N

    2015-10-01

    Cucumis melo ssp. agrestis var. agrestis (CMA) is a wild variety of C. melo. This study aimed to explore anti-dyslipidemic and anti-adipogenic potential of CMA. For initial anti-dyslipidemic and antihyperglycemic potential of CMA fruit extract (CMFE), male Syrian golden hamsters were fed a chow or high-fat diet with or without CMFE (100 mg/kg). Further, we did fractionation of this CMFE into two fractions namely; CMA water fraction (CMWF) and CMA hexane fraction (CMHF). Phytochemical screening was done with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry LC- (MS)/MS and direct analysis in real time-MS to detect active compounds in the fractions. Further, high-fat diet fed dyslipidemic hamsters were treated with CMWF and CMHF at 50 mg/kg for 7 days. Oral administration of CMFE and both fractions (CMWF and CMHF) reduced the total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels in high fat diet-fed dyslipidemic hamsters. CMHF also modulated expression of genes involved in lipogenesis, lipid metabolism, and reverse cholesterol transport. Standard biochemical diagnostic tests suggested that neither of fractions causes any toxicity to hamster liver or kidneys. CMFE and CMHF also decreased oil-red-O accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Based on these results, it is concluded that CMA possesses anti-dyslipidemic and anti-hyperglycemic activity along with the anti-adipogenic activity. The oral administration of Cucumis melo agrestis fruit extract (CMFE) and its fractions (CMWF and CMHF) improved serum lipid profile in HFD fed dyslipidemic hamsters.CMFE, CMWF and CMHF significantly attenuated body weight gain and eWAT hypertrophy.The CMHF decreased lipogenesis in both liver and adipose tissue.CMFE and CMHF also inhibited adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Abbreviation used: CMA: Cucumis melo ssp. agrestis var. agrestis, CMFE: CMA fruit extract, CMWF: CMA water fraction, CMHF: CMA hexane fraction, FAS: Fatty acid

  6. De novo comparative transcriptome analysis of genes involved in fruit morphology of pumpkin cultivars with extreme size difference and development of EST-SSR markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xanthopoulou, Aliki; Ganopoulos, Ioannis; Psomopoulos, Fotis; Manioudaki, Maria; Moysiadis, Theodoros; Kapazoglou, Aliki; Osathanunkul, Maslin; Michailidou, Sofia; Kalivas, Apostolos; Tsaftaris, Athanasios; Nianiou-Obeidat, Irini; Madesis, Panagiotis

    2017-07-30

    The genetic basis of fruit size and shape was investigated for the first time in Cucurbita species and genetic loci associated with fruit morphology have been identified. Although extensive genomic resources are available at present for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), melon (Cucumis melo) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), genomic databases for Cucurbita species are limited. Recently, our group reported the generation of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) transcriptome databases from two contrasting cultivars with extreme fruit sizes. In the current study we used these databases to perform comparative transcriptome analysis in order to identify genes with potential roles in fruit morphology and fruit size. Differential Gene Expression (DGE) analysis between cv. 'Munchkin' (small-fruit) and cv. 'Big Moose' (large-fruit) revealed a variety of candidate genes associated with fruit morphology with significant differences in gene expression between the two cultivars. In addition, we have set the framework for generating EST-SSR markers, which discriminate different C. pepo cultivars and show transferability to related Cucurbitaceae species. The results of the present study will contribute to both further understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating fruit morphology and furthermore identifying the factors that determine fruit size. Moreover, they may lead to the development of molecular marker tools for selecting genotypes with desired morphological traits. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Model of the process with piecewise-constant extremals to minimize losses of vitamins during the melting of melons and gourds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. V. Inochkina

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The extension of periods of storage of fruits of gourds is an urgent task processing industry. The most developed and available for injection is a method of dehydration of raw materials due to supply of heat transfer fluids. In addition to solid dry frame in raw materials is 80–90% water. In the period of moisture removal from raw material changes of thermal-physical and structural-mechanical and physicochemical characteristics. The ratio of water and dry matter in vegetative raw materials largely determines the modes of drying and storage conditions of the finished product. During drying, there are a number of limitations: the drying temperature should not exceed the degradation temperature of vitamins and proteins, and the magnitude of course, the moisture content of the product depends on the reaction prevention malonodinitrile sugars at the critical moisture content. An important problem of the drying of production is quality control stages of drying, the dynamics of which is quite difficult to describe using mathematical models. The main factors of optimization of industrial drying processes is preservation of valuable components of the feedstock, the drying time, energy and resource conservation. Development of effective control algorithm for the process of dehydration of raw materials described in the article on the example of drying of slices of melon. Experimental approach a two-stage process of drying of melon varieties Taman, the proposed regression model with the relaxation-based on humidity and content of vitamin C from the variable in time temperature and pressure, based on the available literature and own experimental data. According to the optimal control of the drying process to search for the thermobaric regime that maximizes the vitamin C content at the end of the drying, under specified conditions, the humidity. The main findings are the solution of the problem for the case of piecewise constant temperature and pressure in

  8. Effect of Dipping and Vacuum Impregnation Coating Techniques with Alginate Based Coating on Physical Quality Parameters of Cantaloupe Melon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senturk Parreidt, Tugce; Schmid, Markus; Müller, Kajetan

    2018-04-01

    Edible coating based on sodium alginate solution was applied to fresh-cut cantaloupe melon by dipping and vacuum impregnation coating methods. One aim of this work is to produce more technical information concerning these conventional and novel coating processes. For this purpose, the effect of various coating parameters (dipping time, draining time, time length of the vacuum period, vacuum pressure, atmospheric restoration time) with several levels on physical quality parameters (percentage of weight gain, color, and texture) of noncoated and coated samples were determined in order to define adequate coating process parameters to achieve a successful coating application. Additionally, the effects of dipping and vacuum impregnation processes were compared. Both processes improved the firmness of the melon pieces. However, vacuum impregnation application had higher firmness and weight gain results, and had significant effect (P coating technique and the parameters used significantly affect the physical quality characteristics of coated food products. The work presented produced more technical information concerning dipping and vacuum impregnation coating techniques, along with evaluating the effects of various coating parameters with several levels. The results revealed that vacuum impregnation technique is a successful coating method; however the effects should be carefully assessed for each product. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  9. Phytotoxicity of Alachlor, Bromacil and Diuron as single or mixed herbicides applied to wheat, melon, and molokhia

    OpenAIRE

    El-Nahhal, Yasser; Hamdona, Nisreen

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the phytotoxicity of herbicides applied singly or as mixtures to different crops under greenhouse conditions. Growth inhibition of the crops was taken as an indicator of phytotoxicity. Phytotoxicity of mixtures was estimated by calculating EC50 value in toxic units. EC50 (mg/kg soil) of Alachlor, Bromacil and/or Diuron were: 11.37, 4.77, 1.64, respectively, on melon; 0.11, 0.08, 0.24, respectively, on molokhia, and 3.91, 3.08, 1.83, respectively, on wheat. EC50 values ...

  10. Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration from cell suspension cultures of Cucumis sativus L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chee, P P; Tricoli, D M

    1988-06-01

    A procedure for the regeneration of whole cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Poinsett 76) by embryogenesis from cell suspension cultures is described. Embryogenic callus was initiated from the primary leaves of 14-17 day old plants. Suspension cultures of embryogenic cells were grown in liquid Murashige and Skoog basal medium containing 5 uM 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 4 uM 6-benzylaminopurine. Suspension cultures were composed of a population of cells that were densely cytoplasmic and potentially embryogenic. Differentiation of embryos was enhanced by washing the suspension culture cells with MS basal medium containing 0.5% activated charcoal and twice with MS basal medium followed by liquid shake cultures in MS basal medium. Sixty to 70 percent of the embryos prewashed with activated charcoal germinated into plantlets with normal morphology. Embryos obtained from suspension cultured cells without prewashing with activated charcoal organized into plantlets with abnormal primary leaves. Morphologically normal plantlets were obtained by excising the shoot tips and transferring them to fresh medium.

  11. Optimization of the production of bio diesel from egusi melon (Colocynthis Citrullus L.) oil using response surface methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giwa, S.O.; Chuah, L.A.; Nor Mariah Adam

    2009-01-01

    Full text: In the present work, the response surface methodology (RSM), based on a central composite design (CCD), was used to determine the optimum conditions for the transesterification of crude egusi melon (Colocynthis citrullus L.) seed oil. Three process factors were evaluated at three levels (2 3 experimental design): the oil/ methanol molar ratio, the amount of catalyst in relation to the oil mass, and the reaction temperature. The amounts of catalyst and reaction temperature were the most significant (P 2 = 0.98). Using multiple regression analysis a quadratic polynomial equation was obtained for predicting methyl ester yield of the transesterification reaction. The squared terms of catalyst amount (P < 0.0001) and oil/ methanol molar ratio (P < 0.0072) showed significant effects on esters yield. The optimum reaction conditions for synthesis of EMOME were 1:6.55 oil-to-methanol molar ratio, 1.22 % catalyst amounts, and 65 degree Celsius reaction temperature resulting in a yield of 84.01 %. Using these optimal factor values under experimental conditions a methyl esters yield of 84.04 % was obtained on an average, and this value was well within the range predicted by the model. RSM was found to be a suitable technique for optimizing transesterification of egusi melon seed oil. Fuel properties of EMOME measured according to accepted methods were found to satisfy all prescribed ASTM (D 6751) and EN 14214 specifications. (author)

  12. Novel bitter melon extracts highly yielded from supercritical extraction reduce the adiposity through the enhanced lipid metabolism in mice fed a high fat diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Xu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Bitter melon (Momordica charantia is a species of edible plant known for its medicinal value towards diabetes and obesity. Due to the various compositions of bitter melon extracts (BME, the comprehensive knowledge concerning their anti-obesity effects was insufficient. Here we first introduced supercritical extraction to BME's preparation, (supercritical extraction is a relatively advanced extraction method with a better efficiency and selectivity and expected to be extensively used in future applications and the resultants were subjected to HPLC analysis, validating the presence of 42.60% of conjugated linolenic acid (CLnA, cis9, trans11, trans13-18:3 and 13.17% of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, cis9, trans11-18:2. The BMSO (bitter melon seed oil was then administered to the HFD mice, an obesity model established by feeding C57BL/6J mice a high fat diet. Consequently, due to the BMSO's supplementation, the HFD mice showed a significantly decreased body-weight, Lee's index, fat index and adipose size, whereas the liver weight stayed unchanged. Meanwhile, the serum FFA (free fatty acids levels returned to normal at the dosage of 10 g/kg, and the elevated serum leptin levels were also recovered by BMSO's supplementation with moderate and high dose. These findings suggested that BMSO restored the balance between lipid intake and metabolism, which was probably mediated by leptin's variation. In summary, a detailed anti-obesity effect was described with regard to a potent CFA's (conjugated fatty acid combination offered by BME. A potential mechanism underlying BME's beneficial effects was proposed, paving the way for the better use of BME's pharmaceutical function to serve the obesity's treatment.

  13. Efeito da concentração de nitrogênio na solução nutritiva e do número de frutos por planta sobre a produção do meloeiro Effect of nitrogen concentration in nutrient solution and number of fruits per plant on yield of melon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Felipe V. Purquerio

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available O trabalho foi conduzido em casa de vegetação, na UNESP em Jaboticabal (SP, de junho a novembro de 2001, com o objetivo de avaliar a produção do melão (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus, híbrido Bônus nº2, cultivado em sistema hidropônico NFT, em função da concentração de nitrogênio na solução nutritiva (80, 140, 200 e 300 mg L-1 e número de frutos por planta (2, 3, 4 e livre. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, em parcelas subdivididas, com seis repetições. Aos 80 dias após o transplantio, foram observados 2, 3, 4 e 5,1 frutos por planta e, posteriormente na colheita, 2, 2,9, 3,0 e 3,4 frutos por planta, respectivamente para os tratamentos com 2, 3, 4 e fixação livre, sendo esta redução atribuída ao abortamento de frutos. Houve redução no peso médio do 1º, 2º e 3º fruto colhido, com o aumento da concentração de nitrogênio. Plantas com o menor número de frutos, apresentaram maior peso médio dos mesmos, porém com menor produção por planta. A maior produção (2.474 g/planta foi obtida com 80 mg L-1 de nitrogênio na solução nutritiva.The effects of different nitrogen concentrations (80; 140; 200 and 300 mg L-1 and fruit number per plant (2; 3; 4 and free setting, were investigated on net melon production (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus, Bonus nº 2 hybrid. The experiment was carried out in Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, Brazil, in NFT hydroponic system, from June to November, 2001. The experimental design was of randomized split plots, replicated six times. At 80 days after seedling transplant 2; 3; 4 and 5.1 fruits per plant were found. However, at harvest there were 2; 2.9; 3.0 and 3.4 fruits per plant, relative to 2; 3; 4 and free setting per plant treatment. This observed fruit reduction was attributed to fruit abortion. With the increase of nitrogen concentrations a reduction in first, second and third fruit weight was found. Plants with fewer fruits, produced higher average

  14. Assessment of Salicylic Acid Impacts on Seedling Characteristic of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. under Water Stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein MARDANI

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Impacts of various concentrations of salicylic acid (SA on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. seedling characteristic were evaluated under different water stress levels by using a factorial arrangement based on completely randomized design with three replications at experimental greenhouse of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. The studied factors included three water deficit levels (100% FC, 80% FC, and 60% FC considered as first factor and five levels of SA concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 mM as second factor. Results showed that foliar application of SA at the highest concentration enhanced leaf area, leaf and dry weight while decreased stomatal conductance under high level of water deficit stress. Though, severe water deficit stress sharply raised the SPAD reading values. In general, exogenous SA application could develop cucumber seedling characteristic and improve water stress tolerance.

  15. Changes in the physiological regulation of transpiration caused by the effects of industrial air pollution. [Cucumis sativus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kozinka, V; Klasova, A; Niznansky, A

    1963-01-01

    Through Hygen's method of quantitative analysis of transpiration curves, the authors studied the intensity of stomatal and cuticular transpiration of germinating leaves of Cucumis sativus which were experimentally exposed to solid impurities containing F. The difference between the control and experimental plants shows that the impurities not only blocked the regulating system of breathing but also caused increased cuticular transpiration. Numerous lesions were observed; cuticle damage also spread to the inner tissues. A direct relationship between microscopic and macroscopic symptoms was not proven. The creation of conditions adverse to the normal development of the water balance was intensified when the impurities were dropped onto the surface of the leaves. The possible protective function of trichomes is mentioned, but applies only when the impurities settle on a dry surface.

  16. Qualidade do melão cantaloupe cv. Hy-Mark minimamente processado e armazenado sob refrigeração Quality of cantaloupe melon cv. Hy-Mark minimally processed and refrigerated

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raimundo Wilane de Figueiredo

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available A maioria das pesquisas em melão minimamente processado é concentrada no tipo 'cantaloupe', devido à sua importância no mercado internacional. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a qualidade do melão cantaloupe cv. Hy-Mark minimamente processado. Os frutos foram lavados e sanitizados, sendo em seguida cortados na forma de cubos, imersos em solução de CaCl2, acondicionados em embalagens flexíveis PET (tereftalato de polietileno e armazenados a 4ºC por 9 dias. O delineamento foi conduzido inteiramente casualizado, com três repetições. A intervalos de três dias, amostras foram coletadas e analisadas quanto a coliformes totais e fecais, e contagem de bactérias aeróbias mesófilas e bolores e leveduras, pH, sólidos solúveis totais, acidez, vitamina C, açúcares redutores totais, atividade de água, firmeza e análise sensorial através do atributo de aceitação global. O melão minimamente processado apresentou boa estabilidade física, físico-química, microbiológica e sensorial, estimando-se em 9 dias a vida útil deste produto a 4ºC.Most of the research into minimally processed melon is focused on cantaloupe melon, due to its importance in the international market. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of cantaloupe melon cv. Hy-Mark, minimally processed and refrigerated. Fruits were washed, sanitized, cut and imbedded in a calcium chloride solution and packed in PET and stored at 4ºC during 9 days. At three-day intervals samples were collected and analyzed for total and fecal coliforms, counting of aerobic mesophilic bacterias, molds and yeast, SS (soluble solids, TTA (total titrable acidity, firmness, pH, TRS (total reducing sugar, Aw, vitamin C, color and acceptability. The minimally processed melon showed good overall physical, pyisico-chemical, microbiological and sensorial stability during the storage period.

