Some agronomical characteristics of doubled haploid lines produced by irradiated pollen technique and parental diploid genotypes in melons [Işinlanmiş polen teknigiyle üretilen dihaploid kavun hatlarinin ve orijinal diploid hatlarin bazi tarimsal özellikleri]

This study was carried out at the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Çukurova University in spring 1999 and 2000. In the study, 46 doubled haploid lines produced by irradiated pollen technique and 10 original diploid genotypes were used as plant materials. To investigate inbreeding depression in melons, doubled haploid lines and original diploid parental lines were compared with regard to plant vigor, yield and quality. Various plant growth and fruit characteristics were determined over two years. These were plant main stem height, node number, main stem diameter, earliness and total yield, fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit length, rind thickness, flesh thickness, diameter and length of seed cavity and total soluble solid contents. Double haploid lines showed similar results to the original diploid lines. Inbreeding depression was not observed in these materials. Great variations were noted in respect of fruit weight and fruit length. It can be concluded that homozygosity did not cause any significant adverse effects on plant vigor, yield or quality in melons

Effect of hypocotyl morphology on survival rate and growth of watermelon seedlings grafted on rootstocks with different emergence performance at various temperatures

The emergence performance of different rootstocks and watermelon cultivars at different temperatures, and the effect of hypoctyl structure on grafting success and survival rate were investigated. Evaluated rootstocks were Cucurbita moşchata (landrace), C maxima (Arican local cultivar), Strong Tosa (C. maxima x C. moschata), P360 (C. maxima x C. moschata), Luffa cylindrica, Benincasa hispida, Lagenaria siceraria (landrace), Skopje (Landrace), and 2 Lagenaria hybrids, 216 and FR Gold. The Crimson Tide watermelon cultivar was used as scion. Emergence tests at 14 °C, 18 °C and 25 °C were carried out for all rootstocks and scion seeds in a growth chamber. Cucurbita type rootstocks showed better emergence performance at low temperatures than did other rootstocks and scion. However, B. hispida, L. cylindrica, Lagenaria type rootstocks and scion did not emerge at 14 °C and they were rotten. At 18 °C, the earliest emergence was recorded in Cucurbita type rootstocks while the latest emergence was observed in B. hispida and L. cylindrica. Rootstocks and scion did not show any difference in emergence rate at 25 °C. B. hispida and L. cylindrica had the thinnest and shortest hypocotyls which made grafting difficult. The survival rate of grafted plants was inversely correlated with the difference in diameters of scion and rootstock. At the same time survival rate was significantly affected by the rootstocks genotype. Rootstocks had different numbers of vascular bundles but the survival rate was not affected by the number of vascular bundles whereas the plant growth rate was positively affected. In general, Lagenaria type rootstocks had a higher survival rate than did other rootstocks. The hole insertion grafting technique had a significantly lower survival rate than did the approaching technique in Cucurbita type rootstocks. All graft combinations produced higher plant biomass than did the control plant, except for the L. cylindrica. The study showed that rootstock influences survival rates and plant growth in the use of grafting applications in watermelon. © TÜBITAK

Rootstock resistance to Fusarium wilt and effect on watermelon fruit yield and quality

The potential of grafted watermelon for resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum on some Curcurbitaceae, Lagenaria, Luffa, Benincasa and commercial rootstocks was evaluated. Effects of grafting on yield and quality of diseased plants were evaluated. All grafted plants and rootstocks were resistant to the three known races (0, 1, and 2) of F. oxysporum f.sp. niveum except watermelon cv. 'Crimson Tide', which was susceptible to race 2. Fruit yield was positively (21-112%) affected by Lagenaria rootstocks but negatively affected (200-267%) by Cucurbita rootstocks when compared with the control. While only minor differences in fruit quality were determined in control and grafted plants on Lagenaria rootstocks, the quality parameters for watermelon grafted onto Cucurbita rootstocks were lower than in the control. The reasons for low yield and quality might be due to an incompatibility between Cucurbita rootstocks and watermelon. These results showed that rootstock influence on disease resistance as well as yield and quality of scion fruit is important in determining the potential use of grafting applications in watermelon.This research was supported by Project No. TOGTAGT ARP-2410 from The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK),A nkara, Turkey

