National Tested Seeds Guide to the Production of Cucurbits
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National Tested Seeds Guide to the Production of Cucurbits 2 | P a g e INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY OF PUMPKIN AND SQUASH Pumpkins, squashes and melons belong to the family Cucurbitaceae and are therefore related to calabash marrow, calabashes and cucumbers. Pumpkins and squashes probably originated in North or South America from where they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Jan van Riebeeck imported pumpkin seed from Brazil and this crop was therefore cultivated as a vegetable in the Cape long before the start of the Great Trek. In all members of the family Cucurbitaceae are mostly unisexual and the plants monoecious (male and female flowers are separate but are borne on the same plant). Under certain climatic conditions both male and female and sometimes androgynous (male and female parts in one flower) flowers as well, can be found on the same plant. PLANT DESCRIPTION Cucurbits are warm-season, herbaceous annuals. The growth habit of individual plants may either be determinate (shoot tip ends in a flower) with a bushy growth habit, or indeterminate (shoot tips grow continuously with flowers in leaf axils) with a prostrate and spreading growth habit. Leaves are borne singly and may be simple or lobed. Tendrils are found in the leaf axils on all species except some species in the genus Cucurbita. All plants in the Cucurbit family have extensive, shallow root systems. Tap roots of the Cucumis genus (cucumber and melon) can grow up to 100 cm deep. Tap roots of the Cucrbit genus (pumpkins and squash) can grow up to 200 cm deep in search of water. Horizontal roots spread fast to cover the area under the vines. The anchor root that originates from the axils of the vine should not be damaged as this might lead to fruit abortion. The seedling stem develop into the main stem, with several lateral branches originating from the basal axils of the main stem. Compact, dwarf of bushy plants are normally the result of shortened internodes, not the lack of lateral vines. Cultivated cucurbits bear imperfect flowers with are either pistillate (female) or staminate (male). Sex expression (the combination and ratio of female and male flowers on a plant) is primarily variety specific, but can be affected by either chemical or environmental factors. The first flowers of a plant are normally staminate and the females flowers are formed a few days later. Cucurbit pollen is large and sticky and need to be transferred by insects to the stigma of pistillate flowers. Honeybees are the main pollinators of all cucurbit crops. Poor fruit set may be an indication of poor pollination or stress brought about by wind, rain or cold that reduced bee activity during the time pollination should have occurred. Some cucurbit crops are self-pollinated and others cross-pollinated. Cross-pollination never affects flavour, size, shape or colour of the fruit, but it does affect the genetic characteristics of seed borne in that fruit. If you have seeds from cross-pollinated (hybrid) plants and plant them, the new plants might have any combination of new characteristics. PUMPKIN AND SQUASH TYPES The names of the different types of the genus Cucurbita cause considerable confusion. The botanical types that are of economic importance in South Africa and with which we will deal in this document are Cucurbita maxima, C. pepo and C. moschata. The cultivars Flat White Boer (Plat Wit Boer), Ponderosa, Crown Prince, Maxi Prince, Sampson, Bush Fire and Green Hubbard fall under Cucurbita maxima. In South Africa, Flat White Boer and the grey skin cultivars are classified as pumpkins in popular terminology, while Green Hubbard and Bush Fire are wrongly known as squashes. To prevent confusion, the Cucurbita maxima group will be called pumpkins in this document. Cucurbita maxima (pumpkins) This group has coarse, hairy, trailing shoots with round kidney-shaped or lobular leaves of an even green colour. The shoots usually form adventitious roots at the leaf axil. The fruit stalk is cylinder-shaped, soft and spongy but without a thickening at the fruit junction. The seed is large, white or brown to coppery, with a slanting