Sex Manipulation in Cucurbitaceous Vegetables

Abstract

Sex manipulation is attributed to alter the ratio of male to female flowers within the individuals. A wide range of variation in sex forms ranging from primitive hermaphrodite to gynoecious advanced sex form is observed in cucurbitaceous vegetable crops. Sex expression in cucurbitaceae family is regulated by environmental, genetic and hormonal factors. In general, female sex expression is promoted by low temperature and short photoperiod, which may influence the level of endogeneous hormones (ethylene, auxin and GA) which in turn influence the sex expression. Sex inheritance plays an important role in breeding programme. The reduction in sex ratio, stabilizing the gynoecious character and development of stable gynoecious inbred parents is the main objective of cucurbit breeding programs. Identification of sex expression in the initial stage of the crop with the help of biotechnological tools like marker assisted selection (MAS) may be employed. The molecular breeding will also be helpful for studying the mechanism affecting sex expression and to identify the genes governing the sex character in cucurbits.