Culinary melon of South India: A review

Abstract

Culinary melon or Mangalore melon or South Indian melon
(Cucumis melo var. acidulous) is a botanical variety of
Cucumis melo L. It is grown in localised sub–regions unlike
dessert melons grown everywhere. One such region consists
of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala Andhra Pradesh, and
Telangana in South India. The culinary form or non-dessert
of Cucumis melo are a distinct group distributed and
adapted well essentially under humid tropics of Southern
India. Culinary melons have a special feature that the fruits
can be stored under room temperature up to 8-10 months
without losing their freshness. They can be stored for many
weeks by hanging them from the ceiling, firmly bound by
thin coconut fibre ropes. This ethnic vegetable is used for
preparation of various culinary items. It has a variety of
common names viz., vellari, vellarikka, Mangalore melon,
Mangalore southekayi, Kanivellari, Malbar cucumber,
Madras cucumber, culinary melon, etc. This review article
deals with Introduction, Family Cucurbitaceae, Culinary
melon/Mangalore melon, Origin and distribution, Botany
and classification of Cucumis melo, Description of some of
the botanical varieties of Cucumis melo, intraspecific/
infraspecific crossability of Cucumis melo, collection and
evaluation of culinary melon germplasm, growing area in
South India, crop improvement, high yielding varieties,
cultural practices, nutritive value, medicinal value, uses, and
cultural significance.