Cucurbits. James R. Myers
Soil
Postharvest Handling and Storage
Moisture and Solids Content in Fruit
Vitamins, Minerals and Secondary Compounds
Antinutrients and Pharmacology
Bacterial and Phytoplasma Diseases
Cucumber Moth (Cucurbit Caterpillar)
Nutrient Deficiencies and Excesses
APPENDIX: COMMON CUCURBIT NAMES AND THEIR SCIENTIFIC NAME EQUIVALENTS
Scientists attempt to make the world more understandable, enjoyable and usable for all. Horticulture is an important practical science with a long history. Although humans have been doing informal crop improvement for 12,000 years, scientific plant breeding did not begin until the late 17th century. Centuries of evolution have produced a diverse plant kingdom, requiring more detailed studies of distinct parts of the plant world to maximize our knowledge and use of individual crops.
The Cucurbitaceae is one of the most genetically diverse groups of crops in the plant kingdom. As a family and as individual crops, cucurbits epitomize adaptive differentiation and evolutionary divergence. Not only may cultivars within a crop vary significantly in their characteristics, but also the same cultivar grown in distinct areas can have different needs in response to diverse local growing conditions. Different cultures and ethnic groups have different cultivar preferences and horticultural practices, and that in turn increases the morphological diversity within the crop.
Crop production science has moved from general to