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He K, Hui C, Yao W, Wang J, Wang L, Li Q, Shi P. Evidence That Field Muskmelon ( Cucumis melo L. var. agrestis Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of Revolution. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12:4186. [PMID: 38140513 PMCID: PMC10747953 DOI: 10.3390/plants12244186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
In nature, the fruit shapes of many plants resemble avian eggs, a form extensively studied as solids of revolution. Despite this, the hypothesis that egg-shaped fruits are themselves solids of revolution remains unvalidated. To address this, 751 Cucumis melo L. var. agrestis Naud. fruits were photographed, and the two-dimensional (2D) boundary coordinates of each fruit profile were digitized. Then, the explicit Preston equation (EPE), a universal egg-shape model, was used to fit the 2D boundary coordinates to obtain the estimates of the EPE's parameters of each fruit. Under the hypothesis that egg-shaped fruits are solids of revolution, the fruit volumes were estimated using the solid of revolution formula based on the estimated EPE's parameters. To test whether the fruits are solids of revolution, the fruit volumes were measured by using a graduated cylinder and compared with the estimated volumes using the solid of revolution formula. The EPE was demonstrated to be valid in describing the 2D profiles of C. melo var. agrestis fruits. There was a significant correlation between the measured fruit volumes using the graduated cylinder and the estimated fruit volumes using the solid of revolution formula based on the estimated EPE's parameters. Acknowledging potential measurement errors, particularly fruit fuzz causing air bubbles during volume measurements, we recognize slight deviations between measured volumes and estimated values. Despite this, our findings strongly suggest that C. melo var. agrestis fruits are solids of revolution. This study contributes insights into the evolutionary aspects of fruit geometries in plants with egg-shaped fruits and introduces a practical tool for non-destructively calculating fruit volume and surface area based on photographed 2D fruit profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke He
- Architectural Design and Research Institute, Shenzhen University, #3688 Nanhai Avenue, Shenzhen 518000, China;
- Bamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China; (W.Y.); (J.W.); (L.W.); (Q.L.)
| | - Cang Hui
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa;
- Mathematical and Physical Biosciences, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town 7945, South Africa
| | - Weihao Yao
- Bamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China; (W.Y.); (J.W.); (L.W.); (Q.L.)
| | - Jinfeng Wang
- Bamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China; (W.Y.); (J.W.); (L.W.); (Q.L.)
| | - Lin Wang
- Bamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China; (W.Y.); (J.W.); (L.W.); (Q.L.)
| | - Qiying Li
- Bamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China; (W.Y.); (J.W.); (L.W.); (Q.L.)
| | - Peijian Shi
- Bamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China; (W.Y.); (J.W.); (L.W.); (Q.L.)
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