Sechium edule (Jacq.) Swartz is an important multipurpose cucurbit crop grown for its tender shoots, fruits, and tuberous roots as vegetables. The fruits are also used to make value-added products like Tooty Fruity and RTS, which are made with other fruit juices. The crop is known for its several nutraceutical properties due to the presence of the several bioactive compounds (vitamins, polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, phytosterols, and triterpenoid-cucurbitacins). Sechumin, an anticancer ribosome-inactivating protein, exhibits anti-proliferative properties against cervical carcinoma, mouse lung fibrosarcoma, and mouse macrophage leukemia. The crop is native to Mexico and Central America and was introduced to other parts of the world (Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia) in the eighteenth century. There are eleven species in the genus Sechium. Among them, Sechium edule is grown widely in different parts of the world. The maximum diversity has been observed in the native place of the crop. Based on agro-morphological, biochemical, and molecular analysis, the wider diversity has also been observed in Himalayan states as well as the southern hills of India. Despite the wider variability, the single-seeded and viviparous nature of the crop possess major challenges in the conservation and utilization of the genetic resources. To conserve the genetic resources, there is a need for further research work for the development of the protocol for ovule or embryo culture and in vitro conservation.