Morphological characterization of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (molina) standl.) germplasm and formation of a core collection

Bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] genotypes were collected from different parts of Turkey and a core collection (CC) was established based on morphological characteristics. The collection was grown for morphological characterization and seed multiplication. Seeds were produced from 322 genotypes (Entire Population-EP) representing diversity of entire country by selfing and the accessions were characterized for 25 quantitative and 21 qualitative morphological characteristics. Important variation was observed in fruit size, cotyledon dimensions, leaf dimension, flower size, fruit length (8.7-155.7 cm), fruit shape (flat-elongate), seed weight (3.8 g/100 seeds-38 g/100 seeds) among accessions as previously reported. UPGMA cluster, and principal component analyses cluster of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of EP were assayed. Results of the assays together with geographic origin of the genotypes were analyzed to establish a core population (CC) consisting of 100 genotypes. High correlation between the CC and the EP (r= 0.974 for normalized Mantel Statistic Z) demonstrated that CC represents the most of total genetic variation with minimum redundancy in bottle gourd germplasm of Turkey. The CC will enable efficient and cost-effective management and utilization of bottle gourd germplasm. © Ankara Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi.111O117The study was supported by The Scientific andTechnological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) Project No: 111O117. The authors thank TUBITAK for their financial support. In addition, authors deeply thankful to Dr. Andrew THOMPSON from Cranfield University for proofreading whose efforts have significantly improved the quality and accuracy of the information and language of the manuscript

Rootstock potential of Turkish Lagenaria siceraria germplasm for watermelon: Plant growth, graft compatibility, and resistance to Fusarium

The rootstock potential of Turkish Lagenaria siceraria germplasm for watermelon was evaluated. Among 210 accessions, 72 genotypes were selected based on morphological characteristics. Two commercial hybrid rootstocks were also used for comparison. Crimson Tide watermelon cultivar was used as a scion. Emergence rate, hypocotyl morphology, survival rate, and resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (FON) were investigated. Grafted plants were grown for 3 weeks in order to investigate the effect of rootstocks on plant growth. Leaf number, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight were determined. Emergence rate was ranked between 72% and 100% in collected genotypes. The highest graft compatibility was 99% while the lowest graft compatibility was 70%. All the grafted plants showed better performance than control plants regarding plant growth. All bottle gourd genotypes were tested against known 3 races of FON and all of them showed resistance against it. However, 9 genotypes showed yellowing but reisolation from those plants showed that yellowing was not due to FON. Crimson Sweet watermelon cv. susceptible to 3 races of FON was grafted onto 10 Lagenaria siceraria genotypes with the highest graft compatibility with watermelon. While all grafted plants showed resistance to FON, ungrafted Crimson Sweet watermelon cv. was found susceptible to 3 races of FON. The results showed that Turkish L. siceraria germplasm has powerful rootstock potential for watermelon against Fusarium wilt and it is a good resource for rootstock breeding programs. © TÜBITAK

Genetic analyses of Turkish watermelons based on SRAP markers

Genetic studies of watermelons [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] sampled from Turkey, the second leading producer, may provide valuable information for breeding and research programs. The objectives of this study were to estimate the level of genetic diversity, population structure, and optimum genome sampling size among the Turkish and several introduced watermelons. From the collection, 256 watermelon lines representing all watermelon-growing areas of Turkey along with two accessions of a related genus (Praecitrullus fistulosus (Stocks) Pangalo) and a few popular cultivars were genotyped using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. Twenty-seven primers generated 210 molecular markers for genetic analyses. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average analysis produced no clear-cut pattern, while principal component analysis indicated three subgroups among the lines studied. They had a narrow genetic base within C. lanatus var. lanatus and were mostly distinguished from each other. Model-based structure analysis indicated that the number of subpopulations in watermelons was four. Among the 258 lines, only 20% (51 lines) had 0.80 or greater membership coefficients to one subpopulation, and therefore were not admixed. The remaining 207 were admixed by at least two subpopulations. The similarity matrix of genome sampling size of 40 randomly selected markers was highly correlated (r = 0.915) with the matrix of simple matching coefficients based on 100 markers, implying that 40 markers were detected to be sufficient for this species. Overall, this study concluded that the majority of the Turkish watermelons were distinguished from each other, difficult to classify, and admixed, with narrow genetic variation. © TÜBİTAK.Firat University Scientific Research Projects Management Unit: FBY-12-3838This study was funded by the Scientific Research Unit of Erciyes University (FBY-12-3838). The authors thank the Turkish Gene Bank Aegean Agricultural Research Institute (AARI), USDA-USA, INRA-France, and Dr Csaba Zsamosi of Corvinus University of Budapest for providing seeds of some lines

