The Main Phenotypic Characteristic of Elida, a New Luffa Cultivar Created at Vegetable Research Development Station Buzău, Romania

Luffa cylindrica also known as sponge gourd, Egyptian cucumber or Vietnamese luffa is an annual cucurbit vine native South Asia. In India, China, Japan and Vietnam the crop is cultivated on large areas, being a plant with multipurpose uses. Since 1962 at Vegetable Research Development Station (VRDS) Buzau, has begun the acclimatization of this species, but, although it was heavily promoted, no Romanian variety has been registered so far. The present study aims to present the main quantitative characteristics of the new variety obtained at VRDS Buzau, ‘Elida’. The cultivar has a distinct phenotypic expressiveness with high quality fruits. Since year 2020 the cultivar was registered in the Official Catalogue of Romanian Crop Plants. ‘Elida’ has shown a high plasticity and can also be grown in ecological system.

A mutation in LacDWARF1 results in a GA-deficient dwarf phenotype in sponge gourd (Luffa acutangula)

Key message A dwarfism gene LacDWARF1 was mapped by combined BSA-Seq and comparative genomics analyses to a 65.4 kb physical genomic region on chromosome 05. Abstract Dwarf architecture is one of the most important traits utilized in Cucurbitaceae breeding because it saves labor and increases the harvest index. To our knowledge, there has been no prior research about dwarfism in the sponge gourd. This study reports the first dwarf mutant WJ209 with a decrease in cell size and internodes. A genetic analysis revealed that the mutant phenotype was controlled by a single recessive gene, which is designated Lacdwarf1 (Lacd1). Combined with bulked segregate analysis and next-generation sequencing, we quickly mapped a 65.4 kb region on chromosome 5 using F2 segregation population with InDel and SNP polymorphism markers. Gene annotation revealed that Lac05g019500 encodes a gibberellin 3β-hydroxylase (GA3ox) that functions as the most likely candidate gene for Lacd1. DNA sequence analysis showed that there is an approximately 4 kb insertion in the first intron of Lac05g019500 in WJ209. Lac05g019500 is transcribed incorrectly in the dwarf mutant owing to the presence of the insertion. Moreover, the bioactive GAs decreased significantly in WJ209, and the dwarf phenotype could be restored by exogenous GA3 treatment, indicating that WJ209 is a GA-deficient mutant. All these results support the conclusion that Lac05g019500 is the Lacd1 gene. In addition, RNA-Seq revealed that many genes, including those related to plant hormones, cellular process, cell wall, membrane and response to stress, were significantly altered in WJ209 compared with the wild type. This study will aid in the use of molecular marker-assisted breeding in the dwarf sponge gourd.

Physical-Chemical Characterization of the Oil Extracted from Sponge Gourd (Luffa cylindrica) Seeds and Its Potential Application as Lipid-base Raw Material to Produce Biodiesel

The escalating prices of petroleum fuels, the uncertainties in their supply and the wreckage of global climate caused by their continual use have rekindled research interests in the use of plant oil for fuels and other biofuels. Sponge gourd seeds were investigated for its biodiesel properties with the aim of determining the desirability of incorporating the oil into bio-fuel. The seeds were sourced for, processed and extracted while the bio-fuel oil obtained were analyzed. 31.0 Percentage (%) of oil yield was obtained from Luffa cylindrica seeds according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Association of Analytical Chemists (AOAC) Standards which were used to determine other Biofuel properties of luffa cylindrica seed. The laboratory analysis revealed that the oil obtained has higher viscosity at 40°C (15.55 mm2/s) which can perfectly meet up with an established standard of biodiesel on reduction after transesterification. The analysis obtained had a flash point of (150°C), Cetane number of (71.90), Refractive index of (1.645 nm), Acid value of (34.10 mg KOH/g) and Iodine value of (86.20 mgI2/g) obtained compared with most standard biodiesel which is in agreement with the specified ASTM biodiesel standard.

Multi-Objective Optimization of Properties of Sponge Gourd-Bagasse Hybrid Reinforced Polymer Composite Using Fuzzy Logic, PSO, Modified Desirability Function and NSGA II

Development of mathematical models for prediction of properties of materials is often complex and cumbersome. This led to the advent of simpler, and often more accurate, computational models based on artificial intelligence for predicting materials properties. The aim of this study is to predict the mechanical properties of a newly developed hybrid composite material made with sponge gourd, baggase and epoxy resin for golf club application using fuzzy logic (FL) and carry out a multi-objective optimization of the properties with modified desirability function (DF) and NSGA II algorithm. The inputs were %Wt of baggase, %Wt of Sponge gourd and Fiber size (µm) while the response variables were tensile strength, hardness, flexural strength, modulus, elongation and impact strength. The FL model was separately coupled, as fitness function, with the modified DF algorithm and the NSGA II algorithm respectively. The DF was optimized with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The results showed that the FL model predicted the mechanical properties accurately and the minimum correlation coefficient (R) between the experimental responses and FL predictions was 0.9529. The modified algorithms took care of certain peculiarities in the desirability properties such as elongation whose desirability is constant over a range. The optimized properties were found to be worse if the optimization algorithms were not modified.

Different Chilling-Induced Symptoms and the Underlying Oxidative Stress and Antioxidative Defense in the Exocarp and Mesocarp of Immature Sponge Gourd (Luffa cylindrica) Fruit

Immature sponge gourd fruit is consumed as a vegetable with a limited shelf life. Although cold storage is a simple and powerful tool for maintaining postharvest fruit quality, storage at a low temperature may not be appropriate for vegetables as some chilling injury (CI) of the immature sponge gourd fruit may occur. Therefore, this research aimed to elucidate the relationship between CI, oxidative stress, and the antioxidative defense mechanisms in the exocarp and mesocarp of immature sponge gourd fruit. After storage at 5°C for 6 days, visual CI symptoms, including browning and surface pitting, were found in the peel (exocarp) but not in the mesocarp. There were, however, more dead cells (stained by Evans blue) in the mesocarp of the fruit stored at 5°C. There was a more considerable increase in the electrolyte leakage rate in both fruit tissues held at 5°C than 25°C. The CI was correlated with malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the tissues. The MDA of fruit exocarp at 5°C was 1.6 fold higher than that at 25°C on day 6, while the lipoxygenase (LOX) activity in mesocarp was 50% higher in fruit stored at a lower temperature. The action of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) was high in the exocarp of the fruit stored at 5°C, but there appeared to be a continuous depletion of the co-substrate or ascorbic acid. In conclusion, the CI in the exocarp was mainly associated with a high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In contrast, the CI in the mesocarp appeared to be primarily associated with increased lipid peroxidation by the elevated LOX activity under cold stress compared to storage at 25°C.