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Occurrence and chromosome number of Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (Royle) Alef. in South India and its bearing on the origin of cultivated cucumber

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Summary

Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (Royle) Alef., the wild progenitor of cultivated C. sativus is reported for the first time from peninsular India. The South Indian specimens showed n=7 bivalents in PMCs. The discontinous occurrence of the wild taxon in the Himalayan regions and peninsular hills and the existence of cultivars of C. sativus adapted to the tropical and temperate climates suggest polytopic domestication of the cultivated forms. The possibility of utilizing this wild germplasm for crop improvement is indicated.

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  1. Department of Botany, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, 695 581, Trivandrum, India

    Philomena Kuriachan & S. Suhara Beevy

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  1. Philomena Kuriachan
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  2. S. Suhara Beevy
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Kuriachan, P., Beevy, S.S. Occurrence and chromosome number of Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (Royle) Alef. in South India and its bearing on the origin of cultivated cucumber. Euphytica 61, 131–133 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00026803

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00026803

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