ABSTRACT

Snapmelon is native to India. It was intensively grown in the nineteenth century in northern India (Duthie, 1905) where it is commonly known as “phut,” which means “to split.” Immature fruits are cooked or pickled; the low-sugared matured fruits are eaten raw (Pandit et al., 2005). Ripe fruits usually crack. It is grown on a small scale in north India mainly in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar (Dhillon et al., 2009). Sometimes, it is cultivated as an intercrop with sorghum, maize, and cotton. Its fruits are tender at the young stage and are eaten either raw or cooked. They give out a musky avor and are eaten as a dessert. They are rich in minerals and vitamins and are useful for lowering blood sugar level. Its seeds are rich in oil with a nutty avor but are very ddly to use because of its small size and a brous coat covering. Local landraces of snapmelon have been reported to be a good source of disease and insect resistance (Dhillon et al., 2007). Although snapmelon originated in India and also has various important uses, it is grown on a very limited area. The main reason for low area production and productivity of snapmelon in comparison to other vegetable crops is the lack of knowledge and use of unidentied local varieties/landraces with

27.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 489 27.2 Medicinal Uses .....................................................................................................................490 27.3 Ecology and Phenology ........................................................................................................490 27.4 Botany ...................................................................................................................................490 27.5 Breeding Methods and Improved Cultivars ......................................................................... 491 27.6 Production Technology ......................................................................................................... 491 27.7 Stress Tolerance .................................................................................................................... 492 27.8 Plant Protection..................................................................................................................... 492

27.8.1 Fruit Fly .................................................................................................................... 492 27.8.1.1 Distribution of Fruit Fly ............................................................................. 492 27.8.1.2 Host Range ................................................................................................. 493 27.8.1.3 Nature and Extent of Damage .................................................................... 493 27.8.1.4 Life Cycle ................................................................................................... 493 27.8.1.5 Strategies for Integrated Management of Fruit Fly ................................... 493

References ...................................................................................................................................... 496

poor and inconsistent performance. Authors have found a good amount of variation with respect to earliness, number, weight, color, shape, size, avor, sweetness, and disease resistance in crops grown at their experimental farm, which offers great scope for the improvement of this crop through the application of knowledge of genetics and plant breeding (Figure 27.1).