Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 11:93-94 (article 39) 1988
D.S. Decker-Walters and T.W. Walters
Department of Botany, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
During the last week of May and the first week of June 1987. we visited five cities (Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Yangshou, and Guangzhou) in the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong. As part of our trip, we gathered data and germplasm from a variety of cultivated cucurbits (Cucurbitaceae). We were unable to make germplasm collections of many common cucurbits, particularly bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.) and loofahs (Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb, and L. cylindrica (L.) M.J. Roem.), because the fruits were sold in the markets only in the immature state. Even from mature fruits, the amount of seeds collected was small. Therefore, we are currently increasing this germplasm with controlled pollinations. We will be sending the increased seed to the USDA-ARS, Germplasm Introduction Office, Building 001, Room 232, BARC-West, Beltsville, Maryland 20705. These include collection numbers 367, 368, 369, 370, 372, 380, and 382 (Table 1).
Species collected in China and Hong Kong and their codes in Table 1 are: Benincasa hispida (Thunb,) Cog. (BEN), Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai (CIT), Cucumis melo L. (CUC-M), Cucumis sativus L. (CUC-5), Cucurbita maxima Duch. ex Lam. (CUK-A), Cucurbita mixta Pang. (CUK-I), Cucurbita moschata (Duch. ex Lam.) Duch. ex Poir. (CUK-M), Cucurbita pepo L. (C UK-P), Cyclanthera pedata (L,) Schrad. (CYC), and Momordica charantia L. (MOM).
Table 1. Germplasm collections of the Cucurbitaceae from China and Hong Kong.
Collection |
Species |
Locality |
Observations |
| DDW 367 | BEN | Hong Kong | seeds bought from large jar |
| DDW 377 | BEN | Guangzhou | fruit oblong, ca. 30 cm x 15 cm. |
| DDW 365 | CIT | Hong Kong | seeds bought from large bin, seeds large and red |
| DDW 368 | CIT | Beijing | rind green, flesh pale pink, seeds small and brown |
| DDW 369 | CIT | Beijing | rind green, flesh pale pink, seeds small and brown |
| DDW 371 | CIT | Xi’an | fruit ca, 18 cm diameter, rind dark green, flesh red, seeds large and black |
| DDW 370 | CUC-M | Xi’an | fruit ca. 12 cm diameter, rind pale green, flesh pale yellow |
| DDW 372 | CUC-M | Guilin | fruit ca, 9 cm diameter, rind pale green, flesh white |
| DDW 380 | CUC-M | Guangzhou | fruit ca. 11 cm diameter, rind light brown and netted, flesh orange |
| DDW 382 | CUC-S | Hong Kong | fruit oblong, ca. 18 cm x 7 cm, rind yellowish brown and cracked, flesh white and juicy |
| DDW 369.5 | CUK | Beijing | bag of roasted seeds bought, represented were CUK-A, CUK-I, CUK-M, and CUK-P |
| DDW 374 | CUK-M | Yangshuo | fruit bell-shaped, rind dark green turning orange, flesh pale yellow, seeds immature |
| DDW 376 | CUK-M | Guangzhou | fruit large and squarish, rind green and orange splotched, flesh orange |
| DDW 383 | CUK-M | Hong Kong | fruit bell-shaped, rind green turning white, flesh deep yellow, seeds immature |
| DDW 366 | CUK-P | Hong Kong | seeds bought from large jar, salted |
| DDW 379 | CYC | Guangzhou | fruit elliptic, ca. 17 cm long, rind green and white splotched, seeds with wavy margins, immature |
| DDW 363 | MOM | Hong Kong | rind green, seeds immature? |
| DDW 378 | MOM | Guangzhou | rind green, seeds light brown |