  17. Efeito do ambiente protegido cultivado com melão sobre os elementos meteorológicos e sua relação com as condições externas Effect of greenhouse cultivated with melon crop under meteorological elements and its relationship with external conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel A. N. Vásquez

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito do ambiente protegido cultivado com melão (Cucumis melo L. sobre os elementos meteorológicos e sua relação com as condições externas. O experimento foi conduzido no período de 5-10-2001 a 7-1-2002, em estufa plástica de 420 m², construída com estrutura metálica galvanizada, com dois vãos de altura central de 4,6 m e lateral de 3,0 m, composto de quatro janelas frontais, cobertas com filme de polietileno transparente de alta densidade, com aditivo ultravioleta e espessura de 150 µm. A irrigação foi efetuada por gotejamento, com lâmina total de 279,6 mm, manejada utilizando um minitanque instalado no interior do ambiente. Os elementos meteorológicos foram obtidos por sistema de aquisição automático instalado no interior do ambiente protegido e, externamente, com medidas da radiação global, temperatura e umidade relativa do ar. Verificou-se que a radiação solar global e a umidade relativa no ambiente protegido foram, em média, inferiores às condições externas, enquanto a temperatura foi superior no período analisado. A relação entre os elementos meteorológicos medidos externamente e no interior do ambiente protegido foi expressa por meio de equações de regressão linear e quadrática.The objective of this research was to study the effect of greenhouse cultivated with melon (Cucumis melo L. under meteorological elements and its relationship with external conditions. The study was carried out during the period of October 5, 2001 to January 7, 2002. The greenhouse had 420 m², constructed in galvanized metallic structure with two voids, height in the central part of 4.6 m and lateral of 3.0 m, having four front windows covered with a film of transparent polyethylene of high density with addictive ultraviolet and thickness of 150 µm. A drip irrigation system was used with a total water depth of 279.6 mm applied. The irrigation management was done through a small

  18. Understanding invasion history and predicting invasive niches using genetic sequencing technology in Australia: case studies from Cucurbitaceae and Boraginaceae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaik, Razia S; Zhu, Xiaocheng; Clements, David R; Weston, Leslie A

    2016-01-01

    Part of the challenge in dealing with invasive plant species is that they seldom represent a uniform, static entity. Often, an accurate understanding of the history of plant introduction and knowledge of the real levels of genetic diversity present in species and populations of importance is lacking. Currently, the role of genetic diversity in promoting the successful establishment of invasive plants is not well defined. Genetic profiling of invasive plants should enhance our understanding of the dynamics of colonization in the invaded range. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology have greatly facilitated the rapid and complete assessment of plant population genetics. Here, we apply our current understanding of the genetics and ecophysiology of plant invasions to recent work on Australian plant invaders from the Cucurbitaceae and Boraginaceae. The Cucurbitaceae study showed that both prickly paddy melon ( Cucumis myriocarpus ) and camel melon ( Citrullus lanatus ) were represented by only a single genotype in Australia, implying that each was probably introduced as a single introduction event. In contrast, a third invasive melon, Citrullus colocynthis , possessed a moderate level of genetic diversity in Australia and was potentially introduced to the continent at least twice. The Boraginaceae study demonstrated the value of comparing two similar congeneric species; one, Echium plantagineum , is highly invasive and genetically diverse, whereas the other, Echium vulgare , exhibits less genetic diversity and occupies a more limited ecological niche. Sequence analysis provided precise identification of invasive plant species, as well as information on genetic diversity and phylogeographic history. Improved sequencing technologies will continue to allow greater resolution of genetic relationships among invasive plant populations, thereby potentially improving our ability to predict the impact of these relationships upon future spread and better manage invaders

  19. Effects of Momordica charantia (Bitter Melon on Ischemic Diabetic Myocardium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Attila Czompa

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective: A rat model is here used to test a hypothesis that Momordica charantia (Bitter melon (BM extract favorably alters processes in cardiovascular tissue and is systemically relevant to the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2DM and related cardiovascular disease. Methods: Male Lean and Zucker Obese (ZO rats were gavage-treated for six weeks with 400 mg/kg body weight bitter melon (BM extract suspended in mucin–water vehicle, or with vehicle (Control. Animals were segregated into four treatment groups, 10 animals in each group, according to strain (Lean or ZO and treatment (Control or BM. Following six-week treatment periods, peripheral blood was collected from selected animals, followed by sacrifice, thoracotomy and mounting of isolated working heart setup. Results: Body mass of both Lean and ZO rats was unaffected by treatment, likewise, peripheral blood fasting glucose levels showed no significant treatment-related effects. However, some BM treatment-related improvement was noted in postischemic cardiac functions when Lean, BM-treated animals were compared to vehicle treated Lean control rats. Treatment of Lean, but not ZO, rats significantly reduced the magnitude of infarcted zone in isolated hearts subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 2 h of working mode reperfusion. Immunohistochemical demonstration of caspase-3 expression by isolated heart tissues subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion, revealed significant correlation between BM treatment and reduced expression of this enzyme in hearts obtained from both Lean and ZO animals. The hierarchy and order of caspase-3 expression from highest to lowest was as follows: ZO rats receiving vehicle > ZO rats receiving BM extract > Lean rats treated receiving vehicle > Lean rats administered BM extract. Outcomes of analyses of peripheral blood content of cardiac-related analytics: with particular relevance to clinical application was a significant elevation in

  20. Effects of Momordica charantia (Bitter Melon) on Ischemic Diabetic Myocardium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czompa, Attila; Gyongyosi, Alexandra; Szoke, Kitti; Bak, Istvan; Csepanyi, Evelin; Haines, David D; Tosaki, Arpad; Lekli, Istvan

    2017-03-20

    Objective : A rat model is here used to test a hypothesis that Momordica charantia (Bitter melon (BM)) extract favorably alters processes in cardiovascular tissue and is systemically relevant to the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and related cardiovascular disease. Methods : Male Lean and Zucker Obese (ZO) rats were gavage-treated for six weeks with 400 mg/kg body weight bitter melon (BM) extract suspended in mucin-water vehicle, or with vehicle (Control). Animals were segregated into four treatment groups, 10 animals in each group, according to strain (Lean or ZO) and treatment (Control or BM). Following six-week treatment periods, peripheral blood was collected from selected animals, followed by sacrifice, thoracotomy and mounting of isolated working heart setup. Results : Body mass of both Lean and ZO rats was unaffected by treatment, likewise, peripheral blood fasting glucose levels showed no significant treatment-related effects. However, some BM treatment-related improvement was noted in postischemic cardiac functions when Lean, BM-treated animals were compared to vehicle treated Lean control rats. Treatment of Lean, but not ZO, rats significantly reduced the magnitude of infarcted zone in isolated hearts subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 2 h of working mode reperfusion. Immunohistochemical demonstration of caspase-3 expression by isolated heart tissues subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion, revealed significant correlation between BM treatment and reduced expression of this enzyme in hearts obtained from both Lean and ZO animals. The hierarchy and order of caspase-3 expression from highest to lowest was as follows: ZO rats receiving vehicle > ZO rats receiving BM extract > Lean rats treated receiving vehicle > Lean rats administered BM extract. Outcomes of analyses of peripheral blood content of cardiac-related analytics: with particular relevance to clinical application was a significant elevation in blood of ZO

  1. Uncommon disorders and decay in near-isogenic lines of melon and reference cultivars Acidentes fisiológicos e podridões atípicas em linhas quase-isogénicas de melão e em cultivares de referência

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Antonio Martínez

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Postharvest disorders and rots can produce important economic losses in fruits stored for long time for exportation. The genetic and physiological basis of some disorders in melon (Cucumis melo L. are unknown and particularly the possible relation with climacteric behavior. A collection of melon near-isogenic lines (NILs (SC3-5 and seven more showing climacteric and two non-climacteric ripening pattern were analyzed to study genetic and physiological aspects of fruit disorders and rots. Two non-climacteric (Nicolás; Inodorus Group; and Shongwan Charmi PI161375, Conomon Group and two climacteric cultivars (Fado, Reticulatus Group; Védrantais, Cantaloupensis Group were used as reference. The field was divided in eight blocks containing one three-plant replication for each NIL, two for the parental cultivar Piel de Sapo and one or two for the reference cultivars. Replications evaluated were more than six in the cultivars studied. Plant problems included aphids, powdery mildew, and leaf wind injury. Preharvest fruit disorders included whole fruit cracking in cultivar Védrantais and NIL 5M2, and stylar-end cracking in cultivar Fado. Climacteric NILs with yellow skin were particularly affected by over-ripening, stylar-end cracking, and sunburn during cultivation. At harvest, two NILs showed slight placental tissue necrosis which was inherited from SC and were also detected after storage. Other uncommon disorders seen at harvest or 30 days after storage at 8ºC included warted skin (scarring, flesh discoloration (light brown or translucent areas, hollow flesh disorder, and deep furrow netting inherited from SC. Less common rots included grey mould, bacterial soft rot, Penicillium rot, cottony leak and internal Cladosporium rot. Stylar-end hardness below 20 N·mm-1 was associated with cracking and softening. The incidence of the disorders and rots was too low to confirm that the genetic component played a role in their development

  2. Development and validation of a mathematical model for growth of pathogens in cut melons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Di; Friedrich, Loretta M; Danyluk, Michelle D; Harris, Linda J; Schaffner, Donald W

    2013-06-01

    Many outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of fresh-cut melons have been reported. The objective of our research was to develop a mathematical model that predicts the growth rate of Salmonella on fresh-cut cantaloupe over a range of storage temperatures and to validate that model by using Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon, using both new data and data from the published studies. The growth of Salmonella on honeydew and watermelon and E. coli O157:H7 on cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon was monitored at temperatures of 4 to 25°C. The Ratkowsky (or square-root model) was used to describe Salmonella growth on cantaloupe as a function of storage temperature. Our results show that the levels of Salmonella on fresh-cut cantaloupe with an initial load of 3 log CFU/g can reach over 7 log CFU/g at 25°C within 24 h. No growth was observed at 4°C. A linear correlation was observed between the square root of Salmonella growth rate and temperature, such that √growth rate = 0.026 × (T - 5.613), R(2) = 0.9779. The model was generally suitable for predicting the growth of both Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon, for both new data and data from the published literature. When compared with existing models for growth of Salmonella, the new model predicts a theoretic minimum growth temperature similar to the ComBase Predictive Models and Pathogen Modeling Program models but lower than other food-specific models. The ComBase Prediction Models results are very similar to the model developed in this study. Our research confirms that Salmonella can grow quickly and reach high concentrations when cut cantaloupe is stored at ambient temperatures, without visual signs of spoilage. Our model provides a fast and cost-effective method to estimate the effects of storage temperature on fresh-cut melon safety and could also be used in subsequent quantitative microbial risk

  3. Mass rearing of the melon fly in Okinawa, Japan - Special reference to quality control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamagishii, Masaaki; Kakinohana, Hiroyuki

    2000-01-01

    The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), had been completely eradicated from Okinawa, Japan in 1993 (Yamagishi et al. 1993, Kakinohana 1994, Kuba et al. 1996). Following the expansion of target areas during the eradication campaign, the number of flies produced was increased from 5 million to 280 million per week. In the process of the eradication project, the mass reared strains had been replaced three times with new strains. The aim of this paper is to show the changes in various traits of the third strain that were regularly monitored in the factory. First, unintentional and intentional artificial selections to which the strain was exposed are mentioned. Second, the changes in the monitored traits are shown, and finally, the relation between selection and the response to selection is discussed

  4. Fontes e métodos de aplicação de fósforo na cultura do melão Sources and application methods of phosphorus on the melon crop

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    Luiza Teixeira de Lima Brito

    1999-10-01

    Full Text Available Em Petrolina, PE, foi realizado um estudo com a cultura do melão (Cucumis melo L., cultivar Valenciano Amarelo, num Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo, com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de fontes de fósforo aplicadas convencionalmente (em fundação e via água de irrigação. O experimento consistiu de cinco tratamentos: 1. superfosfato simples; 2. MAP (fosfato monoamônico, aplicados pelo método convencional (em fundação; 3. MAP aplicado até 15 dias após a germinação; 4. MAP aplicado até 30 dias após a germinação e 5. MAP aplicado até 42 dias após a germinação. Nos tratamentos 3, 4 e 5 o MAP foi aplicado via água de irrigação. Os tratamentos receberam a mesma dosagem de fósforo (120 kg/ha de P2O5, conforme recomendado pela análise do solo. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições. Constatou-se que as maiores produtividades de frutos comerciais foram obtidas com MAP (27,42 t/ha e com superfosfato simples (25,96 t/ha aplicados pelo método convencional, não diferindo do MAP aplicado via água de irrigação até 30 e 42 dias após a germinação, mas superando a produtividade de 19,47 t/ha obtida com o MAP aplicado via água de irrigação até 15 dias após a germinação. Verificou-se que as fontes de fósforo e os modos de aplicação não influenciaram no peso médio dos frutos (1,86 kg/fruto -- 89,40% dos frutos obtidos enquadraram-se nos tipos 6 e 8 -- e no teor de sólidos solúveis nos frutos por ocasião da colheita, cujos valores oscilaram entre 12,75 e 13,17º Brix.This study was carried out at Petrolina, PE, Brazil, with the objective of evaluating the effect of two sources of phosphorus applied conventionally and through trickle water irrigation on melon (Cucumis melo L., cv. Valenciano Amarelo. The experiment was run in a randomized complete blocks design, with four replications and five treatments: 1. simple superphosphate; 2. monoammonium phosphate (MAP applied

  5. INFLUENCIA DE LA DENSIDAD DE SIEMBRA Y LA PODA EN EL CULTIVO DEL PEPINO (Cucumis sativus

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    Paublo Javier Bravo Bravo

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available El objetivo de la investigación fue determinar la influencia de la densidad de siembra y el número de poda de ejes en el cultivo de pepino (Cucumis sativus. Se estudiaron tres distancias de siembra 1.0x0.2, 1.0x0.4 y 1.0x 0.6 m y la poda de ejes productivos dejando 1, 2 y 3 ejes por planta. La poda se realizó a los 30 días después del trasplante. Se evaluaron las características del fruto de diámetro (cm, longitud (cm, peso (g, fruto por planta y rendimiento por hectárea. Los tratamientos se distribuyeron en un diseño de bloques al azar y los datos se analizaron mediante análisis de varianza. Se obtuvo diferencias para la variable rendimiento/hectárea con respecto al resto de las variables evaluadas.

  6. Antidiabetic effects of Momordica charantia (bitter melon) and its medicinal potency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, Baby; Jini, D

    2013-01-01

    Diabetes mellitus is among the most common disorder in developed and developing countries, and the disease is increasing rapidly in most parts of the world. It has been estimated that up to one-third of patients with diabetes mellitus use some form of complementary and alternative medicine. One plant that has received the most attention for its anti-diabetic properties is bitter melon, Momordica charantia (M. charantia), commonly referred to as bitter gourd, karela and balsam pear. Its fruit is also used for the treatment of diabetes and related conditions amongst the indigenous populations of Asia, South America, India and East Africa. Abundant pre-clinical studies have documented in the anti-diabetic and hypoglycaemic effects of M. charantia through various postulated mechanisms. However, clinical trial data with human subjects are limited and flawed by poor study design and low statistical power. The present review is an attempt to highlight the antidiabetic activity as well as phytochemical and pharmacological reports on M. charantia and calls for better-designed clinical trials to further elucidate its possible therapeutic effects on diabetes.

  7. Antidiabetic effects of Momordica charantia (bitter melon and its medicinal potency

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    Baby Joseph

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Diabetes mellitus is among the most common disorder in developed and developing countries, and the disease is increasing rapidly in most parts of the world. It has been estimated that up to one-third of patients with diabetes mellitus use some form of complementary and alternative medicine. One plant that has received the most attention for its anti-diabetic properties is bitter melon, Momordica charantia (M. charantia, commonly referred to as bitter gourd, karela and balsam pear. Its fruit is also used for the treatment of diabetes and related conditions amongst the indigenous populations of Asia, South America, India and East Africa. Abundant pre-clinical studies have documented in the anti-diabetic and hypoglycaemic effects of M. charantia through various postulated mechanisms. However, clinical trial data with human subjects are limited and flawed by poor study design and low statistical power. The present review is an attempt to highlight the antidiabetic activity as well as phytochemical and pharmacological reports on M. charantia and calls for better-designed clinical trials to further elucidate its possible therapeutic effects on diabetes.

  8. Genome-Wide Analysis of Simple Sequence Repeats in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia

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    Junjie Cui

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia is widely cultivated as a vegetable and medicinal herb in many Asian and African countries. After the sequencing of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus, watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, and melon (Cucumis melo genomes, bitter gourd became the fourth cucurbit species whose whole genome was sequenced. However, a comprehensive analysis of simple sequence repeats (SSRs in bitter gourd, including a comparison with the three aforementioned cucurbit species has not yet been published. Here, we identified a total of 188,091 and 167,160 SSR motifs in the genomes of the bitter gourd lines ‘Dali-11’ and ‘OHB3-1,’ respectively. Subsequently, the SSR content, motif lengths, and classified motif types were characterized for the bitter gourd genomes and compared among all the cucurbit genomes. Lastly, a large set of 138,727 unique in silico SSR primer pairs were designed for bitter gourd. Among these, 71 primers were selected, all of which successfully amplified SSRs from the two bitter gourd lines ‘Dali-11’ and ‘K44’. To further examine the utilization of unique SSR primers, 21 SSR markers were used to genotype a collection of 211 bitter gourd lines from all over the world. A model-based clustering method and phylogenetic analysis indicated a clear separation among the geographic groups. The genomic SSR markers developed in this study have considerable potential value in advancing bitter gourd research.

