The humble cucumber and melons are indigenous to India and may have originated from the foothills of the Himalayas, scientists claim. In 2010 study, researchers showed that melons and cucumbers can be traced back to India. Due to the importance of the region for an understanding of Cucurbitaceae evolution and diversity, a new checklist of the Cucurbitaceae of India was produced to update the information on that family.
‘The checklist shows Ganges region is the place where wild cucumber were first cultivated in India,’ Arun Pandey from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi said.
Vegetables are essential components of a healthy daily diet, not just in India but around the globe.
The cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae, includes many of our favourite foods: pumpkins, melon, cucumber, watermelon, bottle gourds, and bitter gourd, Science Daily reported. Molecular data have recently shown that both cucumber (Cucumis sativus L) and melon (Cucumis melo L) are indigenous to India and likely to have originated in the Himalayas.
‘The checklist shows Ganges region is the place where wild cucumber were first cultivated in India,’ Arun Pandey from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi said.
Vegetables are essential components of a healthy daily diet, not just in India but around the globe.
The cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae, includes many of our favourite foods: pumpkins, melon, cucumber, watermelon, bottle gourds, and bitter gourd, Science Daily reported. Molecular data have recently shown that both cucumber (Cucumis sativus L) and melon (Cucumis melo L) are indigenous to India and likely to have originated in the Himalayas.