MSc

A study entitled “Evaluation of seedlings and clonal progenies of Kattupatavalam (Trichosanthes cucumerina L.) for yield and quality” was carried out at the Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, during 2005-2006, to evaluate the seedlings and clonal progenies of Kattupatavalam for growth and yield in open and under shade. The study also aimed at assessing the quality attributes of seedlings and clonal progenies, grown under shade and in the open by comparison with the drug source in the user industry.
Results of the study revealed that shade and open conditions had a significant influence on various parameters of growth, yield and quality attributes of seedlings and clonal progenies. Seedlings and clonal progenies also showed significant difference in some growth parameters as well as in yield and quality attributes.
Considering main vine length and primary branches per plant, seedlings were superior as compared to clonal progenies. Growing in the open, conferred earliness in flowering, wherein the species registered 66.53 days for flowering. Between subplot treatments, earlier flowering was recorded for clonal progenies as compared to seedlings. Plants grown in the open attained fruit maturity earlier as compared to plants grown under shade. But seedlings and clonal progenies recorded values on par with each other.
Highest mean fruit number was recorded for plants grown under shade as compared to plants in the open. Clonal progenies recorded 45.47 mean number of fruits, which was superior to fruit number per plant in seedlings.
No significant difference was observed in fruit yield per plant, in plants grown under shade as well as in the open. Similar trend was exhibited by seedlings and clonal progenies as well. Total fresh yield and total dry yield of whole plant, did not differ significantly under shade and in the open. It was also revealed that, seedlings and clonal progenies registered values on par with each other, on the above two yield parameters. Shorter crop duration was recorded in plants grown under shade (111.07 days) as compared to plants in the open. Clonal progenies recorded shorter crop duration as compared to seedlings.
Fresh weight of soxhlet extractables was highest for plants grown under shade (0.312g). Clonal progenies recorded 0.358 g of soxhlet extractables, which was superior to that of seedlings. It was found that, shade and open conditions had no influence on the fresh weight of hot water extractables. Considering subplot treatments, clonal progenies recorded higher mean weight of hot water extractables (0.929). Market samples yielded 0.718g of hot water extractables and 0.213 g of soxhlet extractables.
Tissue culture derived plants grown under shade, registered cucurbitacin of low molecular weight, while high molecular weight cucurbitacin was recorded in seedlings grown in the open. Intermediate types of cucurbitacin were expressed by clonal progenies in the open, seedlings under shade and market samples.
Cucurbitacin content was more for clonal progenies grown under shade, while least quantity was observed in seedlings grown in the open. Market sample yielded five units of cucurbitacin, which was superior to cucurbitacin content of seedlings grown in open. On further biochemical analyses, it was revealed that, other secondary metabolites like alkaloids, phenols, tannins and saponins were present in domesticated samples as well as in market samples. Quantification of terpene revealed that tissue culture derived plants grown under shade registered higher amount of terpenes (13 units) than others.
With regard to anatomical studies of experimental samples, no difference in anatomy of stem, root and leaf sections of domesticated samples and market samples was noted.
The study conclusively proved that, Trichosanthes cucumerina can be ideally raised as a profitable intercrop in the coconut gardens of Kerala and that performance of tissue culture derived plantlets was comparable to seedlings. Also, market sample did not reveal presence of adulterants, as indicated by qualitative as well as anatomical investigations.