Standardized agronomic practices for mechanical harvesting of the single-harvest garden pea in India.

The field investigations were conducted at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of vegetable Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana with the objective to standarize the agronomic practices for mechical harvesting of garden pea. Therefore, effect of different agronomic traits including time of sowing, spacing and sowing method on yield and its attributing traits were studied on single-harvest garden pea. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with 30 treatments comprising five dates of sowing in main plots and 2 different planting methods (flat and bed) sown at three different spacing in subplots and replicated three times. The bed size was standardized according to front-loading width of the pea combine. Significant interactions were observed between the date of sowing and spacing for a number of pods per plant, green seeds per pod, green pod yield per plant, green pod yield per plot; date of sowing and sowing method for pod length; spacing and sowing method for plant height. However, for all the traits, there was non-significant 3-way interaction. The late sown (20th December) crop resulted in the least number of pods per plant, green seeds per pod, green pod yield per plant and green pod yield per plot which was due to high temperature and low relative humidity conditions at pod development and filling stage. It is concluded that the garden pea cultivar Punjab-89 sown on 5th November at the spacing of 20 × 7.5 cm on beds (bed width of 1.0 m) resulted in significantly highest green pod yield of 12.75 kg/9 m2 in the single harvest. Therefore, the 3 beds of 1 m width can be harvested together with pea combine (because combine has working front width of 3.1 m) results into maximum yield when pea crops is sown on 5th November @ 20 × 7.5 cm spacing.

Genetic Mechanisms for Hybrid Breeding in Vegetable Crops.

To address the complex challenges faced by our planet such as rapidly changing climate patterns, food and nutritional insecurities, and the escalating world population, the development of hybrid vegetable crops is imperative. Vegetable hybrids could effectively mitigate the above-mentioned fundamental challenges in numerous countries. Utilizing genetic mechanisms to create hybrids not only reduces costs but also holds significant practical implications, particularly in streamlining hybrid seed production. These mechanisms encompass self-incompatibility (SI), male sterility, and gynoecism. The present comprehensive review is primarily focused on the elucidation of fundamental processes associated with floral characteristics, the genetic regulation of floral traits, pollen biology, and development. Specific attention is given to the mechanisms for masculinizing and feminizing cucurbits to facilitate hybrid seed production as well as the hybridization approaches used in the biofortification of vegetable crops. Furthermore, this review provides valuable insights into recent biotechnological advancements and their future utilization for developing the genetic systems of major vegetable crops.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of parthenocarpic fruit set-related gene homologs in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), a major horticultural crop, in the family Cucurbitaceae is grown and consumed globally. Parthenocarpy is an ideal trait for many fruit and vegetables which produces seedless fruit desired by consumers. The seedlessness occurs when fruit develops without fertilization which can be either natural or induced. So far, a limited number of genes regulating parthenocarpic fruit set have been reported in several fruit or vegetable crops, most of which are involved in hormone biosynthesis or signalling. Although parthenocarpic cucumber has been widely used in commercial production for a long time; its genetic basis is not well understood. In this study, we retrieved thirty five parthenocarpy fruit-set related genes (PRGs) from bibliomic data in various plants. Thirty-five PRG homologs were identified in the cucumber genome via homology-based search. An in silico analysis was performed on phylogenetic tree, exon-intron structure, cis-regulatory elements in the promoter region, and conserved domains of their deduced proteins, which provided insights into the genetic make-up of parthenocarpy-related genes in cucumber. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) sequences were mined in these PRGs, and 31 SSR markers were designed. SSR genotyping identified three SSRs in two polymorphic genes. Quantitative real-time PCR of selected genes was conducted in five cucumber lines with varying degrees of parthenocarpic fruit set capacities, which revealed possible association of their expression with parthenocarpy. The results revealed that homologs CsWD40 and CsPIN-4 could be considered potential genes for determination of parthenocarpy as these genes showed parental polymorphism and differential gene expression in case of parthenocarpic and non-parthenocarpic parents.

Effect of shrink wrap packaging for maintaining quality of cucumber during storage.

Immature green cucumber cv. 'Padmini' fruits were individually shrink wrapped with Cryovac D955 (60 guage) film and stored at 12 ± 1 °C, 90-95% RH as well as ambient conditions (29-33 °C, 65-70% RH). At 12 ± 1 °C and 90-95% RH, individual shrink wrapped cucumber recorded minimum Physiological loss in weight (0.66%) as compared with unwrapped fruits (11.11%) at the end of refrigerated storage (15 days). The softening (loss of firmness) was maximum (1304.6-876.6 g force) in unwrapped cucumbers whereas in shrink wrapping, minimum loss in firmness (1304.6-1065.3 g force) was observed after 12 days storage at 12 ± 1 °C and 90-95% RH but greater loss of weight and firmness makes the control cucumbers unmarketable after 9 days of storage. There were no rotting at all both in shrink wrapped and unwrapped cucumbers upto 15 days of storage at 12 ± 1 °C and 90-95% RH. After 15 days storage of shrink wrapped cucumbers at 12 ± 1 °C and 90-95% RH, there was loss of green colour and development of yellowness and decay. The sensory attributes score was highest in shrink wrapped cucumbers as compared to unwrapped cucumbers at end of both storage conditions. Thus it can be concluded that individual shrink wrapped cucumber can be stored well upto 15 days at 12 ± 1 °C and 90-95% RH and for 5 days at ambient conditions (29-33 °C, 65-70% RH) with maximum retention of green colour, no spoilage, minimum weight and firmness loss and very good sensory quality attributes whereas, unwrapped fruits can be stored well upto 9 days at 12 ± 1 °C and 90-95% RH and for 2 days at ambient conditions with maximum retention of physico-chemical quality attributes.