  9. Biology of Anastrepha grandis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Different Cucurbits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolzan, Anderson; Nava, Dori E; Garcia, Flávio R M; Valgas, Ricardo A; Smaniotto, Giovani

    2015-06-01

    Anastrepha grandis (Macquart) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the main pests of cucurbits in Brazil. Losses occur due to the damage caused to the fruits and the embargo on exports, as A. grandis is considered a quarantine pest in countries that import Brazilian cucurbits. This study aimed to evaluate the development of A. grandis in hosts of the Cucurbitaceae family. The hosts used were stem squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), squash (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne), chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Swartz], mini watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai], Spanish melon (Cucumis melo L.), hybrid squash "Tetsukabuto" (C. moschata×Cucurbita maxima Duchesne), and salad cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). We evaluated the viability and duration of egg-to-pupa period, pupal weight, sex ratio, and average number of pupae per fruit under controlled conditions of temperature, relative humidity, and photophase. The preoviposition and oviposition periods, fecundity, fertility, and longevity of females were determined for adults. Hosts of the genus Cucurbita provided a better development of A. grandis in comparison with other hosts, and presented a greater number of insects on fruit as well as higher infestation rate. Fecundity and longevity were also higher for females that developed in hosts of the genus Cucurbita, although values of these biological parameters varied between stem squash, squash, hybrid squash "Tetsukabuto." © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. Evaluation of feed value of a by-product of pickled radish for ruminants: analyses of nutrient composition, storage stability, and in vitro ruminal fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Seoyoung; Sohn, Keun-Nam; Seo, Seongwon

    2016-01-01

    By-products of pickled radish (BPR) are considered food waste. Approximately 300 g/kg of the total mass of raw materials becomes BPR. Production of pickled radish has grown continuously and is presently about 40,000 metric tons annually in Korea. The objective of the present study was thus to explore the possibility of using BPR as a ruminant feed ingredient. BPR contained a large amount of moisture (more than 800 g/kg) and ash, and comprised mostly sodium (103 g/kg DM) and chloride (142 g/kg DM). On a dry matter basis, the crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) levels in BPR were 75 g/kg and 7 g/kg, respectively. The total digestible nutrient (TDN) level was 527 g/kg and the major portion of digestible nutrients was carbohydrate; 88 % organic matter (OM) was carbohydrate and 65 % of total carbohydrate was soluble or degradable fiber. The coefficient of variation (CV) of nutrient contents among production batches ranged from 4.65 to 33.83 %. The smallest CV was observed in OM, and the largest, in EE. The variation in CP content was relatively small (10.11 %). The storage stability test revealed that storage of BPR at 20 °C (room temperature) might not cause spoilage for 4 d, and possibly longer. If BPR is refrigerated, spoilage can be deferred for 21 d and longer. The in vitro ruminal fermentation study showed that substitution of annual ryegrass straw with BPR improved ruminal fermentation, as evidenced by an increase in VFA concentration, DM degradability, and total gas production. The major portion of nutrients in BPR is soluble or degradable fiber that can be easily fermented in the rumen without adverse effects, to provide energy to ruminant animals. Although its high sodium chloride content needs to be considered when formulating a ration, BPR can be successfully used as a feed ingredient in a ruminant diet, particularly if it is one component of a total mixed ration.

  11. Yield, nitrogen uptake and nitrogen use efficiency by tomato, pepper, cucumber, melon and eggplant as affected by nitrogen rates applied with drip-irrigation under greenhouse conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halitligil, M.B.; Akin, A.I.; Kislal, H.; Ozturk, A.; Deviren, A.

    2002-01-01

    A number of experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of different N rates applied through drip irrigation on the growth and N uptake by tomato, pepper, cucumber, melon and eggplant under greenhouse conditions. It was found that, for tomato, the % NUE was significantly increased by applying the N fertilizer through fertigation (53.9%) as compared to the soil application (34.0%) at 100 mg N/L. In general, any further increase of N fertilizer did not have an improving effect on the tomato yield. With pepper, the % NUE was significantly increased by applying the N fertilizer in the irrigation water (49.2%) as compared to the soil application (33.9%) at the same N level (140 mg N/L), being the optimum N rate under our greenhouse conditions. At a fertilization level of 100 mg N/L with fertigation, the % NUE was significantly increased as compared to the soil application. With respectively cucumber, melon and eggplant; the % NUE with fertigation was 63.4, 21.4 and 50.8%, while with soil application it was 34,0 11.0 and 18.8%. (author)

  12. Development of transport technique by chilling for melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptela: Dephritidae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanahara, A.; Kirihara, S.; Kakinohana, H.

    1994-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of chilling on mass-reared melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae COQ., groups of adult flies were exposed to 3, 0.5, -2.2 and -3.5°C for 6, 12, 24 and 48h. The recovery and longevity of adult chilled for less than 24h at about 0.5°C was not adversely affected. A special container for chilled flies, which was able to keep the temperature below 10°C for 4h, was designed for their long-distance transport. The longevities of flies using aerial distribution by helicopter and hand release on the ground using the chilled transport container were compared with direct release from an emergence box without chilling at Miyagi Island in Okinawa Prefecture. There were no significant differences in longevity between the three release methods

  13. Flightless mutants in the melon fly and oriental fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their possible role in the sterile insect release method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCombs, S.D.; Saul, S.H.

    1992-01-01

    Two new mutants that affect adult wing morphology and render the flies incapable of flight.sbd.bubble wing (bw) in the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), and small wing (sw) in the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel).sbd.are described. Both mutants have variable expression and are caused by autosomal, recessive genes. We discuss the possible role of these alleles in constructing genetic sex sorting systems to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the sterile insect release method

  14. CONSUMERS'ACCEPTANCE OF FRESH AND COMBINED METHODS PROCESSED MELON, MANGO AND CASHEW APPLE ACEITAÇÃO DO CONSUMIDOR DE MELÃO, MANGA E CAJU IN NATURA E PROCESSADOS POR MÉTODOS COMBINADOS

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    RENATA TIEKO NASSU

    2001-12-01

    Full Text Available Fresh and combined methods processed Cantaloupe melons, mangoes and cashew apples were submitted to consumers' acceptance and scored on a nine-point hedonic scale. Fruits were osmotically treated in sucrose syrup with two different concentrations of SO2. Overall acceptance, appearance, aroma, flavor and texture were evaluated. Fresh cashew apples received lower scores for acceptance than processed cashew apples while fresh mangoes were more acceptable than processed mangoes. Acceptance of fresh melons and processed melons was similar. Treatments of the tropical fruits with two different concentrations of SO2 did not demonstrate significant differences between the fruits tested.Melões 'Cantaloupe', mangas e pedúnculos de caju in natura e processados por métodos combinados foram submetidos a testes de aceitação, utilizando-se de escala hedônica de nove pontos. As frutas sofreram tratamento osmótico em um xarope de sacarose com duas diferentes concentrações de SO2. Foram avaliados aceitação global, aparência, aroma, sabor e textura. Pedúnculos de caju in natura obtiveram notas menores para aceitação se comparados aos processados, enquanto mangas in natura foram mais aceitas do que as processadas. A aceitação de melões in natura e processados foi similar. Tratamentos com diferentes concentrações de SO2 não apresentaram diferenças significativas entre os frutos estudados.

  15. Characterization of high exopolysaccharide-producing Lactobacillus strains isolated from mustard pickles for potential probiotic applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jing-Yao; Kao, Cheng-Yen; Liu, We-Sin; Fang, Tony J

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this study was to characterize high exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from mustard pickles in Taiwan for potential probiotic applications. Among 39 collected LAB strains, four most productive EPS-producing strains were selected for further analysis. Comparative analyses of 16S rDNA genes rpoA and pheS sequences demonstrated that these strains were members of Lactobacillus plantarum-group (LPG). NCD 2, NLD 4, SLC 13, and NLD 16 showed survival rates of 95.83% ± 0.49%, 95.07% ± 0.64%, 105.84% ± 0.82%, and 99.65% ± 0.31% under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, respectively. No cytotoxic effects on macrophage RAW 264.7 cells were observed when they were treated with a low dose (1 μg/ml) of stimulants extracted from the tested LAB strains. The production of nitric oxide in RAW 264.7 cells incubated with various LAB stimulants showed a dose-dependent increase. Among the four strains, SLC 13 showed higher inhibitory activity on growth of Enterococcus faecalis (BCRC 12302) and Yersinia enterocolitica (BCRC 10807). NLD 4 showed strong inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ATCC 43894) as compared with the other three strains. In summary, our results suggest that Lactobacillus pentosus SLC 13 may be a good candidate for probiotic applications and for development of antibacterial compounds. [Int Microbiol 20(2):75-84 (2017)]. Copyright© by the Spanish Society for Microbiology and Institute for Catalan Studies.

  16. Identification of innovative potential quality markers in rocket and melon fresh-cut produce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavaiuolo, Marina; Cocetta, Giacomo; Bulgari, Roberta; Spinardi, Anna; Ferrante, Antonio

    2015-12-01

    Ready-to-eat fresh cut produce are exposed to pre- and postharvest abiotic stresses during the production chain. Our work aimed to identify stress responsive genes as new molecular markers of quality that can be widely applied to leaves and fruits and easily determined at any stage of the production chain. Stress responsive genes associated with quality losses were isolated in rocket and melon fresh-cut produce and their expression levels analyzed by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) at different time points after harvest at 20 °C and 4 °C. qRT-PCR results were supported by correlation analysis with physiological and biochemical determinations evaluated at the same conditions such as chlorophyll a fluorescence indices, total, reducing sugars, sucrose, ethylene, ascorbic acid, lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species. In both species the putative molecular markers increased their expression soon after harvest suggesting a possible use as novel and objective quality markers of fresh-cut produces. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Renormalizable group field theory beyond melonic diagrams: An example in rank four

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrozza, Sylvain; Lahoche, Vincent; Oriti, Daniele

    2017-09-01

    We prove the renormalizability of a gauge-invariant, four-dimensional group field theory (GFT) model on SU(2), whose defining interactions correspond to necklace bubbles (found also in the context of new large-N expansions of tensor models), rather than melonic ones, which are not renormalizable in this case. The respective scaling of different interactions in the vicinity of the Gaussian fixed point is determined by the renormalization group itself. This is possible because the appropriate notion of canonical dimension of the GFT coupling constants takes into account the detailed combinatorial structure of the individual interaction terms. This is one more instance of the peculiarity (and greater mathematical richness) of GFTs with respect to ordinary local quantum field theories. We also explore the renormalization group flow of the model at the nonperturbative level, using functional renormalization group methods, and identify a nontrivial fixed point in various truncations. This model is expected to have a similar structure of divergences as the GFT models of 4D quantum gravity, thus paving the way to more detailed investigations on them.

  18. The Challenge of Peat Substitution in Organic Seedling Production: Optimization of Growing Media Formulation through Mixture Design and Response Surface Analysis.

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    Francesco Giovanni Ceglie

    Full Text Available Peat replacement is an increasing demand in containerized and transplant production, due to the environmental constraints associated to peat use. However, despite the wide information concerning the use of alternative materials as substrates, it is very complex to establish the best materials and mixtures. This work evaluates the use of mixture design and surface response methodology in a peat substitution experiment using two alternative materials (green compost and palm fibre trunk waste for transplant production of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.; melon, (Cucumis melo L.; and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. in organic farming conditions. In general, the substrates showed suitable properties for their use in seedling production, showing the best plant response the mixture of 20% green compost, 39% palm fibre and 31% peat. The mixture design and applied response surface methodology has shown to be an useful approach to optimize substrate formulations in peat substitution experiments to standardize plant responses.

  19. Transcriptomic events involved in melon mature-fruit abscission comprise the sequential induction of cell-wall degrading genes coupled to a stimulation of endo and exocytosis.

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    Jorge Corbacho

    Full Text Available Mature-fruit abscission (MFA in fleshy-fruit is a genetically controlled process with mechanisms that, contrary to immature-fruit abscission, has not been fully characterized. Here, we use pyrosequencing to characterize the transcriptomes of melon abscission zone (AZ at three stages during AZ-cell separation in order to understand MFA control at an early stage of AZ-activation.The results show that by early induction of MFA, the melon AZ exhibits major gene induction, while by late induction of MFA, melon AZ shows major gene repression. Although some genes displayed similar regulation in both early and late induction of abscission, such as EXT1-EXT4, EGase1, IAA2, ERF1, AP2D15, FLC, MADS2, ERAF17, SAP5 and SCL13 genes, the majority had different expression patterns. This implies that time-specific events occur during MFA, and emphasizes the value of characterizing multiple time-specific abscission transcriptomes. Analysis of gene-expression from these AZs reveal that a sequential induction of cell-wall-degrading genes is associated with the upregulation of genes involved in endo and exocytosis, and a shift in plant-hormone metabolism and signaling genes during MFA. This is accompanied by transcriptional activity of small-GTPases and synthaxins together with tubulins, dynamins, V-type ATPases and kinesin-like proteins potentially involved in MFA signaling. Early events are potentially controlled by down-regulation of MADS-box, AP2/ERF and Aux/IAA transcription-factors, and up-regulation of homeobox, zinc finger, bZIP, and WRKY transcription-factors, while late events may be controlled by up-regulation of MYB transcription-factors.Overall, the data provide a comprehensive view on MFA in fleshy-fruit, identifying candidate genes and pathways associated with early induction of MFA. Our comprehensive gene-expression profile will be very useful for elucidating gene regulatory networks of the MFA in fleshy-fruit.

  20. Risk of field cultivation of pickling cucumber caused by unfavorable sunshine duration conditions Risco do cultivo de campo de pepino decapado causado por condições desfavoráveis de duração de brilho solar

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    Robert Kalbarczyk

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Solar energy, accessible to plants during sunshine from the sunrise to the sunset is of key importance in productivity of agrocenoses. The aim of the work was to determine risk of pickling cucumber cultivation caused by an unfavorable course of sunshine duration in Poland on the basis of a 40-year research period 1966-2005. The research into the subject was undertaken due to frequent occurrence of sunshine deficiency in Poland and its high temporal and spatial variability. Effect of solar conditions described by sunshine duration in the five development stages on the quantity of the total and marketable yield of cucumber with consideration of a linear trend of an independent variable was determined by means of multiple regression analysis. The accuracy of the equations was evaluated on the basis of, among other things, determination coefficient, average relative forecast error and the indexes: mean bias error (MBE, mean absolute bias error (MABE and root mean square error (RMSE. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. yield was confirmed for the period from the end of emergence to the beginning of flowering and from the beginning of harvesting to the end of harvesting. Cucumber yield was lower by 18% than the multiannual average in the years 1966-2005 every 1.5-2 years -in the case of the occurrence of the shortage in the period from the end of emergence to the beginning of flowering and by 12-15% every 2-3 years in the period from the beginning of harvesting to the end of harvesting. In four years, out of the 40 considered ones, simultaneously in both cucumber development stages, unfavorable solar conditions occurred, causing reduction by at least 5% in the total yield of the plant in Poland, and in three years - the marketable yield.A disponibilidade de energia solar para as plantas desde o nascer ao por do sol é de fundamental importância para todo agronegócio. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o risco da produção de pepino (Cucumis sativus

  1. Aplicação do método QDF na avaliação do perfil do consumidor de melão amarelo Consumer profile evaluation by quality function development for melon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camila Abrahão

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available A busca pela longevidade e a procura por alimentos mais saudáveis fizeram com que os consumidores se tornassem cada vez mais exigentes. Diante disso, procurou-se estabelecer o comportamento de compra dos consumidores de melão no Mercado Municipal de Piracicaba (SP através do método de Desdobramento da Função Qualidade (QFD e, com base nas respostas obtidas nos questionários aplicados, traçou-se o perfil dos consumidores, destacando-se suas preferências, costumes, reclamações e exigências. Verificou-se que é a mulher que realiza as compras do melão, com preferência pelo consumo na forma in natura. Encontrou-se insatisfação de 42,8% dos entrevistados quanto à qualidade do melão, sendo o sabor aguado a principal causa de descontentamento. Logo, a qualidade do melão não correspondia àquela indicada pelos consumidores (casca sem defeitos, coloração amarela característica da variedade, textura firme, suculento, de preço acessível, garantia de qualidade e gosto doce. Diante da insatisfação dos consumidores e considerando-se que o melão é consumido preferencialmente in natura, deve-se atentar para a preservação da sua aparência e qualidade sensorial. A opinião dos consumidores deve ser considerada na tentativa de identificar os pontos que devem ser melhorados dentro da cadeia de comercialização a fim de minimizar as perdas e promover a melhoria e a manutenção da qualidade do produto final.The search for longevity and the demand for healthy food have made consumers more conscious. A study was carried out to evaluate the purchasing habits of melon consumers in the Municipal Market of Piracicaba (São Paulo State, Brazil by the Quality Function Development (QFD Method. With the answers to the questionnaire, it was possible to determine the consumers' preferences, habits, complaints, and demands. It was verified that women are the consumers and that melons are consumed raw. 42.8% of the interviewees complained about

  2. Effect of Lemongrass Essential Oil Vapors on Microbial Dynamics and Listeria monocytogenes Survival on Rocket and Melon Stored under Different Packaging Conditions and Temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadjilouka, Agni; Polychronopoulou, Melissanthi; Paramithiotis, Spiros; Tzamalis, Periklis; Drosinos, Eleftherios H.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of lemongrass essential oil vapors on the dynamics of surface microbiota and L. monocytogenes growth on rocket and melon under different packaging conditions and storage temperature. For that purpose, rocket and melon were placed on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) trays, sprayed with L. monocytogenes to a population of 4.5–5.0 log CFU·g−1, packaged using microperforated Oriented Polypropylene (OPP) film in either air or Microperforated Active Modified Atmosphere (MAMA) (initial atmosphere 5% O2, 10% CO2) including a Whatman paper containing the essential oil, without contact with the product, and stored at 0, 5, 10, and 15 °C. Application of lemongrass exhibited a bactericidal effect on enterococci and a fungistatic effect on yeast-mould populations but only during air storage of rocket. The former took place at all temperatures and the latter only at 10 and 15 °C. No effect on shelf life of both products was recorded. However, an important effect on the sensorial properties was observed; during the first 4–5 days of storage both products were organoleptically unacceptable. Regarding MAMA packaging, it affected only Pseudomonas spp. population resulting in a reduction of 1–2 log CFU·g−1 in both products. PMID:27682104

