ABSTRACT
An introduction to cucurbit crops has been provided in two full-length books (Whitaker and Davis 1962; Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997). A number of book chapters have periodical updates on research in cucumber (Tatlioglu 1993; Staub et al. 2008), melon (McCreight et al. 1993; Pitrat 2008), watermelon (Feher 1993; Wehner 2008), and squash/pumpkin (Ferriol and Pico 2008; Paris 2008). This chapter will give a brief review of research progress in the past several years in four major cucurbits with focus on the economic and biological importance of major cucurbits, new fi ndings in cucurbit taxonomy, domestication and evolution, as well as germplasm conservation and utilization.
