Influence of Ethrel on sex expression in cucurbitaceous vegetables

Abstract

Crops belonging to family Cucurbitaceae are generally known as ‘Cucurbits’. It consists of a wide range of vegetables either used for salad purpose. Majority of cucurbits are monoecious and sex ratio (male: female) ranges from 25-30:1 to 15:1. Sex ratio is influenced by environmental factors. High N content in the soil, long days and high temperature favour maleness. Besides environmental factors, endogenous levels of auxins, gibberellins, ethylene and abscisic acid also determine sex ratio and sequence of flowering. High ethylene level induces female sex and is suggested to increase female flowers in cucumber, musk melon, summer squash and pumpkin. This review enumerates the detailed information on the effect of ethrel, a ripening hormone, on sex expression in cucurbitaceous vegetables.