  3. Momordica charantia (bitter melon attenuates high-fat diet-associated oxidative stress and neuroinflammation

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    Feher Domonkos

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The rising epidemic of obesity is associated with cognitive decline and is considered as one of the major risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammation is a critical component in the progression of several neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Increased metabolic flux to the brain during overnutrition and obesity can orchestrate stress response, blood-brain barrier (BBB disruption, recruitment of inflammatory immune cells from peripheral blood and microglial cells activation leading to neuroinflammation. The lack of an effective treatment for obesity-associated brain dysfunction may have far-reaching public health ramifications, urgently necessitating the identification of appropriate preventive and therapeutic strategies. The objective of our study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of Momordica charantia (bitter melon on high-fat diet (HFD-associated BBB disruption, stress and neuroinflammatory cytokines. Methods C57BL/6 female mice were fed HFD with and without bitter melon (BM for 16 weeks. BBB disruption was analyzed using Evans blue dye. Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS perfused brains were analyzed for neuroinflammatory markers such as interleukin-22 (IL-22, IL-17R, IL-16, NF-κB1, and glial cells activation markers such as Iba1, CD11b, GFAP and S100β. Additionally, antioxidant enzymes, ER-stress proteins, and stress-resistant transcription factors, sirtuin 1 (Sirt1 and forkhead box class O transcription factor (FoxO were analyzed using microarray, quantitative real-time RT-PCR, western immunoblotting and enzymatic assays. Systemic inflammation was analyzed using cytokine antibody array. Results BM ameliorated HFD-associated changes in BBB permeability as evident by reduced leakage of Evans blue dye. HFD-induced glial cells activation and expression of neuroinflammatory markers such as NF-κB1, IL-16, IL-22 as well as IL-17R were normalized in the brains of mice supplemented with BM

  4. Aspectos produtivos e de qualidade de híbridos de melão cultivados no agropolo Mossoró-Assu Yield and quality aspects of melon hybrids grown in agropolo Mossoró-Assu

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glauber Henrique de S. Nunes

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available Dois experimentos foram realizados com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho produtivo e qualitativo de híbridos de melão no agropolo Mossoró-Assu. Em ambos os experimentos foi utilizado o delineamento em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. O primeiro experimento foi constituído de seis híbridos de melão Gália e dois do tipo Cantaloupe, e o segundo foi composto de sete híbridos de melão Amarelo, um Pele de sapo e três Orange Flesh. Avaliaram-se a produtividade, peso médio do fruto, cavidade interna, espessura da polpa, aparências externa e interna, perda de peso, teor de sólidos solúveis e firmeza da polpa. Considerando as variáveis utilizadas na avaliação, constatou-se variação entre os híbridos nos dois experimentos. Entre os melões Gália, destacaram-se os híbridos DRG 1531 e DRG 1537. Os melões Red Flesh e AFX 700 foram os mais promissores entre os melões do tipo Orange Flesh. Por fim, entre os melões do tipo Valenciano, destacaram-se os híbridos Gold Mine, Gold Pride e Gold Star.Two experiments were carried out with the objective of evaluating the quality and yield performance of hybrids of melon in agropolo Mossoró-Assu, Brazil. In both experiments a randomized complete blocks design with four replications was used. In the first experiment six Galia and two Cantaloupe hybrids were used and in the second experiment seven Yellow hybrids, one Piel del Sapo and three Orange Flesh hybrids were evaluated. Evaluations of productivity, average fruit weight, internal cavity, pulp thickness, external and internal appearance, weight loss, total soluble solids and pulp firmness were made. Variation among the hybrids in both experiments for the assessed characteristics were observed. Among Gália melons, the hybrids DRG 1531 and DRG 1537 were the most promising while among Orange Flesh melons, the Red Flesh and AFX 700 hybrids were the best. Among Yellow melons, the hybrids Gold Mine, Gold Pride and Gold Star were the

  5. Contamination levels of mercury and cadmium in melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) from a mass stranding on the Japanese coast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Endo, Tetsuya [Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, 1757 Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293 (Japan)], E-mail: endotty@hoku-iryo-u.ac.jp; Hisamichi, Yohsuke; Kimura, Osamu [Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, 1757 Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293 (Japan); Haraguchi, Koichi [Daiichi College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 22-1 Tamagawa-Cho, Minami-Ku, Fukuoka 815-8511 (Japan); Baker, C. Scott [Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon 97365 (United States)

    2008-08-15

    Total mercury (T-Hg), methyl mercury (M-Hg), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) concentrations in the organs of melon-headed whales from a mass stranding on the Japanese coast were analyzed. The mean concentration of T-Hg in the liver (126 {+-} 97 {mu}g/wet g, n = 13) was markedly higher than those in kidney (6.34 {+-} 2.36 {mu}g/wet g, n = 12) and muscle (4.90 {+-} 2.33 {mu}g/wet g, n = 15). In contrast, the mean concentration of M-Hg in the liver (9.08 {+-} 2.24 {mu}g/wet g) was similar to those in the kidney (3.47 {+-} 0.91 {mu}g/wet g) and muscle (3.78 {+-} 1.53 {mu}g/wet g). The mean percentage of M-Hg in the T-Hg found in the liver (13.1 {+-} 10.3) was significantly lower than those in the kidney (58.3 {+-} 15.0) and muscle (78.9 {+-} 8.4). The molar ratio of T-Hg to Se in the liver was effectively 1.0, but those in the kidney and muscle were markedly lower. Conversely, the mean concentration of Cd was markedly higher in the kidney (24.4 {+-} 7.4 {mu}g/wet g) than in the liver (7.24 {+-} 2.08 {mu}g/wet g) and muscle (less than 0.05 {mu}g/wet g). These results suggest that the formation of Hg-Se compounds mainly occurs in the liver after the demethylation of M-Hg, and Cd preferentially accumulates in the kidney of melon-headed whales.

  6. Carbon dioxide evolution and temperature factors in early growth of plastic mulched plants. [Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus; Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Betts, C.; Ruf, R.H. Jr.

    1966-01-01

    Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa) were grown in the greenhouse in redwood boxes with bare and plastic mulched soil. Soil temperature in the bare boxes was equated to the plastic mulch with buried temperature coils. Bottled CO/sub 2/ was used to bring the concentration around the plants in bare soil up to the concentration around mulched plants. Carbon dioxide was sampled in leaf canopy. The temperature treatment increased the yields of the bare soil so that they were comparable to those of the plastic mulched soil. Yields from the soil with the auxiliary CO/sub 2/ were lower than those of the mulched treatment.

  7. Fungos isolados da rizosfera de plantios de melão (Cucumis melo L. ev. Gold Mine) adubados com compostos orgânicos, destacando os solubilizadores de fósforo

    OpenAIRE

    Paiva Coutinho, Flavia

    2007-01-01

    A rizosfera é a região do solo influenciada pelas raízes, as quais disponibilizam nutrientes através dos exsudados, afetando intensamente a atividade e o desenvolvimento dos microrganismos. Dentre esses, destacam-se os solubilizadores de P, considerados de grande importância na rizosfera por possuírem habilidade para disponibilizar, para as plantas, o fosfato insolúvel presente nos compostos. Foram coletadas amostras de solo rizosférico em áreas cultivadas com melão (Cucumis melo cv. Gold Min...

  8. Insights into salicylic acid responses in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cotyledons based on a comparative proteomic analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, J H; Dong, C J; Zhang, Z G; Wang, X L; Shang, Q M

    2012-05-01

    To investigate the response of cucumber seedlings to exogenous salicylic acid (SA) and gain a better understanding of SA action mechanism, we generated a proteomic profile of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cotyledons treated with exogenous SA. Analysis of 1500 protein spots from each gel revealed 63 differentially expressed proteins, 59 of which were identified successfully. Of the identified proteins, 97% matched cucumber proteins using a whole cucumber protein database based on the newly completed genome established by our laboratory. The identified proteins were involved in various cellular responses and metabolic processes, including antioxidative reactions, cell defense, photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, respiration and energy homeostasis, protein folding and biosynthesis. The two largest functional categories included proteins involved in antioxidative reactions (23.7%) and photosynthesis (18.6%). Furthermore, the SA-responsive protein interaction network revealed 13 key proteins, suggesting that the expression changes of these proteins could be critical for SA-induced resistance. An analysis of these changes suggested that SA-induced resistance and seedling growth might be regulated in part through pathways involving antioxidative reactions and photosynthesis. © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Genome wide characterization of simple sequence repeats in watermelon genome and their application in comparative mapping and genetic diversity analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Huayu; Song, Pengyao; Koo, Dal-Hoe; Guo, Luqin; Li, Yanman; Sun, Shouru; Weng, Yiqun; Yang, Luming

    2016-08-05

    Microsatellite markers are one of the most informative and versatile DNA-based markers used in plant genetic research, but their development has traditionally been difficult and costly. The whole genome sequencing with next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies provides large amounts of sequence data to develop numerous microsatellite markers at whole genome scale. SSR markers have great advantage in cross-species comparisons and allow investigation of karyotype and genome evolution through highly efficient computation approaches such as in silico PCR. Here we described genome wide development and characterization of SSR markers in the watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) genome, which were then use in comparative analysis with two other important crop species in the Cucurbitaceae family: cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and melon (Cucumis melo L.). We further applied these markers in evaluating the genetic diversity and population structure in watermelon germplasm collections. A total of 39,523 microsatellite loci were identified from the watermelon draft genome with an overall density of 111 SSRs/Mbp, and 32,869 SSR primers were designed with suitable flanking sequences. The dinucleotide SSRs were the most common type representing 34.09 % of the total SSR loci and the AT-rich motifs were the most abundant in all nucleotide repeat types. In silico PCR analysis identified 832 and 925 SSR markers with each having a single amplicon in the cucumber and melon draft genome, respectively. Comparative analysis with these cross-species SSR markers revealed complicated mosaic patterns of syntenic blocks among the genomes of three species. In addition, genetic diversity analysis of 134 watermelon accessions with 32 highly informative SSR loci placed these lines into two groups with all accessions of C.lanatus var. citorides and three accessions of C. colocynthis clustered in one group and all accessions of C. lanatus var. lanatus and the remaining accessions of C. colocynthis

  10. Uptake and/or utilization of two simple phenolic acids by Cucumis sativus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shann, J.R.

    1986-01-01

    The uptake of ferulic acid (FA) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HBA) from solutions (0.1 to 1.00 mM, pH 4.0 to 7.0), was determined for intact and excised roots of Cucumis sativus. Uptake methods based on high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of phenolic acid depletion from solution were compared to those radioisotopic methods employing [U-ring- 14 C]FA or p-HBA. Although radiotracer methods more accurately reflected actual uptake of the compounds by cucumber seedlings, HPLC solution depletion methods may be useful in the elucidation of trends over very limited periods of time. The uptake of FA was unaffected by the presence of p-HBA. The uptake of p-HBA was reduced by 30% in the presence of FA when compared to the uptake from solutions containing p-HBA alone. Ferulic acid acts both as an allelopathic agent and precursor in the endogenous process of lignification. To evaluate the involvement of exogenous FA in lignin biosynthesis, roots of hydroponically grown cucumber seedlings were exposed to concentrations of FA labeled with [U-ring- 14 C]FA. Radiotracer was distributed throughout the seedling. A quantitative change in lignification occurred in treated seedlings. In roots and stems, the level of lignin increased with the number of exposures and as the concentrations of exogenous FA increased. Radiotracer was found in the residues of lignin isolated from seedling tissue treated with [U-ring- 14 C]FA. This suggested the utilization of the exogenously applied FA in the endogenous process of lignification

  11. Effect of Lemongrass Essential Oil Vapors on Microbial Dynamics and Listeria monocytogenes Survival on Rocket and Melon Stored under Different Packaging Conditions and Temperatures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agni Hadjilouka

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of lemongrass essential oil vapors on the dynamics of surface microbiota and L. monocytogenes growth on rocket and melon under different packaging conditions and storage temperature. For that purpose, rocket and melon were placed on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS trays, sprayed with L. monocytogenes to a population of 4.5–5.0 log CFU·g−1, packaged using microperforated Oriented Polypropylene (OPP film in either air or Microperforated Active Modified Atmosphere (MAMA (initial atmosphere 5% O2, 10% CO2 including a Whatman paper containing the essential oil, without contact with the product, and stored at 0, 5, 10, and 15 °C. Application of lemongrass exhibited a bactericidal effect on enterococci and a fungistatic effect on yeast-mould populations but only during air storage of rocket. The former took place at all temperatures and the latter only at 10 and 15 °C. No effect on shelf life of both products was recorded. However, an important effect on the sensorial properties was observed; during the first 4–5 days of storage both products were organoleptically unacceptable. Regarding MAMA packaging, it affected only Pseudomonas spp. population resulting in a reduction of 1–2 log CFU·g−1 in both products.

  12. Contamination levels of mercury and cadmium in melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) from a mass stranding on the Japanese coast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endo, Tetsuya; Hisamichi, Yohsuke; Kimura, Osamu; Haraguchi, Koichi; Baker, C. Scott

    2008-01-01

    Total mercury (T-Hg), methyl mercury (M-Hg), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) concentrations in the organs of melon-headed whales from a mass stranding on the Japanese coast were analyzed. The mean concentration of T-Hg in the liver (126 ± 97 μg/wet g, n = 13) was markedly higher than those in kidney (6.34 ± 2.36 μg/wet g, n = 12) and muscle (4.90 ± 2.33 μg/wet g, n = 15). In contrast, the mean concentration of M-Hg in the liver (9.08 ± 2.24 μg/wet g) was similar to those in the kidney (3.47 ± 0.91 μg/wet g) and muscle (3.78 ± 1.53 μg/wet g). The mean percentage of M-Hg in the T-Hg found in the liver (13.1 ± 10.3) was significantly lower than those in the kidney (58.3 ± 15.0) and muscle (78.9 ± 8.4). The molar ratio of T-Hg to Se in the liver was effectively 1.0, but those in the kidney and muscle were markedly lower. Conversely, the mean concentration of Cd was markedly higher in the kidney (24.4 ± 7.4 μg/wet g) than in the liver (7.24 ± 2.08 μg/wet g) and muscle (less than 0.05 μg/wet g). These results suggest that the formation of Hg-Se compounds mainly occurs in the liver after the demethylation of M-Hg, and Cd preferentially accumulates in the kidney of melon-headed whales

  13. Characterization of Acanthosicyos horridus and Citrullus lanatus seed oils: two melon seed oils from Namibia used in food and cosmetics applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheikhyoussef, Natascha; Kandawa-Schulz, Martha; Böck, Ronnie; de Koning, Charles; Cheikhyoussef, Ahmad; Hussein, Ahmed A

    2017-10-01

    The physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid, tocopherol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, and 1 H NMR profiles of Citrullus lanatus and Acanthosicyos horridus melon seed oils were determined and compared among different extraction methods (cold pressing, traditional, and Soxhlet). The oil content was 40.2 ± 3.45 and 37.8 ± 7.26% for C. lanatus and A. horridus , respectively. Significant differences ( p  yield, physicochemical characteristics, tocopherol, and fatty acid composition have the potential to replace or improve major commercial vegetable oils and to be used for various applications in the food industry and nutritive medicines.

  14. Genotype X Environment Interaction for Yield of Pickling Cucumber in 24 U.S. Environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dia Mahendra

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Reliable yield performance is important in cucumber because seed companies prefer to market cultivars adapted to multiple rather than single regions of the U.S. Also, growers benefit by using a cultivar that performs well in many environments. Future performance of cultivars is also important. The objectives of the study were to (i evaluate the yield of cucumber genotypes over successive years and in different locations, and (ii identify cucumber genotypes with high stability for yield. A diverse set of 22 pickling genotypes was evaluated over 3 years (1986, 1987 and 1988 and in 7 locations across the United States. Yield traits were evaluated using once-over harvest and counting the number of fruit that were marketable, culled or oversize. Total yield, marketable yield (total minus culled fruit, early yield (number of oversize fruit, percent culls and fruit per plant were calculated. Data were analyzed with SASGxE and RGxE programs using SAS and R programming languages, respectively. There were strong effects of environment(E as well as genotype(G xE interaction for all traits. Genotypes ‘Regal F1’, ‘Calypso F1’, ‘Carolina F1’, ‘Gy 3’, ‘Gy 14’ and ‘Fremont F1’ had high marketable yield and medium to high stability for all traits. There was an advantage of hybrids over inbreds for trait performance. Hybrids fell into a single cluster with large prediction intervals. Based on the stability statistics and divisive clusters, it appears possible to breed stable cucumber genotypes with high yield. The genotype with highest performance for marketable yield, greatest stability for yield, lowest 1-R2 ratio value (diverse and representative were ‘Marbel F1’ and Gy 14.

