A Comparative Account of Fluorescent Banding Pattern in the Karyotypes of Two Indian Luffa Species

India is a repository of many native crop species of the family Cucurbitaceae contributing to the agro-economic growth of the country. Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb. is one of the major vegetables of Cucurbitaceae with extensive distribution across the eco-climatic zones. Relationships with wild relatives are one of the fundamental requirements to expand the genetic base of cultivated crops like Luffa. We have adopted the enzymatic maceration and air-drying (EMA) method to accomplish comparative karyotype analysis and fluorescence banding patterns on chromosomes of the ridged gourd and its wild relative L. echinata Roxb. The species have 2n= 26 chromosomes. The karyotypes of both species have six satellited chromosomes and a predominance of nearly metacentric pairs. Prominent 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) bands have been encountered in all chromosomes of the two species while six distinct chromomycin A3 (CMA) bands were found associated with satellites. The conservation of banding patterns between the species raises the possibility to revise genomic kinships and evolutionary distance. Our study provides a chromosomal dataset of the Indian Luffa germplasm that may be utilized for genome research and programmed breeding strategies.

Automated summary

This study investigated the chromosomes of ridged gourd and its wild relative using the enzymatic maceration and air-drying (EMA) method, revealing similar banding patterns and 26 chromosomes in each species. This conservation of banding patterns between the species suggests potential revisions to genomic kinships and evolutionary distance, providing valuable data for genome research and breeding strategies.