ABSTRACT
The potential yield performance of angiosperms is dependent on ower formation and development, the ratio of male to female owers, and the success of pollination and fruit set (Maynard and Hochmuth, 2007; Westereld, 2014). The sex of a cucurbitaceous ower can easily be identi-ed before the bud develops into full ower or before the ower opens (Lerner and Dana, 2014). Figure 9.1 shows the differences in the female (pistillate, P) and male (staminate, S) owers of some cucurbitaceous plants. For a female ower, the petals (corolla) enclose the female parts: stigma, style, and ovary. The female owers are attached to a swollen base referred to as the embryonic fruit (Figure 9.1). These organs are small and undeveloped fruits. The male ower comprises the male parts: lament and anther, which are also enclosed in petals. The male owers are attached to an ordinary ower stalk without the embryonic fruit. This is common among all members of the
9.1 Reproductive Growth and Development: Flowering and Fruit Set ...................................... 151 9.1.1 Floral Habit ............................................................................................................... 151 9.1.2 Development of Axillary Bud Complex and Flowers .............................................. 152 9.1.3 Genetic and Molecular Basis of Sex Expression ...................................................... 154 9.1.4 Other Factors Inuencing Flower Sex Ratio ............................................................ 155
9.1.4.1 Plant Growth Regulators ............................................................................ 155 9.1.4.2 Temperature ............................................................................................... 156 9.1.4.3 Light ........................................................................................................... 156 9.1.4.4 Nutrition ..................................................................................................... 156
9.1.5 Pollination, Fertilization, and Fruit Set .................................................................... 157 9.1.6 Maturity and Harvesting ........................................................................................... 159 9.1.7 Curing, Postharvest Storage, and Senescence .......................................................... 166
9.2 Summary .............................................................................................................................. 167 References ...................................................................................................................................... 167
Cucurbitaceae family. Typically, the female and male organs are found in separate owers on the vines of some plants like cucumber, squash, and pumpkin. This manner of ower arrangement is botanically referred to as monoecious (Loy, 2004; Maynard and Hochmuth, 2007). Some varieties of muskmelon and watermelon may demonstrate different oral habits known as andromonoecious under the inuence of varying genetic and environmental factors, which will be explained later. In andromonoecy, each ower that is formed on the vine has both male and female sex organs and is termed as a complete or hermaphrodite ower. Additionally, andromonoecious plants have separate male owers on their vines in addition to complete owers. Some species may also have female owers alone referred to as gynoecious or carpillate owers. Even though it is rare to nd only male plants, also known as androecious plants, among family members, traces were reported in cucumber and muskmelon plants (reviewed by Saito et al., 2007). Table 9.1 shows examples of cucurbitaceous plants with their typical oral characteristics. Some of them exhibit more than one oral habit.