  15. Effect of gamma irradiation on the flight activity of the melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamori, Hiroaki

    1987-01-01

    The duration and distance of flight and the flight velocity of the melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett, were investigated by using a flight mill system. Mean flight duration of the normal female flies was significantly longer than that of the sterile ones which were irradiated with a dose of 7, 20, 30 KR γ-ray. No significant differences were recognized between normal and sterile male flies irradiated with 7 KR. No adverse effect of irradiation on the flight velocity was detected. Flight distance was the longest for the unirradiated flies and it decreased with the increase of the irradiation doses, but the difference among normal and sterile flies irradiated with either 7 or 20 KR was not statistically significant. Generally, the flight ability decreased with the increase of the irradiation doses. (author)

  16. The Importance of the KR-Rich Region of the Coat Protein of Ourmia melon virus for Host Specificity, Tissue Tropism, and Interference With Antiviral Defense.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Marika; Vallino, Marta; Abbà, Simona; Ciuffo, Marina; Balestrini, Raffaella; Genre, Andrea; Turina, Massimo

    2015-01-01

    The N-terminal region of the Ourmia melon virus (OuMV) coat protein (CP) contains a short lysine/arginine-rich (KR) region. By alanine scanning mutagenesis, we showed that the KR region influences pathogenicity and virulence of OuMV without altering viral particle assembly. A mutant, called OuMV6710, with three basic residue substitutions in the KR region, was impaired in the ability to maintain the initial systemic infection in Nicotiana benthamiana and to infect both cucumber and melon plants systemically. The integrity of this protein region was also crucial for encapsidation of viral genomic RNA; in fact, certain mutations within the KR region partially compromised the RNA encapsidation efficiency of the CP. In Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0, OuMV6710 was impaired in particle accumulation; however, this phenotype was abolished in dcl2/dcl4 and dcl2/dcl3/dcl4 Arabidopsis mutants defective for antiviral silencing. Moreover, in contrast to CPwt, in situ immunolocalization experiments indicated that CP6710 accumulates efficiently in the spongy mesophyll tissue of infected N. benthamiana and A. thaliana leaves but only occasionally infects palisade tissues. These results provided strong evidence of a crucial role for OuMV CP during viral infection and highlighted the relevance of the KR region in determining tissue tropism, host range, pathogenicity, and RNA affinity, which may be all correlated with a possible CP silencing-suppression activity.

  17. Response of gut microbiota and inflammatory status to bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) in high fat diet induced obese rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Juan; Zhu, Ying; Dong, Ying

    2016-12-24

    Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is rich in a variety of biologically active ingredients, and has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat various diseases, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. We aimed to investigate how bitter melon powder (BMP) could affect obesity-associated inflammatory responses to ameliorate high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance, and investigated whether its anti-inflammatory properties were effected by modulating the gut microbiota. Obese SD rats (Sprague-Dawley rats, rattus norregicus) were randomly divided into four groups: (a) normal control diet (NCD) and distilled water, (b) HFD and distilled water, (c) HFD and 300mg BMP/kg body weight (bw), (d) HFD and 10mg pioglitazone (PGT)/kg bw. We observed remarkable decreases in the fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR index, serum lipid levels, and cell sizes of epididymal adipose tissues in the BMP and PGT groups after 8 weeks. BMP could significantly improve the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10), and local endotoxin levels compared to the HFD group (p<0.05). BMP suppressed the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) by inhibiting inhibitor of NF-κB alpha (IκBα) degradation and phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase/ p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (JNK/p38 MAPKs) in adipose tissue. Sequencing results illustrated that BMP treatment markedly decreased the proportion of the endotoxin-producing opportunistic pathogens and increased butyrate producers. These results demonstrate that BMP ameliorates insulin sensitivity partly via relieving the inflammatory status in the system and in white adipose tissues of obese rats, and is associated with a proportional regulation of specific gut microbiota. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Alkaline stress and iron deficiency regulate iron uptake and riboflavin synthesis gene expression differently in root and leaf tissue: implications for iron deficiency chlorosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsieh, En-Jung; Waters, Brian M

    2016-10-01

    Iron (Fe) is an essential mineral that has low solubility in alkaline soils, where its deficiency results in chlorosis. Whether low Fe supply and alkaline pH stress are equivalent is unclear, as they have not been treated as separate variables in molecular physiological studies. Additionally, molecular responses to these stresses have not been studied in leaf and root tissues simultaneously. We tested how plants with the Strategy I Fe uptake system respond to Fe deficiency at mildly acidic and alkaline pH by measuring root ferric chelate reductase (FCR) activity and expression of selected Fe uptake genes and riboflavin synthesis genes. Alkaline pH increased cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) root FCR activity at full Fe supply, but alkaline stress abolished FCR response to low Fe supply. Alkaline pH or low Fe supply resulted in increased expression of Fe uptake genes, but riboflavin synthesis genes responded to Fe deficiency but not alkalinity. Iron deficiency increased expression of some common genes in roots and leaves, but alkaline stress blocked up-regulation of these genes in Fe-deficient leaves. In roots of the melon (Cucumis melo L.) fefe mutant, in which Fe uptake responses are blocked upstream of Fe uptake genes, alkaline stress or Fe deficiency up-regulation of certain Fe uptake and riboflavin synthesis genes was inhibited, indicating a central role for the FeFe protein. These results suggest a model implicating shoot-to-root signaling of Fe status to induce Fe uptake gene expression in roots. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  19. Boron excess affects photosynthesis and antioxidant apparatus of greenhouse Cucurbita pepo and Cucumis sativus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landi, Marco; Remorini, Damiano; Pardossi, Alberto; Guidi, Lucia

    2013-11-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under boron (B) excess. Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions in a sandy soil-peat mixture using a nutrient solution containing 0.2 (control), 10 and 20 mg L(-1) B. Visible symptoms were quantified and leaf B accumulation, gas exchanges, chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence, malondialdehyde by-products and antioxidants were investigated 20 days after the beginning of the treatments. Boron toxicity induced oxidative load and leaf necrotic burns coupled with the reduction of leaf growth and biomass accumulation in both species. Boron excess resulted in a decrease of Chl a/b ratio, potential (Fv/Fm) and actual (ΦPSII) PSII quantum efficiency, photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration (E) as well. A general stimulation of the antioxidant enzymes ascorbate peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase was observed, and a significant increase in the oxidized form of ascorbate and glutathione was evidenced for treated plants of both species. A difference between the two species was observed: C. pepo appeared to be more sensitive to B stress being damaged at all B concentration. C. sativus grown at 10 mg L(-1) B in nutrient solution showed some down-regulated mechanisms, i.e. increase in Chl b content and a good photochemical PSII efficiency as well as a higher amount of constitutive antioxidant molecules, that, however, are not sufficient to contrast the negative effects of B.

  20. Characteristics of hot spots of melon fly, Bactrocera (Dacus) cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae) in sterile fly release areas on Okinawa island [Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamori, H.; Shiga, M.; Kinjo, K.

    1993-01-01

    The spatio-temporal dynamics of populations of the melon fly, Bactrocera (Dacus) cucurbitae COQUILLETT, in the southern part of Okinawa Island where an eradication program using sterile flies has been conducted, were analyzed in relation to the seasonal succession and abundance of wild and cultivated host fruits. The study areas were classified into four major zones according to the seasonal abundance of flies caught by cue-lure traps and the availability of host fruits including Diplocyclos palmatus, Melothria liukiuensis and Momordica charantia var. pevel. Zone-I is characterized by the continuous presence of host fruits and a relatively-high population density of the melon fly indicated by the cue-lure trap catch of more than 1, 000 flies per 1, 000 traps per day throughout the year. Zone-II has a characteristic decline in both number of host fruits and fly density during the fall-winter period with an annual average of less than 1, 000 flies per 1, 000 traps per day. Zone-III includes areas where host fruits and flies (about 1 fly/trap/day) were relatively abundant only during the winter-spring period. Zone-IV is characterized by constantly low availability of host fruits and low fly density throughout the year. Hot spots, which are defined as areas where the ratio of sterile to wild flies hardly increases despite frequent and intensive release of sterile flies, were found in the Zone-I areas. Therefore, the continuous presence and abundance of host fruits appears to hot spots. For effective control of this species, it is essential to locate such areas and release sterile flies

  1. PORSUK NEHRİ SUYUNUN CUCUMIS SATIVUS (L. TOHUMLARININ FİDE GELİŞİMİ ÜZERİNE ETKİLERİNİN BELİRLENMESİ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet ÇALISEKİ

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Porsuk Çayı 448 km uzunluğu ile Sakarya Irmağı’nın en uzun koludur ve Bayatçık Deresi ile Kızıltaş Suyu’nun birleşmesi ile oluşur. Kütahya Ovası’ndan geçip Eskişehir’in güneybatısında yer alan Porsuk-I ve Porsuk-II barajlarında toplandıktan sonra Eskişehir Ovası’ndan ve Eskişehir ilinden geçer ve Sakarya Irmağı’na ulaşır. Porsuk Çayı, Eskişehir’de tarım arazilerinin sulama suyu olarak kullanılmaktadır. Tüm İç Anadolu’da olduğu gibi Eskişehir’de de tarımı yapılan en yaygın bahçe bitkileri arasında Cucumis sativus (L. yer almaktadır. İnsan beslenmesinde ilk bakışta önemli gibi görünmese de Cucumis sativus; vitaminler, enzimler, mineral maddeler bakımından zengin bir bitkidir. Fakat protein, karbonhidrat ve yağ bakımından fakirdir. Bu çalışmada, tohumların çimlendirilmesinde şehir şebeke suyu ve farklı oranlarda seyreltilmiş, şehir içinde ve şehir dışında belirlenen istasyonlardan alınan Porsuk nehrine ait su örnekleri kullanılmıştır. Fidelerin kök-gövde uzunlukları, kök ve gövdeye ait yaş ve kuru ağırlıklar ölçülerek şebeke suyu ve Porsuk nehrine ait suyun fide gelişimi üzerine etkileri araştırılmıştır. Elde edilen verilere göre, kök uzunluğunun nehir suyunun seyreltme oranı ile doğru orantıda arttığı ve su içeriğinin seyreltme oranı arttıkça azaldığı tespit edilmiştir

  2. Evaluation of a integral systems greenhouse - solar dryer for small growers; Evaluacion de un sistema integral invernadero - secadero solar para pequenos productores

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, Victor O; Iriarte, Adolfo A [INENCO, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Catamarca (Argentina); Carabajal, Dante; Sabadzija, Gabriela; Tomalino, Luis [E.E.A. INTA, Catamarca, Catamarca (Argentina)

    2000-07-01

    Due to poor yielding capacity in the province of Catamarca, Argentina, it is necessary to improve solar drying systems in order to have a better quality final product. It is also essential to divide the costs of infrastructure with other complementary activities because of the need to make drying methods profitable. The system proposed in this work is a dryer-greenhouse with a double purposed macrotunnel greenhouse: during Winter it is used as a yielding system, and in Summer it is prepared to fulfill the functions of a solar dryer. The crops evaluated in winter were: small vegetable marrow (Curcubita maxima L), melon (Cucumis melo), ad cucumber (Cucuis sativus). Crop cycle, harvest time and tield in Kg/m were determined for each species. The assessment of the dryer was made using pepper for paprika observation of the thermal behavior of the product during drying and its final quality. The product obtained had a very good quality in color, taste and aroma with a classification of extra quality according to the Argentine Nutritional Code and the 7541 ISO Standard. Drying time decreased considerably compared to that observed in open air drying, 1995, 1996 and 1997 campaigns were economically assessed, and an evaluation of investments in five years was also conducted obtaining a positive VAN and a TIR above the cost of the best alternative for money expenditure. This integrated system is valid alternative in a sustainable production for small growers. [Spanish] Debido a las caracteristicas productivas de la Provincia de Catamarca Argentina, es necesario optimizar los procesos del secado solar teniendo en cuenta la calidad final del producto. Ademas, debido a la necesidad de rentabilizar los metodos de secado, imprescindible repartir los costos de infraestructura con otro tipo de actividad complementaria. El sistema propuesto en este trabajo es un invernadero secadero que utiliza un invernadero macrotunel que cumple una doble funcion, durante el invierno se usa como

  3. Frequency and foraging behavior of Apis mellifera in two melon hybrids in Juazeiro, state of Bahia, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LÚCIA H.P. KIILL

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The study was carried out to verify if there are differences in foraging frequency and behavior of Apis mellifera in two melon hybrids (10:00 – ‘Yellow melon’ and Sancho -‘Piel de Sapo’ in the municipality of Juazeiro, state of Bahia, Brazil. The frequency, behavior of visitors and the floral resource foraged were registered from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm. There was a significant difference in the frequency of visits when comparing hydrids (F = 103.74, p <0.0001, floral type (F = 47.25, p <0.0001 and resource foraged (F = 239.14, p <0.0001. The flowers of Sancho were more attractive to A. mellifera when compared with hybrid 10:00, which may be correlated to the morphology and floral resources available. This could be solved with scaled planting, avoiding the overlapping of flowering of both types.

  4. Effects of exogenous application of CPPU, NAA and GA4+7 on parthenocarpy and fruit quality in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Chunlu; Ren, Nannan; Wang, Jingye; Xu, Qiang; Chen, Xuehao; Qi, Xiaohua

    2018-03-15

    In protected vegetable fields, plant growth regulators are often used to improve cucumber fruit growth. However, the effects of plant growth regulators on the appearance and nutritional quality of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) remain largely unknown. In the present study, 100 mg/L N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N'-phenylurea (CPPU), naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) or gibberellin A4+A7 (GA 4+7 ) was applied to the female cucumber flowers 1 day before anthesis and at anthesis. The CPPU, NAA and GA 4+7 treatments resulted in parthenocarpic fruits with similar weights, sizes and shapes as the pollinated fruits. NAA treatment did not affect the appearance and nutritional characteristics of cucumber at harvest and after storage. CPPU treatment increased the flesh firmness at harvest but decreased phenolic acid and vitamin C contents after storage. GA 4+7 treatment decreased the flesh firmness but increased total flavonoids and protein content after storage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Identification of the aggregation pheromone of the melon thrips, Thrips palmi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akella, Sudhakar V S; Kirk, William D J; Lu, Yao-bin; Murai, Tamotsu; Walters, Keith F A; Hamilton, James G C

    2014-01-01

    The objective of this study was to identify the aggregation pheromone of the melon thrips Thrips palmi, a major pest of vegetable and ornamental plants around the world. The species causes damage both through feeding activities and as a vector of tospoviruses, and is a threat to world trade and European horticulture. Improved methods of detecting and controlling this species are needed and the identification of an aggregation pheromone will contribute to this requirement. Bioassays with a Y-tube olfactometer showed that virgin female T. palmi were attracted to the odour of live males, but not to that of live females, and that mixed-age adults of both sexes were attracted to the odour of live males, indicating the presence of a male-produced aggregation pheromone. Examination of the headspace volatiles of adult male T. palmi revealed only one compound that was not found in adult females. It was identified by comparison of its mass spectrum and chromatographic details with those of similar compounds. This compound had a structure like that of the previously identified male-produced aggregation pheromone of the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis. The compound was synthesised and tested in eggplant crops infested with T. palmi in Japan. Significantly greater numbers of both males and females were attracted to traps baited with the putative aggregation pheromone compared to unbaited traps. The aggregation pheromone of T. palmi is thus identified as (R)-lavandulyl 3-methyl-3-butenoate by spectroscopic, chromatographic and behavioural analysis.

  6. Evaluation of the impact on food safety of a Lactobacillus coryniformis strain from pickled vegetables with degradation activity against nitrite and other undesirable compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Fang; Feng, Tingting; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

    2016-01-01

    Four strains of lactic acid bacteria showing antimicrobial activity against some food-spoilage microorganisms or pathogens, including both Gram-negative and -positive strains, were isolated from naturally fermented pickled vegetables and a traditional cheese product. Among these isolates, Lactobacillus coryniformis strain BBE-H3, characterised previously to be a non-biogenic amine producer, showed a high level of activity in degrading sodium nitrite and exhibited the ability to eliminate ethyl carbamate and one of its precursors, urea. The antimicrobial substance produced by L. coryniformis BBE-H3 was found to be active at an acidic pH range of 4.0-4.5. The antimicrobial activity of this strain decreased differentially after treatment with proteolytic enzymes (pepsin, papain, trypsin and proteinase K), implying this growth inhibitory compound is either a protein or a polypeptide. The results of this study show the suitability of L. coryniformis BBE-H3 as a starter in food manufacturing processes, and demonstrate its potential role in eliminating food origin carcinogens such as sodium nitrite and ethyl carbamate.

  7. Viabilidade da irrigação do meloeiro com águas salinas em diferentes fases fenológicas Feasibility of irrigation of musk melon with salinity water in different phenological stages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco de Queiroz Porto Filho

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Com o objetivo de estudar os efeitos da aplicação de águas de irrigação de diferentes salinidades no rendimento do melão irrigado por gotejamento e de associar a produção obtida com o custo da água utilizada, desenvolveu-se este trabalho em Mossoró-RN. Águas de diferentes salinidades (S1=0,6, S2=1,9, S3=3,2 e S4=4,5dS m-1, utilizadas de forma incremental em três estádios de desenvolvimento ou sem variar durante o ciclo da cultura, formaram dez tratamentos arranjados em blocos inteiramente casualizados com quatro repetições. O uso de águas salinas por longos períodos afetou a produção de melão. Substituições tardias na salinidade da água tenderam a não exercer efeito significativo sobre a produção do meloeiro. O tratamento irrigado com a água de menor salinidade durante todo ciclo apresentou, simultaneamente, o maior custo com água de irrigação e o maior lucro na produção de melão.This study was carried out in Mossoró, RN, Brazil, to evaluate the effects of different irrigation water salinity levels on yield of drip irrigated melon, and to relate yield with the cost of water. The waters of different salinities (S1=0.6, S2=1.9, S3=3.2 e S4=4.5dS m-1 were used both in incremental way in three different phenological stages and without replacement during the crop cycle totalizing ten treatments arranged in a completely randomized block design with four repetitions. The use of saline waters without substitutions affected melon production. The treatments irrigated with low salinity water presented simultaneously the higher cost of irrigation water and higher profits of melon cultivation.

