Suitable organ(s) in wild Cucumis africanus for the production of nemafric-BL phytonematicide

Abstract

ABSTRACTCucurbitacin B in fruit of wild watermelon (Cucumis africanus) is an active ingredient in products that range from pesticides to various medicines. Reports suggested that cucurbitacins occur in all parts of C. africanus, without specifying whether they are equally distributed or not. Should the active ingredient not be equally distributed in all organs, it would not be prudent to combine the organs for those products that are produced from raw organs of C. africanus plants, like the phytonematicides. A study was, therefore, conducted to determine whether cucurbitacin B was equally distributed in all organs of C. africanus plants. Cucurbitacin B was quantified from oven-dried organs (52°C for 72 h) using isocratic elution Shimadzu HPLC Prominence. Concentration of cucurbitacin B was higher in fruit than in other organs, where the concentrations were not different. Relative to cucurbitacin B concentration in fruit, leaves, roots and vines had 94%, 70% and 67% less cucurbitacin B concentrations, respectively. In conclusion, leaves, roots and vines would introduce the dilution effect when combined with fruits in product development and should therefore not be included.