Floral biology of cucurbits Its a topic of seed technology subject . seed technology is the part of Genetics and Plant Breeding and Seed Science and Technology. This topic are totally based on flowers on cucurbits . cucurbits some important crops like cucumber, bottle gourd, ridge gourd , watermelon and mask melon

1. PRINCIPLE OF SEED
TECHNOLOGY
(ASAG2202)
NAME : S M PARVEJ
NOWAJ
BSC AGRICULTURE ,
SEC : B
TOPIC: FLORAL BIOLOGY
OF CUCURBITS.

2. INTRODUCTION :-
Cucurbits have 18 crops or vegetables.
But some crops or vegetables floral biologocal details is there ,, ,, ,,
1) Cucumber ( Cucumis sativa )
2) Bottle Gourd ( Lagenaria siceraria )
3) Ridge Gourd ( Luffa actangula )
4) Pointed Gourd ( Tricosanthes dioca )
5) Watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )
6) Maskmelon (Cucumis melo )

3. FLORAL BIOLOGY OF CUCUMBER
(Cucumis sativa) :-
Inflorescence
Inflorescence is cymose. Cucumber is monoecious i.e. male and
female lowers present on the same plant. Flowers are
bracteate, pedicellate, unisexual, actinomorphic, pentamerous
and epigynous.
Anthesis
The whole developmental process from the initial bud stage to
the stage when the flower is detached from the pedicel was
divided into 8 stages.
Opening and closing of the male flowers are mainly influenced
by the sunrise and sunset, that is, by light and the time of the
day.

4. • Anther dehiscence between temperature ranges of 20.5-
21.5°C.
• Pollen fertility was considerable up to noon and by
afternoon (2.00 PM) fertility was greatly reduced, and it
was negligible by evening.
• Stigma receptivity was for very short duration and
pollination should be carried out within 2 hours after
anthesis.
• Rise in temperature causes early drying of stigmatic
secretion. Different floral abnormalities like mixed
inflorescence, hermaphroditism, fusion, dimorphic female

5. MALE FLOWER OF CUCUMBER

6. FLORAL BIOLOGY OF BOTTLE
GOURD ( Lagenaria siceraria)
• The studies at IIHR, Bangalore, indicate that anthesis starts
from 9 am and gets completed by 7 pm the same day.
• Anther dehiscence begins at 11 am and is completed at 2 pm
the same day.
• Stigma becomes receptive 24 hrs before anthesis and remains
upto 24 hr after anthesis. Flowers remain open only for a few
hours, after which the petals wither.
• After 24 hrs the stigma loses its shine and becomes brownish
and increases by about 3mm in length, showing the start of fruit
formation.

8. FLORAL BIOLOGY OF POINTED
GOURD (Tricosanthes dioca )
• Flowering starts from July. Flowers are white. Flower opens
in early morning and closes before sunset.
• Because of dioecy, the crop is highly cross- pollinated.
• Anthers are free, pollen sticky and hence is strictly
entomophilous.
• Male flowers took 16-19 days while female flowers took 10- 14
days from initiation to anthesis (when the anthers and stigmas
first became visible). Anthesis began at 19.00 to 19.30 h in
female and at 19.30 to 20.00 h in male flowers. Stigmas
remained viable for 14 and 24 h in open and bagged flowers,
respectively.

9. FLORAL BIOLOGY OF RIDGE
GOURD (Luffa actangula )
• The sex forms in ridge gourd are monoecious,
androecious, gynoecious, gynomonoecious, and
andromonoecious and hermaphrodite.
• Flowers open in evening.
• Anthesis occurs between 5 -8 pm. Anther dehiscence
between 5-8 pm. Pollen fertility is maximum on the day of
anthesis and lasts till 2 -3 days after anthesis. Stigma is
receptive 6hrs before to 84 hrs after anthesis.

10. RIDGE GOURD
POINTED GOURD

11. FLORAL BIOLOGY OF
WATERMELON (Citrullus lanatus)
• The male flowers open first in the axil of 4th to 12th
leaf and a few days later, female and hermaphrodite
flowers open .
• Most flowers are open between 5:30 to 7 am . In
watermelon crosses , higher seed set was observed
when pollination occurred in the early morning.
Pollen kept at room conditions for 5hrs gave a lower
seed set then freshly collected pollen and after
30hrs completely lost viability .

13. FLORAL BIOLOGY OF MUSKMELON
(Cucumis melo)
• Flowers are large yellow, fragrant and edible.
• Many sex forms -monoecious,
gynomonoecious,andromonoecious, and perfect - are
present in melons leading to complete allogamy . Melons
are highly cross pollinated and honey bees are the chief
pollinators.
• time of anthesis - 5:30 to 6:30 am
• anther dehiscence- 5 to 6 am
• pollen fertility - 5 to 2 pm
• stigma receptivity - 2 hrs before to 2 to 3 hrs after