ABSTRACT
The globally ubiquitous, cross-pollinated family Cucurbitaceae includes 825 species representing 118 principally tropical genera of which some have economic importance (Jeffrey 1990). For instance, species in the genera Cucumis (cucumber; C. sativus var. sativus L; melon; Cucumis melo L.), Citrullus [watermelon; C. lanatus (Thumb.) Matsum & Nakai], and Cucurbita [squash (C. pepo L. and C. moschata Duchesne)] provide an array of market types that are grown worldwide (~17.9 x 107 metric tons of marketable product; FAO 2004). In fact, taken collectively species of the Cucurbitaceae are among the most culturally and commercially important plant species (Nayar and More 1998).
