Culinary melon of South India: A review

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.