  8. Fresh cut yellow melon (CAC submitted to different type cuts and concentrations of calcion chloride stored under modified passive atmosphereMelão amarelo (CAC minimamente processado submetido a diferentes cortes e concentrações de cloreto de cálcio armazenado em atmosfera modificada passiva

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rogério Lopes Vieites

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality of yellow melon inodorus Valenciano Amarelo (CAC fresh cut submitted to two cut types and with application postharvest of calcium chloride. After preparation cubes and slices melon were immersed in solution with different calcium chloride (CaCl2 concentrations for two minutes, afterwards they were conditioned in trays of expanded polystyrene (EPS, covered by plastic film of low density polyethylene (PEBD, stored in cold camera to 5°C ±1 and analyzed for 8 days. They were evaluated pH, firmness, tritable acidity (AT, soluble solids (SS sugar reducer and ratio. The pH values varied from 5.27 to 5.68. The sugars reducers content and the ratio were superior in the slices compared to the cubes. The melon slices maintained larger firmness values compared to the cubes and in general there was reduction in the values of this parameter along the storage period for all treatments. Concentrations of 1.0 and 1.5% of CaCl2, result in larger values of firmness. The storage temperature and modified passive atmosphere they contributed to quality maintenance of MP melon. Concentrations of up to 1.0% of CaCl2 they could be recommended to maintain the melon quality MP melon yellow inodorus (CAC.Objetivou-se neste trabalho avaliar a qualidade de melão amarelo inodorus (cultivar Valenciano Amarelo CAC minimamente processado (MP submetido a dois tipos de corte e com aplicação pós-colheita de cloreto de cálcio. Após preparo cubos e fatias de melão foram imersos em solução com diferentes concentrações de cloreto de cálcio (CaCl2 por dois minutos, sendo em seguida acondicionados em bandejas de poliestireno expandido (EPS, revestidas por filme plástico de polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD, armazenados em câmara fria a 5°C ±1 e analisadas durante 8 dias. Foram avaliados pH, firmeza, acidez titulável (AT, sólidos solúveis (SS, açúcar redutor e ratio. Os valores de pH variaram de 5,27 a 5,68. O teor

  9. EFFECT OF BAP AND IAA ON SHOOT REGENERATION IN COTYLEDONARY EXPLANTS OF COSTA RICAN MELON GENOTYPES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta Valdez Melara

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Para establecer una metodología para la regeneración del melón criollo (Cucumis melo L, se investigó la influencia del genotipo (OSO-1, OSO-2, OSO- 3, PQRG-1, PQRG-2, PQRG-3, y EM-1 y la interacción de N6-bencilaminopurina (BAP (0,1, 0,5 y 1,0 mg.l-1 con ácido indolacético (AIA (0, 0,05 y 0,5 mg.l-1 en la inducción de brotes y regeneración de plantas. Independientemente de la concentración de BAP y AIA, el mayor porcentaje de formación de brotes se obtuvo en EM-1>OSO-1>PQRG-3>OSO-2>PQRG-2>PQRG-1>OSO-3. Por otra parte, independientemente del genotipo, el mayor porcentaje de formación de brotes se obtuvo con 0,5 mg.l-1 BAP y 0,05 mg.l-1 AIA o 1 mg.l-1 BAP y 0 mg.l-1 AIA. El protocolo de cultivo in vitro establecido puede ser utilizado para la micropropagación de genotipos "criollos" de melón.

  10. Silicon improves salt tolerance by increasing root water uptake in Cucumis sativus L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yong-Xing; Xu, Xuan-Bin; Hu, Yan-Hong; Han, Wei-Hua; Yin, Jun-Liang; Li, Huan-Li; Gong, Hai-Jun

    2015-09-01

    Silicon enhances root water uptake in salt-stressed cucumber plants through up-regulating aquaporin gene expression. Osmotic adjustment is a genotype-dependent mechanism for silicon-enhanced water uptake in plants. Silicon can alleviate salt stress in plants. However, the mechanism is still not fully understood, and the possible role of silicon in alleviating salt-induced osmotic stress and the underlying mechanism still remain to be investigated. In this study, the effects of silicon (0.3 mM) on Na accumulation, water uptake, and transport were investigated in two cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivars ('JinYou 1' and 'JinChun 5') under salt stress (75 mM NaCl). Salt stress inhibited the plant growth and photosynthesis and decreased leaf transpiration and water content, while added silicon ameliorated these negative effects. Silicon addition only slightly decreased the shoot Na levels per dry weight in 'JinYou 1' but not in 'JinChun 5' after 10 days of stress. Silicon addition reduced stress-induced decreases in root hydraulic conductivity and/or leaf-specific conductivity. Expressions of main plasma membrane aquaporin genes in roots were increased by added silicon, and the involvement of aquaporins in water uptake was supported by application of aquaporin inhibitor and restorative. Besides, silicon application decreased the root xylem osmotic potential and increased root soluble sugar levels in 'JinYou 1.' Our results suggest that silicon can improve salt tolerance of cucumber plants through enhancing root water uptake, and silicon-mediated up-regulation of aquaporin gene expression may in part contribute to the increase in water uptake. In addition, osmotic adjustment may be a genotype-dependent mechanism for silicon-enhanced water uptake in plants.

  11. Antidiabetic Activity and Chemical Composition of Sanbai Melon Seed Oil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haili; Zhao, Hang; Zhang, Ya; Qiu, Pengcheng; Li, Jie

    2018-01-01

    Objectives Many fruits and herbs had been used in Traditional Chinese Medicines for treating diabetes mellitus (DM); however, scientific and accurate evidences regarding their efficacy and possible mechanisms were largely unknown. Sanbai melon seed oil (SMSO) was used in folk medicine in treating DM, but there is no literature about these effects. The present study was aimed at confirming the treatment effects of SMSO in type 1 DM. Methods Diabetes was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) at a dose of 65 mg/kg body weight. After diabetes induction, mice were treated with SMSO at dose of 1 g/kg, 2 g/kg, and 4 g/kg. Drugs were given by gavage administration once a day continuously for 28 days. At the end of treatment, several biochemical parameters and molecular mechanisms were determined by biochemical assays, ELISA, and Western blotting. The chemical compositions of SMSO were also tested. Results SMSO treatment significantly improved the symptoms of weight loss, polydipsia, reduced FBG level, increased plasma insulin levels, reduced plasma lipids levels, and protected islet injury. The results also showed that SMSO mitigated oxidative stress and alleviated the liver and renal injury in diabetes mice. SMSO also protected islet cells from apoptotic damage by suppressing ER mediated and mitochondrial dependent apoptotic pathways. Further constituent analysis results showed that SMSO had rich natural resources which had beneficial effects on DM. Conclusions This study showed that SMSO had excellent antidiabetes effect and provided scientific basis for the use of SMSO as the functional ingredients production and dietary supplements production in the food and pharmaceutical industries. PMID:29853958

  12. Enhanced Virulence Gene Activity of Agrobacterium in Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. cv. ‘Birdie’

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    Abul K.M. MOHIUDDIN

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. cultivar ‘Birdie’, was evaluated for its response to the tumorigenic Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the oncogenic A. rhizogenes strains. Stem and petiole of three week-old in vitro-grown muskmelon plants were inoculated with five strains of A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes each and observed phenotypic expressions i.e. induction of crown galls and hairy roots. This phenotypic expression was efficaciously increased when virulence gene activity of different strains of two Agrobacterium species was enhanced. Intensive studies on enhancement of virulence gene activity of Agrobacterium found to be correlated to the appropriate light intensity (39.3 μmol m-2 s-1 with a specific concentration of monocyclic phenolic compound, acetosyringone (20 μM. The gene activity was also influenced by several other physical factors e.g. plant tissue type, Agrobacterium species and their strains, and plant tissue-Agrobacterium interaction. Among the different A. tumefaciens strains, LBA4404 showed the best virulence gene activity in both stem and petiole through the formation of higher rate of crown galls. On the other hand, strain 15834 of A. rhizogenes showed better gene activity in stem and 8196 in petiole through the formation of higher rate of hairy roots as well as higher average number of hairy roots. Among the two different types of explants, petiole was more susceptible to both Agrobacterium species. Thus it was concluded that future muskmelon transformation study can efficiently be carried out with LBA4404, 15834 and 8196 strains using petiole explants by adding 20 μM of acetosyringone in the medium.

  13. Cucumis sativus Aqueous Fraction Inhibits Angiotensin II-Induced Inflammation and Oxidative Stress In Vitro

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    Celeste Trejo-Moreno

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Inflammation and oxidative stress play major roles in endothelial dysfunction, and are key factors in the progression of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the effect of three subfractions (SFs from the Cucumis sativus aqueous fraction to reduce inflammatory factors and oxidative stress induced by angiotensin II (Ang II in human microvascular endothelial cells-1 (HMEC-1 cells. The cells were cultured with different concentrations of Ang II and 0.08 or 10 μg/mL of SF1, SF2, or SF3, or 10 μmol of losartan as a control. IL-6 (Interleukin 6 concentration was quantified. To identify the most effective SF combinations, HMEC-1 cells were cultured as described above in the presence of four combinations of SF1 and SF3. Then, the effects of the most effective combination on the expression of adhesion molecules, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS, and the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO were evaluated. Finally, a mass spectrometry analysis was performed. Both SF1 and SF3 subfractions decreased the induction of IL-6 by Ang II, and C4 (SF1 and SF3, 10 μg/mL each was the most effective combination to inhibit the production of IL-6. Additionally, C4 prevented the expression of adhesion molecules, reduced the production of ROS, and increased the bioavailability of NO. Glycine, arginine, asparagine, lysine, and aspartic acid were the main components of both subfractions. These results demonstrate that C4 has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

  14. Optimising the use of plastic protective covers in field grown melon on a farm scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paolo Benincasa

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This in-farm research study was aimed at evaluating new strategies in the use of plastic protective covers in field grown melon in order to expand the production period and reduce costs. Four experiments were set up in 2010 and repeated in 2011 in Central Italy, in an inland region with a temperate climate. We evaluated: i the use of high tunnels for two growing cycles per year, i.e. for very early and very late production (target transplanting in late winter and mid-summer, respectively, for either one year or two consecutive years, and the use of grafted plants in the second year as an alternative to normal plants to prevent soil born diseases; ii the use of ethylene-vinyl-acetate film low tunnels alone or combined with non-woven floating row covers for transplanting in early spring; iii the use of non-woven low tunnels for transplanting in mid-spring; iv the use of biodegradable and conventional polyethylene ground mulch films, both in the presence of nonwoven low tunnels. As far as the non-woven cover is concerned, we adopted the strategy of removing later with respect to usual practices, i.e. ten days after the onset of first pistillate flowers. This was based on the evidence that covers hamper honeybee circulation, which may be exploited on a farm-scale to delay pollination until an adequate number of pistillate flowers set, in order to shorten scaled fruit ripening and harvest. Our results demonstrate that high tunnels may be used for at least four consecutive melon growing cycles (early and late productions for two years with good off-season yields and no appreciable drawbacks in terms of disease scale-up, irrespective of the use of normal or grafted plants. The non-woven low tunnel was effective in hampering honeybee circulation and its delayed removal allowed the harvest period to be halved, a more uniform fruit size to be obtained, and labour productivity of harvest to be increased. This had positive implications on the management of

  15. Effects of Tillage Methods on Some Soil Physical Properties, Growth and Yield of Water Melon in a Semi-Arid Region of Nigeria

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    A. Dauda

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available An appropriate tillage method is necessary to create an optimum seed bed condition for optimum crop growth and yield. Two-year field experiment was conducted in 2013 and 2014 to investigate the effects of different tillage methods on the physical properties of sandy loam soil, growth and yield of water melon (Citrullus vulgaris in a semi-arid environment. The Tillage treatments were disc ploughing plus disc harrowing (DP+DH, double disc ploughing (DDP, double disc harrowing (DDH, disc ploughing (DP and disc harrowing (DH as minimum tillage (MT and zero tillage (ZT and direct drilling method (control. The watermelon seeds were Planted manually placing three (3 seeds per hole at an interval of 1.5m along the rows and 50cm between the rows at an average depth of 5cm. The treatments were laid in a randomized complete block design (RCBD with four replications. Results showed that disc ploughing + disc harrowing (DP+DH was found to be more appropriate and profitable tillage method in improving soil physical properties and growth and yield of water melon in a sandy loam soil. Watermelon yield, fruit weight (FW, fruit length (FL, fruit diameter (FD and leaf area index (LAI were significantly influenced (P=0.05, but influence of tillage treatments were not significant on the number of fruit per plant (NFPP. A numerical value of 31.0t/ha, 26.0, 5.4kg, 29.0cm, and 33.8cm were recorded for maximum crop yield, NFPP, FW, FD and FL respectively in DP+DH-treated plots. For zero tillage (ZT treatment, maximum of crop yield and NFPP were 26.5t/ha and 20.0 respectively. Thus for enhanced growth and yield of watermelon, DP/DH would be more preferable. The orthodox method of zero tillage is out rightly discouraged

  16. Ring structure amino acids affect the suppressor activity of melon aphid-borne yellows virus P0 protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Yan-Hong; Xiang, Hai-Ying; Wang, Qian; Li, Yuan-Yuan; Wu, Wen-Qi; Han, Cheng-Gui; Li, Da-Wei; Yu, Jia-Lin

    2010-10-10

    Melon aphid-borne yellows virus (MABYV) is a newly identified polerovirus occurring in China. Here, we demonstrate that the MABYV encoded P0 (P0(MA)) protein is a strong suppressor of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) with activity comparable to tobacco etch virus (TEV) HC-Pro. In addition we have shown that the LP F-box motif present at the N-terminus of P0(MA) is required for suppressor activity. Detailed mutational analyses on P0(MA) revealed that changing the conserved Trp 212 with non-ring structured amino acids altered silencing suppressor functions. Ala substitutions at positions 12 and 211 for Phe had no effect on P0 suppression-activity, whereas Arg and Glu substitutions had greatly decreased suppressor activity. Furthermore, substitutions targeting Phe at position 30 also resulted in reduced P0 suppression-activity. Altogether, these results suggest that ring structured Trp/Phe residues in P0 have important roles in suppressor activity. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Mapping and Introgression of QTL Involved in Fruit Shape Transgressive Segregation into ‘Piel de Sapo’ Melon (Cucucumis melo L.)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz, Aurora; Zarouri, Belkacem; Fergany, Mohamed; Eduardo, Iban; Álvarez, José M.; Picó, Belén; Monforte, Antonio J.

    2014-01-01

    A mapping F2 population from the cross ‘Piel de Sapo’ × PI124112 was selectively genotyped to study the genetic control of morphological fruit traits by QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) analysis. Ten QTL were identified, five for FL (Fruit Length), two for FD (Fruit Diameter) and three for FS (Fruit Shape). At least one robust QTL per character was found, flqs8.1 (LOD = 16.85, R2 = 34%), fdqs12.1 (LOD = 3.47, R2 = 11%) and fsqs8.1 (LOD = 14.85, R2 = 41%). flqs2.1 and fsqs2.1 cosegregate with gene a (andromonoecious), responsible for flower sex determination and with pleiotropic effects on FS. They display a positive additive effect (a) value, so the PI124112 allele causes an increase in FL and FS, producing more elongated fruits. Conversely, the negative a value for flqs8.1 and fsqs8.1 indicates a decrease in FL and FS, what results in rounder fruits, even if PI124112 produces very elongated melons. This is explained by a significant epistatic interaction between fsqs2.1 and fsqs8.1, where the effects of the alleles at locus a are attenuated by the additive PI124112 allele at fsqs8.1. Roundest fruits are produced by homozygous for PI124112 at fsqs8.1 that do not carry any dominant A allele at locus a (PiPiaa). A significant interaction between fsqs8.1 and fsqs12.1 was also detected, with the alleles at fsqs12.1 producing more elongated fruits. fsqs8.1 seems to be allelic to QTL discovered in other populations where the exotic alleles produce elongated fruits. This model has been validated in assays with backcross lines along 3 years and ultimately obtaining a fsqs8.1-NIL (Near Isogenic Line) in ‘Piel de Sapo’ background which yields round melons. PMID:25126852

  18. Identification of the aggregation pheromone of the melon thrips, Thrips palmi.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudhakar V S Akella

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to identify the aggregation pheromone of the melon thrips Thrips palmi, a major pest of vegetable and ornamental plants around the world. The species causes damage both through feeding activities and as a vector of tospoviruses, and is a threat to world trade and European horticulture. Improved methods of detecting and controlling this species are needed and the identification of an aggregation pheromone will contribute to this requirement. Bioassays with a Y-tube olfactometer showed that virgin female T. palmi were attracted to the odour of live males, but not to that of live females, and that mixed-age adults of both sexes were attracted to the odour of live males, indicating the presence of a male-produced aggregation pheromone. Examination of the headspace volatiles of adult male T. palmi revealed only one compound that was not found in adult females. It was identified by comparison of its mass spectrum and chromatographic details with those of similar compounds. This compound had a structure like that of the previously identified male-produced aggregation pheromone of the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis. The compound was synthesised and tested in eggplant crops infested with T. palmi in Japan. Significantly greater numbers of both males and females were attracted to traps baited with the putative aggregation pheromone compared to unbaited traps. The aggregation pheromone of T. palmi is thus identified as (R-lavandulyl 3-methyl-3-butenoate by spectroscopic, chromatographic and behavioural analysis.