Rootstock potential of Turkish Lagenaria siceraria germplasm for watermelon: Plant growth, yield and quality [Türkiye'deki Lagenaria siceraria gen kaynaklarının karpuz için anaçlık potansiyeli: Bitki gelişimi, verim ve kalite]

The rootstock potential of 21 bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) collected from the Mediterranean region (Turkey) was investigated for watermelon with regard to plant growth, yield, and fruit quality. The Crimson Tide watermelon cultivar was used as a scion and 2 commercial rootstocks (L. siceraria) were also used for comparison. In greenhouse conditions, the survival rate of grafted plants and the eff ect of rootstocks on plant growth were determined. The grafted plants were planted under low tunnels in early spring and the eff ects of the rootstocks on early yield, total yield, and fruit quality were evaluated. The survival rates of the grafted plants varied from 83% to 100%. Survival rates of those with commercial rootstocks and local rootstocks were similar. Plants grafted onto 20-02, 31-09, 31-43, 35-01, and 46-03 were more vigorous than ungrafted control plants. Compared to the control plants, grafted plants had 37% to 80% higher plant dry weight. All of the grafted plants except CT/Macis produced a higher yield than the control plants. The plants grafted onto 6 of the local rootstocks had significantly greater total yields than those grafted onto the commercial rootstocks. Among the local bottle gourd landraces tested, the 01-16, 07-45, 20-06, 31-09, 31-15, and 46-03 were found to be promising genotypes with regard to total yield. Early yield was not significantly affected by rootstock. The quality parameters of the fruits harvested from the grafted and control plants were found to be similar except for a limited number of graft combinations. It was concluded that germplasm from Turkish bottle gourds has a high rootstock potential for watermelon with regard to the investigated parameters. © TÜBİTAK

Management of Recurrent Rectourethral Fistula by York Mason Posterior Transrectal Transsphincteric Approach

Rectourethral fistula (RUF) may develop after ureterovesical and rectal intervention or radiation therapy (RT) rarely, but it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The patient will typically present with pneumaturia, faecaluria, and urinary drainage from the rectum. Diagnosis can be easily done with digital rectal examination, cystography, and urethrocystoscopy. Conservative supportive management of RUF does not appear to be successful in most patients, and management with surgical intervention remains the best treatment option. Several surgical techniques have been described including transabdominal, transanal, transperineal, combined abdominoperineal, anterior and posterior transsphincteric, transsacral, laparoscopic, robotic, and endoscopic minimally invasive approaches. There have been very few data about treatment of recurrent RUF. We would like to report the management of recurrent RUF following transurethral resection of prostate and RT for prostate carcinoma in an immunosuppressed, 75-year-old patient by York Mason posterior transrectal transsphincteric approach

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GRAFTING TO IMPROVE SALTTOLERANCE OF SENSITIVE MELON WHEN THE TOLERANT MELON ISUSED AS ROOTSTOCK

Melon cultivars that are sensitive and tolerant to salinity were reciprocally grafted andplants were grown under salinity and control conditions in the glasshouse. Growing culturewas vermiculite and plants were irrigated by the complete nutrient solution. Thirty days oldmelon plants, grafted and ungrafted were subjected to salinity stress during 25 days with100mM NaCI. Some physiological parameters were investigated. Grafting on the tolerantmelon increased the responses of the sensitive melon to salinity in comparison to theungrafted one. The shoot fresh weight and leaf area were increased by 27%, leaf waterpotential was increased by 65%, leaf membrane injury index was decreased by 13 andstomatal conductance was increased by 18%. Other parameters like chlorophyll content, leaftemperature, mineral content (Na, K, Ca, and Cl) of the leaf and root, antioxidative enzymeactivities were also investigated. All results were discussed in the meeting in Portugal.</p