Effect of pollination on quality traits of Cucurbitaceae fruits: A global review

Cucurbitaceae crops, including cucumber, melon, watermelons, squash and zucchini, are part of our modern diet worldwide. All Cucurbitaceae crops are cultivated for the fruit called ‘pepo’, ripe and unripe depending on the crop. Cucurbitaceae crops are highly dependent on pollinators because they are monoecious species with a separate male and female flower on the same plant. A systematic global literature review of 37 studies was conducted to study the effect pollination treatments have on Cucurbitaceae fruit quality. Most studies were performed during the 2000-2010 decade and the 2010- 2020 decade, followed by the 1990-2000 decade, 2020-2021 and 1970s and 1980s. Over 38 fruit quality traits were looked for in each study with pollination treatments such as open, hand and/or closed. The results show that open pollination treatment versus the hand treatment and the exclusion treatment showed an improvement in the cumulative quality traits measured across studies. However, hand pollination in certain studies did show an improvement in quality traits. Native bees were sufficient to produce commercially acceptable fruits in most studies. Nonetheless, in order to have food security and sovereignty, pollination techniques need to be assessed depending on the agronomic, ecological, social and economic context surrounding the production of Cucurbitaceae crops.