  19. Evaluation of the metam sodium in joint action with the clomazone and sulfentrazone like alternative to the use of methyl bromide in the melon cultivation of cantaloupe kind, in Carrillo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buzano Barrantes, Pedro

    2002-01-01

    This research realized a study in the melon cultivation of cantaloupe kind with the objective to evaluate the utilization of metam sodium joint with the clomazone and sulfentrazone weed-killers like substitutes of methyl bromide in the experimental station of Melons de Costa Rica located in Carrillo, Guanacaste, during the season of 1998-1999. The treatments were: metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha) + sulfentrazone (60 g.i.a./ha), metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha) + sulfentrazone (100 g.i.a./ha), metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha) + clomazone (240 g.i.a./ha), metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha) + clomazone (480 g.i.a./ha), sulfentrazone (60 g.i.a.), sulfentrazone (100 g.i.a.), clomazone (240 g.i.a./ha), clomazone (480 g.i.a./ha), metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha), methyl bromide (250 kg./ha) and an absolute control. The experimental design was unconditional at random with eleven treatments and three repetitions by treatments with four beds of 35m x 0.8m by repetition. The results showed that the best treatments were: metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha) + clomazone (480 g.i.a./ha), with a 13.3% less of weeds control than the methyl bromide (250 kg/ha) and the treatment with metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha) with a 19.2% less of weeds control than the methyl bromide (250 Kg/ha). The 5,9% of difference among them is by the clomazone's action (480 g.i.a./ha). The treatment with methyl bromide (250 Kg./ha) was the highest in output, 2286 total boxes by hectare, followed by the treatments with metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha) + sulfentrazone (100 g.i.a./ha) with 1906 and metam sodium (148 g.i.a./ha) + clomazone (480 g.i.a./ha) that produced 1912.33 boxes of melon by hectare. (Author) [es

  20. Boron toxicity is alleviated by hydrogen sulfide in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Bao-Lan; Shi, Lei; Li, Yin-Xing; Zhang, Wen-Hao

    2010-05-01

    Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient for plants, which when occurs in excess in the growth medium, becomes toxic to plants. Rapid inhibition of root elongation is one of the most distinct symptoms of B toxicity. Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is emerging as a potential messenger molecule involved in modulation of physiological processes in plants. In the present study, we investigated the role of H(2)S in B toxicity in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seedlings. Root elongation was significantly inhibited by exposure of cucumber seedlings to solutions containing 5 mM B. The inhibitory effect of B on root elongation was substantially alleviated by treatment with H(2)S donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS). There was an increase in the activity of pectin methylesterase (PME) and up-regulated expression of genes encoding PME (CsPME) and expansin (CsExp) on exposure to high B concentration. The increase in PME activity and up-regulation of expression of CsPME and CsExp induced by high B concentration were markedly reduced in the presence of H(2)S donor. There was a rapid increase in soluble B concentrations in roots on exposure to high concentration B solutions. Treatment with H(2)S donor led to a transient reduction in soluble B concentration in roots such that no differences in soluble B concentrations in roots in the absence and presence of NaHS were found after 8 h exposure to the high concentration B solutions. These findings suggest that increases in activities of PME and expansin may underlie the inhibition of root elongation by toxic B, and that H(2)S plays an ameliorative role in protection of plants from B toxicity by counteracting B-induced up-regulation of cell wall-associated proteins of PME and expansins.

  1. Resistance to Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus in Melon Accession TGR-1551.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassem, Mona A; Gosalvez, Blanca; Garzo, Elisa; Fereres, Alberto; Gómez-Guillamón, Maria Luisa; Aranda, Miguel A

    2015-10-01

    The genetic control of resistance to Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV; genus Polerovirus, family Luteoviridae) in the TGR-1551 melon accession was studied through agroinoculation of a genetic family obtained from the cross between this accession and the susceptible Spanish cultivar 'Bola de Oro'. Segregation analyses were consistent with the hypothesis that one dominant gene and at least two more modifier genes confer resistance; one of these additional genes is likely present in the susceptible parent 'Bola de Oro'. Local and systemic accumulation of the virus was analyzed in a time course experiment, showing that TGR-1551 resistance was expressed systemically as a significant reduction of virus accumulation compared with susceptible controls, but not locally in agroinoculated cotyledons. In aphid transmission experiments, CABYV inoculation by aphids was significantly reduced in TGR-1551 plants, although the virus was acquired at a similar rate from TGR-1551 as from susceptible plants. Results of feeding behavior studies using the DC electrical penetration graph technique suggested that viruliferous aphids can salivate and feed from the phloem of TGR-1551 plants and that the observed reduction in virus transmission efficiency is not related to reduced salivation by Aphis gossypii in phloem sieve elements. Since the virus is able to accumulate to normal levels in agroinoculated tissues, our results suggest that resistance of TGR-1551 plants to CABYV is related to impairment of virus movement or translocation after it reaches the phloem sieve elements.

  2. Crescimento e produtividade do meloeiro Torreon influenciado pela cobertura do solo = Growth and yield of the Torreon melon crop influenced by soil cover

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elís Regina Costa de Morais

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Objetivou-se com este trabalho, avaliar índices de crescimento e fisiológicos do meloeiro em função dos graus-dia acumulados e determinar a relação dos índices fisiológicos com a produtividade da cultura em coberto com filme plástico nas cores preto, prateado, amarelo e marrom, e do solo descoberto como testemunha. O experimento foi desenvolvido na Fazenda Santa Júlia Agrocomercial Exportadora de Frutos Tropicais Ltda., Mossoró, Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (agosto-outubro de 2003, em Latossolo Vermelho eutrófico Argissólico, utilizando-se o melão Torreon em blocos casualizados comquatro repetições. A taxa de crescimento absoluta e a taxa de crescimento relativa para o número de folhas e índice de área foliar foram influenciadas pela cobertura do solo e decresceram com o desenvolvimento da planta, e ainda que a maior produtividade de frutoscomercializáveis foi registrada nas coberturas do solo com plástico.The objective of this work was to evaluate the growth and physiological indexes of the melon crop in function of accumulated degree-days and to determine the relationship between the physiological index and yield of the crop in soil covered with plastic film in the colors black, silver, yellow, and brown, and of the uncovered soil as witness. The experiment was conducted at Fazenda Santa Júlia Agrocomercial Exportadora de Frutos Tropicais Ltda, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte State (August-October 2003 in Oxissol, using the Torreon melon in a randomized experimental blocks design with four replications. The relative growth rate for the number of leaves and leaf area index were influenced by soil cover and decreased with the development of the plant; the highestproductivity of marketable fruits was registered on plastic soil coverage.

  3. Influence of hot water dip and gamma irradiation on postharvest fungal decay of Galia melons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barkai-Golan, R.; Padova, R.; Ross, I.; Lapidot, M.; Copel, A.; Davidson, H.

    1993-01-01

    Dipping Galia melons in hot water at 52 deg C for 5 min or at 55 deg for 2 min resulted in 12-15% decay (caused by Alternaria alternata, Fusarium spp. and Trichothecium roseum) during prolonged storage (12 d at 6 deg plus 3 d at 18 deg ) compared with 75% decay in untreated fruit or 60% decay in cold-water-dipped fruit. Irradiation at 0.5 or 1 kGy had no significant effect on decay development. However, combination of heat treatment with a 0.5 kGy dose prevented fungal growth, resulting in 5% decay during storage. Combinations of heating with 1 kGy irradiation gave no improvement in anti-fungal effect over treatment with 0.5 kGy and sometimes resulted in a decreased suppressive effect. Reducing the duration of dipping at 55 deg from 2 to 0.5 min, applied alone or in combination with irradiation, considerably reduced the anti-fungal effect of the treatment. The effective combined treatment resulted in 12-15% of slight peel damage, but all the fruits were regarded as marketable. No differences in fruit firmness were recorded among the treatments

  4. Níveis de nitrogênio por fertirrigação e densidade de plantio na cultura do melão em um Vertissolo Nitrogen levels through fertirrigation and plant density on melon crop in a Vertisol

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    CLEMENTINO MARCOS BATISTA DE FARIA

    2000-03-01

    Full Text Available O trabalho constou de um experimento com melão (Cucumis melo L., conduzido em um Vertissolo, em Juazeiro, BA, em 1995, com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de níveis de N por fertirrigação e de densidades de plantio na produtividade e qualidade de fruto. Os níveis de N foram 0, 80, 130 e 180 kg/ha, combinados com os espaçamentos 2,00 e 1,80 m entre linhas e 0,20 m entre plantas, com uma ou duas plantas por cova. A fonte de N foi a uréia, aplicada diariamente até 42 dias após a germinação, por meio da irrigação por gotejamento. Todos os tratamentos receberam uma adubação uniforme de 120 kg/ha de P2O5 e 120 kg/ha de K2O. Os espaçamentos entre linhas não causaram diferenças significativas em nenhuma variável estudada. O nível de 80 kg/ha de N combinado com uma planta por cova proporcionou uma produtividade de 34,07 t/ha, com 55,7% de frutos próprios para o mercado interno, não-significativamente (P £ 0,05 inferior à produtividade obtida com os níveis mais elevados de N em qualquer combinação. Com este mesmo nível, obtiveram-se frutos com 10,22º Brix significativamente (P£ 0,05 superior ao do tratamento sem N e não-significativamente inferior ao dos outros níveis. Para se obter uma maior parte de frutos próprios para o mercado externo, foi necessário elevar a densidade para duas plantas por cova e o nível de N para 130 ou 180 kg/ha. O peso médio dos frutos aumentou de 1,008 para 1,705 kg, à medida que foram aumentados os níveis de N ou se diminuiu a densidade de plantio de duas para uma planta por cova.This study consisted of one experiment with melon (Cucumis melo L., carried out in a Vertisol in Juazeiro, BA, Brazil, in 1995, with the objective of evaluating the effects of nitrogen levels through fertirrigation and plant density on fruit yield and quality. The N levels were 0, 80, 130 and 180 kg/ha, combined with row spacings of 2.0 and 1.8 m and 0.20 m between plants within the row, with one or two plants

  5. MENTIMUN(Cucumis Sativus L DI DESA TIRTA MULYA KECAMATAN MAKARTI JAYA KABUPATEN BANYUASIN II

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    Irham Falahudin

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L. that includes or creeping vines and is one type of vegetable-fruit of the gourd family labuan (Cucurbitaceae that has been popular throughout the world and favored from Asia. Cucumber cultivation in Indonesia, found almost in every region, ranging from lowland to highland hot climate (tropical and moderate. One animal that has an abundant amount in cucumber plants are insects. This study aims to know the different types of species that exist on the Order Coleoptera cucumber farm in the village of Tirta Mulya District of makarti Jaya Banyuasin II and determine the role of the Order Coleoptera insects on cucumber plantations in the village of Tirta Mulya District of makarti Jaya Banyuasin II. This is a qualitative study conducted in October-November 2014 held in Cucumber Plants in the village of Tirta Mulya District of makarti Jaya Banyuasin II. Catching insects done using transect method and pitfall traps such as sweeping the net, pit fall traps and light traps, results in identification in the laboratory penelitanya UIN Raden Fatah Palembang. The results of this study indicate that insects are caught in a cucumber plantation obtained as many as 113 individual 3 families and 7 species. Insects which dominates in the village of Tirta Mulya District of makarti Jaya Banyuasin II is Cocinella repanda, Curinus coeruleus, Coelophora inaequalis, and Aulacophora similis, and insects that have the fewest number is Micraspis discolor, Micraspis vincta and Oryctes rhinoceros. The role of the Order Coleoptera Insects in general predators of the family Coccinellidae to eradicate mites while the family Chrysomelidae Scarabacidae and are pests that attack on cucumber plants that can cause death.

  6. Some physical and chemical properties of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L. seed and fatty acid composition of seed oil

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    Muharrem GÖLÜKÇÜ

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Edible part and leaves of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L. are used as food or medicine to control some diseases because of its antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-hepatotoxic, antiviral, antiulcerogenic and larvicidal effects. Although fruits have considerable amount of seeds, they have not received much attention. In this study, some physical and chemical properties of the seed and also fatty acid composition of seed oil were determined. Oil content of the sample was determined by soxhlet apparatus as 26.10% in dried sample. Fatty acid composition was analyzed by GC-MS and seven fatty acids were identified and their ratios were determined in this seed oil. The main fatty acid was determined as α-eleostearic (45.60%. The other fatty acids were palmitic (3.69%, stearic (28.00%, oleic (12.45%, linoleic (8.90%, arachidic (0.71% and gadoleic acids (0.65%.

  7. Allelopathic influence of aqueous extracts from the leaves of Morus alba L. on seed germination and seedling growth of Cucumis sativus L. and Sinapsis alba L.

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    Katarzyna Możdżeń

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to elucidate impact of the aqueous extracts from leaves of Morus alba L. on germination, growth and photosynthetic activity of Cucumis sativus L. and Sinapis alba L. Plants were grown for 21 days at the temperature 25°C (day and 18°C (night, within 12/12 hours photoperiod, light intensity 150 μmol·m-2·s-1 and relative humidity 60-70% (day/night. Our experiments proved that allelopathic compounds in aqueous extracts of the leaves M. alba at high concentrations, reduce power and energy of germination. Biometric analysis of seedlings and adult plants grown showed that allelopathic substances have stimulating or inhibiting function depending on the stage of treatment. Moreover, they cause changes in chlorophyll contents and activity of photosystem II (PS II.

  8. Bitter melon extract ameliorates palmitate-induced apoptosis via inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress in HepG2 cells and high-fat/high-fructose-diet-induced fatty liver

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    Hwa Joung Lee

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Bitter melon (BM improves glucose level, lipid homeostasis, and insulin resistance in vivo. However, the preventive mechanism of BM in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD has not been elucidated yet. Aim & Design: To determine the protective mechanism of bitter melon extract (BME, we performed experiments in vitro and in vivo. BME were treated palmitate (PA-administrated HepG2 cells. C57BL/6J mice were divided into two groups: high-fat/high-fructose (HF/HFr without or with BME supplementation (100 mg/kg body weight. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress, apoptosis, and biochemical markers were then examined by western blot and real-time PCR analyses. Results: BME significantly decreased expression levels of ER-stress markers (including phospho-eIF2α, CHOP, and phospho-JNK [Jun N-terminal kinases] in PA-treated HepG2 cells. BME also significantly decreased the activity of cleaved caspase-3 (a well known apoptotic-induced molecule and DNA fragmentation. The effect of BME on ER stress–mediated apoptosis in vitro was similarly observed in HF/HFr-fed mice in vivo. BME significantly reduced HF/HFr-induced hepatic triglyceride (TG and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT as markers of hepatic damage in mice. In addition, BME ameliorated HF/HFr-induced serum TG and serum-free fatty acids. Conclusion: These data indicate that BME has protective effects against ER stress mediated apoptosis in HepG2 cells as well as in HF/HFr-induced fatty liver of mouse. Therefore, BME might be useful for preventing and treating NAFLD.

  9. Phloem unloading follows an extensive apoplasmic pathway in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit from anthesis to marketable maturing stage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Liping; Sun, Huihui; Li, Ruifu; Zhang, Lingyun; Wang, Shaohui; Sui, Xiaolei; Zhang, Zhenxian

    2011-11-01

    The phloem unloading pathway remains unclear in fruits of Cucurbitaceae, a classical stachyose-transporting species with bicollateral phloem. Using a combination of electron microscopy, transport of phloem-mobile symplasmic tracer carboxyfluorescein, assays of acid invertase and sucrose transporter, and [(14)C]sugar uptake, the phloem unloading pathway was studied in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit from anthesis to the marketable maturing stage. Structural investigations showed that the sieve element-companion cell (SE-CC) complex of the vascular bundles feeding fruit flesh is apparently symplasmically restricted. Imaging of carboxyfluorescein unloading showed that the dye remained confined to the phloem strands of the vascular bundles in the whole fruit throughout the stages examined. A 37 kDa acid invertase was located predominantly in the cell walls of SE-CC complexes and parenchyma cells. Studies of [(14)C]sugar uptake suggested that energy-driven transporters may be functional in sugar trans-membrane transport within symplasmically restricted SE-CC complex, which was further confirmed by the existence of a functional plasma membrane sucrose transporter (CsSUT4) in cucumber fruit. These data provide a clear evidence for an apoplasmic phloem unloading pathway in cucumber fruit. A presumption that putative raffinose or stachyose transporters may be involved in soluble sugars unloading was discussed. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  10. [Outlier sample discriminating methods for building calibration model in melons quality detecting using NIR spectra].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Hai-Qing; Wang, Chun-Guang; Zhang, Hai-Jun; Yu, Zhi-Hong; Li, Jian-Kang

    2012-11-01

    Outlier samples strongly influence the precision of the calibration model in soluble solids content measurement of melons using NIR Spectra. According to the possible sources of outlier samples, three methods (predicted concentration residual test; Chauvenet test; leverage and studentized residual test) were used to discriminate these outliers respectively. Nine suspicious outliers were detected from calibration set which including 85 fruit samples. Considering the 9 suspicious outlier samples maybe contain some no-outlier samples, they were reclaimed to the model one by one to see whether they influence the model and prediction precision or not. In this way, 5 samples which were helpful to the model joined in calibration set again, and a new model was developed with the correlation coefficient (r) 0. 889 and root mean square errors for calibration (RMSEC) 0.6010 Brix. For 35 unknown samples, the root mean square errors prediction (RMSEP) was 0.854 degrees Brix. The performance of this model was more better than that developed with non outlier was eliminated from calibration set (r = 0.797, RMSEC= 0.849 degrees Brix, RMSEP = 1.19 degrees Brix), and more representative and stable with all 9 samples were eliminated from calibration set (r = 0.892, RMSEC = 0.605 degrees Brix, RMSEP = 0.862 degrees).

