Detection and Quantification of Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum in Seeds of Cucurbita maxima Using Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction

Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum is an important seedborne pathogen of squash (Cucurbita maxima). The aim of our work was to develop a rapid and sensitive diagnostic tool for detection and quantification of S. cucurbitacearum in squash seed samples, to be compared with blotter analysis, that is the current official seed test. In blotter analysis, 29 of 31 seed samples were identified as infected, with contamination from 1.5 to 65.4%. A new set of primers (DB1F/R) was validated in silico and in conventional, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and droplet digital (dd) PCR. The limit of detection of S. cucurbitacearum DNA for conventional PCR was ∼1.82 × 10–2 ng, with 17 of 19 seed samples positive. The limit of detection for ddPCR was 3.6 × 10–3 ng, which corresponded to 0.2 copies/μl. Detection carried out with artificial samples revealed no interference in the absolute quantification when the seed samples were diluted to 20 ng. All seed samples that showed S. cucurbitacearum contamination in the blotter analysis were highly correlated with the absolute quantification of S. cucurbitacearum DNA (copies/μl) in ddPCR (R2 = 0.986; p ≤ 0.01). Our ddPCR protocol provided rapid detection and absolute quantification of S. cucurbitacearum, offering a useful support to the standard procedure.

In vitro antioxidant and antidiarrheal activities of aqueous and n-hexane extracts of Cucurbita maxima seed in castor oil-induced diarrheal rats

Diarrhea is a common health complaint occurring with mild, temporary conditions to a potentially life-threatening condition. <i>Cucurbita maxima</i> (Cucurbitaceae) seed is reportedly used traditionally for the treatment of diarrheal and thus this study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidants, total tannins, phenolics contents, and antidiarrheal potentials of <i>n</i>-hexane and aqueous <i>C. maxima</i> seed extracts in castor oil induced diarrheal rats. The <i>n</i>-hexane extract mainly contains oils while the aqueous extract was thick, brown solid. The aqueous and <i>n</i>-hexane seed extract of <i>C. maxima</i> expressed significant 2,2, diphenyl-1-picrythdrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities at 6.25 – 1000 mg/mL with IC₅₀ values of 104.01 mg/mL, 29.27 mg/mL and 26.78 mg/mL for <i>n</i>-hexane, aqueous and vitamin C respectively. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of the <i>n</i>-hexane and aqueous seed extract of <i>C. maxima</i> were significantly lower at higher concentrations compared with that of vitamin C. Furthermore, the total antioxidant capacities of <i>n</i>-hexane (22.08mg/mL) and aqueous seed extract (11.03 mg/mL) of <i>C. maxima</i> were found to be higher than that of vitamin C (134.46 mg/mL). The aqueous extracts (658.33±380.08 mg QE/g) total tannins were not significantly different from the <i>n</i>-hexane extract (468.33±102.55 mg QE/g) while the <i>n</i>-hexane extract contains significantly higher total phenolics (2.93±1.25 mg GAE/g) compared with the aqueous extract (0.19±0.04 mg GAE/g). Percentage inhibition of stooling was found to be 57±22%, 41±16%, and 46±11% for loperamide, <i>n</i>-hexane, and aqueous respectively. The study concludes that aqueous and n-hexane seed extracts of <i>C. maxima</i> (pumpkin) possess in vitro antioxidant activities and antidiarrheal properties.

Effect of processing on vitamin A and some mineral contents of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seed

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seeds are important food materials used by most Nigerian families due to their delicious taste, aroma and appeal. In this study, changes between chemical composition of processed and unprocessed pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita maxima) was investigated. The nutritional compositions were analyzed by standard methods. The vitamin A contents 36.83 μg/100g and 33.72 μg/100g respectively. The copper, zinc, magnesium,phosphorus and iron contents of processed seeds were; 0.063, 0.43, 47.67, 58.19 and 610.77 ppm respectively while the values for unprocessed were; 0.047, 0.41, 36.73, 58.45 and 211.19 ppm respectively with significant difference between the processed and unprocessed. The finding suggests that pumpkin seed is rich in this vitamin and minerals. If utilized efficiently. It can also ameliorate micronutrients deficiency problem in population of all age groups.

Formulasi dan Evaluasi Krim Tabir Surya Ekstrak Daging Labu Kuning (Cucurbita maxima)

Paparan sinar UV secara berlebih dapat menyebabkan imunosupresan, photoaging dan kanker kulit, apabila paparan mengenai lapisan kulit dermis akan menyebabkan kulit menjadi gelap, eritema serta terjadi kerusakan jaringan kolagen. Tabir surya memiliki mekanisme perlindungan secara fisik melalui penghamburan sinar matahari yang masuk ke dalam kulit serta perlindungan mekanik melalui absorbsi sinar UV. Senyawa alami yang berpotensi untuk dikembangkan sebagai kosmetik tabir surya melalui mekanisme antiaging adalah senyawa yang mempunya cincin aromatik seperti gugus fenol. Kandungan labu diketahui memiliki aktivitas antioksidan diantaranya polifenol, karotenoid dan tokoferol. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memformulasi krim daging buah labu kuning potensinya sebagai tabir surya melalui pengujian nilai SPF menggunakan metode Spektrofotometri. Evaluasi sediaan krim menunjukkan organoleptis berwarna kuning, berbau manis dan berbentuk semi padat. Krim daging labu kuning memiliki nilai pH yang berkisar antara 5,32 – 6,11, daya sebar 5,04 – 5,31 cm, daya lekat 2,77 – 3,73 detik, viskositas 4480 – 7360 cP, dan uji sentrifugasi krim tidak mengalami perubahan. Penyimpanan selama 14 hari sediaan stabil dan tidak mengalami perubahan yang signifikan berdasarkan paired sample T test. Hasil pengujian aktivitas tabir surya menunjukkan nilai SPF F1, F2 dan F3 berturut – turut sebesar 2,15 ± 0,01, 4,69 ± 0,04 dan 5,78 ± 0,02. Krim dengan konsentrasi ekstrak daging buah labu kuning sebesar 5% dan 10% memiliki proteksi tabir surya kategori sedang.

Floral Patches and Their Impact on Pollinator Attraction and Yield Production on Cucurbita maxima Var. Paine in Central Chile

In recent decades, it has been shown that pollination deficit can significantly affect crop production. Moreover, now it is known that the appropriate management of pollination can increase the quantity and quality of yields. Therefore, pollination appears to be a key component in modern agriculture. This study aimed to determine the impact of floral patch addition on the quality and quantity of Cucurbita maxima fruit production. To this end, we manually added a set of ornamental plant species to the edge of the crop and monitored the pollinator diversity and visit frequency, as well as the seed set and sugar content of the pumpkin yield, in treatment and control parcels. The results showed that there was a higher visit rate in the treated parcel. Only the sugar content, and not the seed set, was affected by the addition of ornamental species and the pollinator visit rate. These findings indicate that the addition of flowering plants can favor different components of the crop yield of this species, but future studies should sample on a broader spatial and temporal scale in order to certify the generalizability of our results.