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Loofah
Luffa spp.
G. KALLOO

LOOFAHS are of two types: the angled loofah (ridge gourd), Luffa acutangula L.
Roxb., and the smooth loofah (smooth gourd), L. cylindrica. 2n = 2x = 26. They
are annual and largely monoecious, bearing ridged and smooth fruits respectively.
These gourds may have originated from Asian subtropical areas, probably from
India.
Immature loofah fruits are used as vegetables and mature fruits are used for fibre.
Gourds produce long, cylindrical fruits, 10-40 cm in length and 6-10 cm in
diameter. The ridge gourd has fruit with about ten distinct longitudinal acutely
angled ribs.
Loofahs are a good source of carbohydrates, vitamin C and minerals; the fibres are
used for industrial purposes.
Luffa cylindrica, L. acutangula, L. echinata and L. graveolens are the important
species of Luffra; the first two are commercially grown in several countries and are of
economic importance. Luffa cylindrica as female was easily crossable with L.
acutangula as male.5 Luffa cylindrica flowers in the morning ( 4 - 8 a.m.) while L.
acutangula flowers in the afternoon and evening ( 5 - 8 p.m.). Anther dehiscence
coincides with flower anthesis. The stigma has a long duration of receptivity and
pollen grains are highly fertile.
Dutt and Roy2 have produced amphidiploids between L. acutangula and L.
graveolens having 2n = 52 chromosomes. Some degree of pollen sterility was
recorded which may be due to the formation of univalents and multivalents.
Autotetraploidy was induced in L. acutangula (4x = 52); however, such
autotetraploids have no economic value.3
The genetics of flowering habit are controlled by two independent suppressor
genes A and G, A suppressing the maleness and G femaleness. The genotypes of
various flowering habits, i.e. monoecious and trimonoecious (A-G-), andro-
monoecious (aaG-), gynoecious (A-gg) and hermaphrodite (aagg), have been
studied.1 The corolla colour, the type of androecium of Luffa acutangula and L.
cylindrica, and the fruit surface and seed surface of L. acutangula, are monogenically
controlled. The bitterness is controlled by Bi gene.4 Yield has a positive correlation
with the number of fruits per plant. Fruit length and days to flowering exhibit high
heritability and genetic advance.
South and south-east Asia are the centres of diversity of Luffa. A large number of
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C. Kalloo
diverse germplasm lines are available in these areas. Various types exist, such as the
small-fruited cluster type, long-fruited type, and dwarf to long vine types, but there
is no systematic germplasm collection, evaluation and conservation programme at
international level. Consequently, there is no systematic approach to Luffa
improvement.
For genetic improvement and development of new varieties, population
improvement—especially mass selection and recurrent selection methods—can be
employed. Pedigree selection is also being used to develop new varieties. The
methods of improvement for other cucurbits are generally followed for the
improvement of these crops also.
Gynoecious lines are available in Luffa and can be used for the production of
hybrids. Ethrel can be sprayed on monoecious lines to regulate the female and male
flower array and the production of hybrid seeds.
Co 1, Tusa Nasdhar' and Tusa Sadabahar' are the varieties of Luffa acutangula
and Tusa Chikni' is the variety of L. cylindrica. Zhang6 has reported an extremely
long-fruited variety of L. cylindrica: 'Yizhangqing' of L. aegyptica L. produced fruit
up to 1 m long, with a yield of 50 kg of fruits per plant.

References
1. Choudhury, B. and Thakur, M R., Inheritance of sex forms in Luffa, Indian J. Genet. Plant Breed.
25, 188, 1965.
2. Dutt, B. and Roy, R. P., Cytogenetic studies in an experimental amphidiploid in Luffa, Caryologia
29, 16, 1976.
3. Roy, R. P. and Dutt, B., Cytomorphological studies in induced polyploids of Luffa acutangula
Roxb., Nucleus 15, 17, 1972.
4. Thakur, M. R. and Choudhury, B., Inheritance of some qualitative characters in Luffa species,
Indian J. Genet. Plant Breed. 26, 76, 1966.
5. Thakur, M. R. and Choudhury, B., Interspecific hybridization in the genus Luffa, Indian J.
Hortic. 24, 87, 1967.
6. Zhang S., An extremely long variety of Luff a cylindrica, Zuowu Pinzhong Ziynan, No. 4, 7, 1989.

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