  11. Exocarp Properties and Transcriptomic Analysis of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) Fruit Expressing Age-Related Resistance to Phytophthora capsici.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ando, Kaori; Carr, Kevin M; Colle, Marivi; Mansfeld, Ben N; Grumet, Rebecca

    2015-01-01

    Very young cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit are highly susceptible to infection by the oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora capsici. As the fruit complete exponential growth, at approximately 10-12 days post pollination (dpp), they transition to resistance. The development of age-related resistance (ARR) is increasingly recognized as an important defense against pathogens, however, underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Peel sections from cucumber fruit harvested at 8 dpp (susceptible) and 16 dpp (resistant) showed equivalent responses to inoculation as did whole fruit, indicating that the fruit surface plays an important role in defense against P. capsici. Exocarp from 16 dpp fruit had thicker cuticles, and methanolic extracts of peel tissue inhibited growth of P. capsici in vitro, suggesting physical or chemical components to the ARR. Transcripts specifically expressed in the peel vs. pericarp showed functional differentiation. Transcripts predominantly expressed in the peel were consistent with fruit surface associated functions including photosynthesis, cuticle production, response to the environment, and defense. Peel-specific transcripts that exhibited increased expression in 16 dpp fruit relative to 8 dpp fruit, were highly enriched (Pfunctions. Specific transcripts included genes associated with potential physical barriers (i.e., cuticle), chemical defenses (flavonoid biosynthesis), oxidative stress, penetration defense, and molecular pattern (MAMP)-triggered or effector-triggered (R-gene mediated) pathways. The developmentally regulated changes in gene expression between peels from susceptible- and resistant- age fruits suggest programming for increased defense as the organ reaches full size.

  12. Selection and identification of non-pathogenic bacteria isolated from fermented pickles with antagonistic properties against two shrimp pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zokaeifar, Hadi; Balcázar, José Luis; Kamarudin, Mohd Salleh; Sijam, Kamaruzaman; Arshad, Aziz; Saad, Che Roos

    2012-06-01

    In this study, potential probiotic strains were isolated from fermented pickles based on antagonistic activity against two shrimp pathogens (Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio parahaemolyticus). Two strains L10 and G1 were identified by biochemical tests, followed by16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis as Bacillus subtilis, and characterized by PCR amplification of repetitive bacterial DNA elements (Rep-PCR). Subsequently, B. subtilis L10 and G1 strains were tested for antibacterial activity under different physical conditions, including culture medium, salinity, pH and temperature using the agar well diffusion assay. Among the different culture media, LB broth was the most suitable medium for antibacterial production. Both strains showed the highest level of antibacterial activity against two pathogens at 30 °C and 1.0% NaCl. Under the pH conditions, strain G1 showed the greatest activity against V. harveyi at pH 7.3-8.0 and against V. parahaemolyticus at pH 6.0-8.0, whereas strain L10 showed the greatest activity against two pathogens at pH 7.3. The cell-free supernatants of both strains were treated with four different enzymes in order to characterize the antibacterial substances against V. harveyi. The result showed considerable reduction of antibacterial activity for both strains, indicating the proteinaceous nature of the antibacterial substances. A wide range of tolerance to NaCl, pH and temperature was also recorded for both strains. In addition, both strains showed no virulence effect in juvenile shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. On the basis of these results and safety of strains to L. vannamei, they may be considered for future challenge experiments in shrimp as a very promising alternative to the use of antibiotics.

  13. Qualidade pós-colheita de melão tipo cantaloupe, colhido em dois estádios de maturação Postharvest quality of cantaloupe type melon, harvested in two maturation stages

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    Júlio Gomes Júnior

    2001-11-01

    Full Text Available Objetivou-se avaliar a conservação pós-colheita de frutos de melão tipo cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L var. Cantaloupensis , genótipo Nun 3984, colhido nos estádios de maturação II ( frutos imaturos em início de descoloração e pedúnculo totalmente preso e IV (frutos com pedúnculo totalmente rachado, em seis períodos de armazenamento: 0; 5; 10;15; 20 e 25 dias. Os frutos foram provenientes do Agropolo Mossoró-Assu (RN, cujo clima é caracterizado como quente e seco, com temperaturas máxima e mínima de 33ºC e 29ºC, respectivamente. O armazenamento foi realizado a 20ºC e 50% UR. Utilizou-se um fatorial 2 x 6 (dois estádios de maturação e seis períodos de armazenamento, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com três repetições, sendo utilizados dois frutos por parcela. Os frutos foram avaliados individualmente quanto à firmeza da polpa, perda de peso, teor de sólidos solúveis, aparências externa e interna. Houve efeito significativo da interação entre os fatores estudados apenas para variável firmeza da polpa. A firmeza da polpa foi de 30,07 N e 18,75 N por ocasião da colheita e 5,32 N e 3,50 N aos 25 dias de armazenamento, respectivamente, para os estádios II e IV de maturação. O teor de sólidos solúveis apresentado por esse genótipo (7% a 9%, nos estádios II e IV de maturação respectivamente, não estabelece um padrão mínimo para a aceitação no mercado externo. A perda de peso atingiu valores médios de 6,26% e 6,67% aos 20 e 25 dias de armazenamento, respectivamente. Os frutos chegaram aos 20 dias de armazenamento com nota média 3,1 (deterioração mediana e 4,0 (deterioração leve para as aparências interna e externa, respectivamente, nos dois estádios de maturação, sendo portanto, considerados próprios para o consumo, por terem notas acima de 3,0This work aimed to evaluate the postharvest shelf life of cantaloupe melons type (Cucumis melo L. var Cantaloupensis, genotype Nun 3984, harvested

  14. Inconsistency of the biological control of Meloidogyne incognita race 2 in melon by endophytic bacteria Inconsistência do controle biológico de Meloidogyne incognita raça 2 em meloeiro por bactérias endofíticas

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    Jeane E de Medeiros

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available We obtained 61 rhizobacterium isolates from rhizosphere soil samples collected in melon commercial fields located in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. These isolates, along with 56 endophytic bacteria from the Collection of Cultures of the Plant Bacteriology Laboratory of the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, were tested for controlling Meloidogyne incognita race 2 in melon. To infest the soil with nematodes, 1000 eggs of Meloidogyne incognita race 2 per plant were placed in pots where seedlings of the yellow-type melon, cultivar AF 682, were growing for 10 days. Two days before, 20 mL of bacterial suspension (0.7 OD570nm were poured into each pot. After 60 days, fresh root biomass, gall index, egg mass, and the nematode reproduction factor were assessed. Among the 117 isolates screened, the endophytic Bacillus ENM7, ENM10, and ENM51 were selected because they significantly reduced egg mass and/or gall index. However, when tested again, separately and in mixtures, these isolates nor confirmed their efficiency in vivo, neither affected juvenile emergence in vitro. These results give evidence on the inconsistency of using endophytic-bacteria in the control of M. incognita race 2 in melon.A partir de amostras de solo coletadas em plantios comerciais de meloeiro, situados em Mossoró-RN, foram obtidos 61 isolados de rizobactérias que, juntamente com outros 56 isolados endofíticos pertencentes à Coleção de Culturas do Laboratório de Fitobacteriologia da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, foram avaliados para o controle de Meloidogyne incognita raça 2 em melão. Plantas de meloeiro Amarelo, cultivar AF 682, com dez dias de idade tiveram o solo infestado com 1000 ovos de M. incognita raça 2 por planta. Dois dias antes, foram depositados em cada vaso 20 mL da suspensão bacteriana (DO570nm = 0,7. Decorridos 60 dias, foram determinados a biomassa fresca das raízes, os índices de galhas e de massa de ovos e o fator de

  15. Momordica charantia (bitter melon inhibits primary human adipocyte differentiation by modulating adipogenic genes

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    Nerurkar Vivek R

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Escalating trends of obesity and associated type 2 diabetes (T2D has prompted an increase in the use of alternative and complementary functional foods. Momordica charantia or bitter melon (BM that is traditionally used to treat diabetes and complications has been demonstrated to alleviate hyperglycemia as well as reduce adiposity in rodents. However, its effects on human adipocytes remain unknown. The objective of our study was to investigate the effects of BM juice (BMJ on lipid accumulation and adipocyte differentiation transcription factors in primary human differentiating preadipocytes and adipocytes. Methods Commercially available cryopreserved primary human preadipocytes were treated with and without BMJ during and after differentiation. Cytotoxicity, lipid accumulation, and adipogenic genes mRNA expression was measured by commercial enzymatic assay kits and semi-quantitative RT-PCR (RT-PCR. Results Preadipocytes treated with varying concentrations of BMJ during differentiation demonstrated significant reduction in lipid content with a concomitant reduction in mRNA expression of adipocyte transcription factors such as, peroxisome proliferator-associated receptor γ (PPARγ and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c and adipocytokine, resistin. Similarly, adipocytes treated with BMJ for 48 h demonstrated reduced lipid content, perilipin mRNA expression, and increased lipolysis as measured by the release of glycerol. Conclusion Our data suggests that BMJ is a potent inhibitor of lipogenesis and stimulator of lipolysis activity in human adipocytes. BMJ may therefore prove to be an effective complementary or alternative therapy to reduce adipogenesis in humans.

  16. Eradication of melon flies (Dacus cucurbitae) of the Kume Island using sterile males under field conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwahashi, Osamu

    1984-01-01

    On the assumption that there were approximately 250,000 normal melon flies (Dacus cucurbitae) in the Kume Island as of February 1975, sterile flies have been released into the field. A previous experiment undertaken in the Kudaka Island revealed that the number of sterile pupae (with 7 kR of irradiation) should be ten times larger than that of normal flies for obtaining satisfactory results. 2,500,000 or more pupae per week were required for the purpose of eradication in the Kume Island. Satisfactory results were not obtained because of the limited production of sterile flies (1,000,000 per week). Since a mass-production facility was established in Autumn 1975, the weekly release of 1,500,000 - 2,000,000 flies became possible. Since May 1976, 3,500,000 - 4,000,000 sterile flies began to be released weekly. As a result, the rate of hatchability of eggs decreased with increasing the proportion of sterile flies to normal flies. The number of female flies caught in monitor traps also suggested that there were few normal male flies. The incidence of injuried fruits of Melothria japonica Maxim. Okinawa began to decrease remarkably from May 1976. None of 156,000 fruits were injuried between October 1976 and September 1977. (Namekawa, K.)

  17. Neuroprotective effect of Cucumis melo Var. flexuosus leaf extract on the brains of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibrahim, Doaa S

    2017-02-01

    The central nervous system is one of the most vulnerable organs affected by the oxidative stress associated with diabetes mellitus. Healthy food provides an important source for antioxidants. Therefore, the protective effect of Cucumis melo var. flexuosus (C. melo var. flexuosus) leaf extract on the brains of diabetic rats was investigated. Adult male albino rats divided into 5 groups of 6 rats each were assigned into a normal control group and four diabetic groups. Diabetes was induced in rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 60 mg/kg bw). One of the four diabetic groups was left untreated and was considered as a diabetic control group while the three other groups were treated with C. melo var. flexuosus leaf extract at the doses of 30, 60 and 120 mg/kg bw for a period of 30 days. After completion of experimental duration plasma and brains were used for evaluating biochemical changes. The obtained data showed that C. melo var. flexuosus leaf extract treatment lowered blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, brain tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin levels, brain malondialdehyde content and caspase-3 activity. Furthermore, the treatment resulted in a marked increase in plasma dopamine, melatonin, brain vascular endothelial growth factor-A levels, brain catalase and superoxide dismutase activities. From the present study, it can be concluded that the C. melo var. flexuosus leaf extract exerts a neuroprotective effect against oxidative damage associated with diabetes.

  18. [Effects of temperature regime on low-light tolerance of Cucumis sativus seedling leaves in their photosynthesis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wei; Sui, Xiao-lei; Zhang, Zhen-xian

    2008-12-01

    In a phytotron, the effects of three temperature regimes (day/night 25 degrees C/18 degrees C, optimal temperature; 15 degrees C/9 degrees C, suboptimal temperature; and 9 degrees C/7 degrees C, low temperature) on the low-light (75-85 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1)) tolerance of two Cucumis sativus cultivars (shade-susceptible Jinyan 2 and shade-tolerant Deltastar) seedling leaves in their photosynthesis were studied. The results showed that under low light, the SPAD, net photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration rate (Tr), water use efficiency (WUE), actual photochemical efficiency of PS II in the light (phi(PS II)), and photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (q(p)) of cucumber leaves decreased, with the decrement getting more with decreasing temperature, while the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities were in adverse. During the recovery process after low-light stress relieved, the parameters of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence of the leaves recovered gradually, and the recovery of some gas exchange parameters lagged to that of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. Under low light, the lower the temperature, the more damage the photosynthesis apparatus suffered, and the lesser tolerance to low light the cucumber leaves had in their photosynthesis. During the low temperature and low light treatment period, the decrease of Pn, phi(PS II), and q(p) was more obvious for Jinyan 2 than for Deltastar; and during the relief period, the recovery of these parameters was slower for Jinyan 2 than for Deltastar. It was indicated that Jinyan 2 had weaker tolerance to low temperature and/or low light in its photosynthesis than Deltastar.

  19. Benefits from Bio and organic fertilization by cucumber (Cucumis Sativus) with application of 15N stable isotope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galal, Y. G. M.; Soliman, S. M.; Ahmed, F. A.; El-Sherbiny, A. E. A.; Dahdouh, S. M.

    2012-12-01

    Benefits from bio and organic fertilizer were evaluated under cucumber (Cucumis Sativus) crop grown on sandy soil at a field scale. The experiment was conducted under drip irrigation system. Fertilization treatment indicated that the combination of 50% mineral fertilizer (MF) + 50% organic compost (OC) was superior over all other fertilization treatment when the fresh weight of cucumber biomass or fruits was considered. It means that half of the recommended dose of of mineral fertilizer is enough to meet the requirement of cucumber crop when supplemented with organic compost. Nitrogen derived from mineral fertilizer (Ndff) by cucumber at different plant growth stages was significantly affected by the rate of addition and enhanced with microbial inoculation. Arbuscular mycorrhizea (AMF) was superior over Azospirillum and Rhizobium inoculations. The enhancement of Ndff uptake by plants was more pronounced at the fruit stage than at vegetative, flowering and hay growth stages. The highest values of Ndfa were induced by Rhizobium at hay stage followed by fruit. Similar trend, but to different extents was noticed with AMF and Azospirillum inoculum s. Most of nitrogen derived from compost (Ndfc) was occurred by addition of 50% MF + 50% Oc. Rhizobium and AMF were more effective than Azospirilum. High quantities of Ndfc were recognized at hay stage compared to other growth stages.The efficient use of mineral fertilizer-N (%NUE) was increased by addition of half:half mineral and organic fertilizer. Similarly, it seems that microbial inoculation in general has a synergistic effect on enhancement of %NUE. Higher NUE occurred at hay growth stage than others. (Author)

  20. Associations between lifestyles and neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios in colorectal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Chuyuan; Wei, Yisheng; Jiang, Jianxin; Zhao, Chuxiong; Liang, Guojian; Wang, Guoqiang; Yang, Hui

    2014-06-01

    To explore the etiology of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) abnormalities in colorectal cancer. In total, 230 patients with histopathologically confirmed colorectal cancer from August 2009 to August 2011 were recruited to our study. The associations between lifestyles (smoking, alcohol and pickled food consumption) and pretreatment NLR and PLR were estimated using the Kruskal-Wallis tests and linear regression model. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant association between pickled food intake and pretreatment NLR but not PLR (P = 0.002, 0.057, respectively). Pairwise comparisons showed that, compared with those with a moderately frequent (2-3 times/week) and an infrequent (≤ once a week) intake of pickled food, high frequency (≥ four times/week) consumption of pickled food had a higher pretreatment NLR (P = 0.01, 0.007, respectively). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed pretreatment NLR increased significantly in high frequency (≥ four times/week) consumption of pickled food (P frequency intake of pickled food possibly contributes to higher NLR, which may reflect a systemic inflammatory response in colorectal cancer. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.