Etude des caractéristiques botaniques, agronomiques et de la biologie florale du melon africain (Cucumis melo var. L. agrestis Naudin, Cucurbitaceae)

Study of botanic, agronomic characters and fl oral biology of African melon (Cucumis melo L. var. agrestis Naudin, Cucurbitaceae). African melon, Cucumis melo var. agrestis, is a cultivated crop for which dried seeds are used in preparation of sauce pistachio, a valuable food in Côte dʼIvoire. Few studies are concerned with this crop as compared to melon species cultivated in temperate countries. Agronomic and morphological characteristics of C. melo var. agrestis are studied based on eight characters: germination rate, emergence time, date of fl owering, duration of life cycle, weight of mature berries, mean number of seeds per berry, weight of 100 seeds and seeds shape. Floral biology and mating system are studied on the basis of 19 parameters. Results of these studies showed that C. melo var. agrestis has a life cycle duration of 110 to 150 days varying with seasons. The mean number of berries per plant is variable (5 to 15) and the percentage of seeds per berry is low (6,83%). African melon is andromonoecious with a phenological interval between male and hermaphrodite fl owers occurrence. The pollen grains of hermaphrodite fl owers are viable and the stigmata are mature before fl owers are opening. The implications of fl oral biology on the mating system are discussed in view of yield breeding and study of gene fl ow among individuals on fields