seed mark and an edge of the same colour and texture as those of the seeds. National Tested Seeds Kencor House, 750 Lorraine Drive, Bluff Hill, Harare Zimbabwe. Tel.No:04-310284-7 Cell: 0772 235 000 E-Mail: [email protected] 3 | P a g e Most of the C. maxima group are consumed at full maturity and store well. Cucurbita pepo (squashes) Cucurbita pepo includes gem squashes (Gemini, Smarag) baby marrows and Sweet Dumpling In South Africa the following are generally classified as squashes. Little Gem (gem squashes), Sweet Dumpling (edible gourd), Small Wonder, Caserta, Zucchini and Patty pans including many other cultivars are classified as vegetable marrows. Plants of C. pepo have pointed prickly leaves with deep incisions between the lobes of the leaf. The fruit stalks are five to eight-sided, grooved and hard, and swollen at the fruit attachment. The seed is fairly small and usually brown, with a horizontal or round mark and edges of the same colour and texture as the seed itself. The growth habit varies from a short stem, which creates a bushy appearance such as Caserta, to the wide trailing gem squash type like Smarag. In our markets, most of the C. pepo group are harvested and consumed in an immature form. They have a limited shelf life and are often referred to as Summer squash internationally. Cucurbita moschata (Winter squash) The best-known cultivars are the butternut (Atlas, Apollo, Barbara, Pluto, Venus and Waltham) and Ceylon "pumpkin". This species has hairy runners with leaves similar to those of C. pepo but which are not incised as deeply. The fruit stalks are hard and cylinder-shaped but not grooved and not noticeably swollen at the fruit attachment. The seed is greyish-white to brown with a slanting horizontal or round mark and a wavy edge with a deeper colour and a texture different from that of the seed itself. Most of the C. moschata group are consumed at full maturity and store well, but the immature market is growing in South Africa. They are also commonly referred to as “Winter squash” internationally. Sakata butternut varieties: Atlas, Pluto and Venus. National Tested Seeds Kencor House, 750 Lorraine Drive, Bluff Hill, Harare Zimbabwe. Tel.No:04-310284-7 Cell: 0772 235 000 E-Mail: [email protected] 4 | P a g e Cucumis sativus (Cucumber) There are two major types of cucumber viz: processing (pickling, gherkin) or slicing (fresh) cucumber. Most slicing cucumbers are grown under protection and are normally parthenocarpic (seedless). WATER MELON TYPES Water melons (Citrullis lanatus) have their origin in the Khalahari (Tsamma) and was grown in ancient Egypt about 5 000 years ago. It is though to reach the US with the slave trade in the 13th century where it was known aa “Southern food”. Of all commercial fruit and vegetables, water melons contain the highest content of lycopene. It is also rich in two amino acids that play a role in arterial dilation (“good for the heart”), namely citrulline and arginine. In addition water meon is also a good source of vitamins A and C. Table 1. Different types of water melon are recognised in the trade: Type Class Common size (kg) Seed Shape 9 – 20 Large sized Oblong Picnic Jubilee 7 – 16 Medium sized Round to oblong Crimson Sweet 8 – 16 Small sized Oblong All Sweet 2 - 7 Dark seeds Round Ice Box Ice box 4.5 – 15 Black seed Round Yellow Seeded 4.5 – 15 Absent Round Seedless 2 - 10 Absent Round to oblong Seedless Seedless 0.5 – 3 Mostly absent Round Mini Red flesh 0.5 – 3 Mostly absent Round Yellow flesh The types most popular in South Africa are Crimson Sweet types in the south and All Sweet types in the northern areas of the country. Seedless water melons are becoming popular as fresh processing increases. National Tested Seeds Kencor House, 750 Lorraine Drive, Bluff Hill, Harare Zimbabwe. Tel.No:04-310284-7 Cell: 0772 235 000 E-Mail: [email protected] 5 | P a g e SWEET MELON TYPES Table 2. Many different types of sweet melon (Cucumis pepo) are distinguished in the trade: Type Region of Rind texture Rind Shape Size (kg) Flesh Flavour & popularity colour colour texture Medium-fine Very sweet, Ananas Middle East netted Orange Oval 1.5 - 2 Pale green to aromatic Coarsely netted Athena Eastern US and slightly Oval Yellow- Sweet (cantaloupe) sutured orange Very mild, Canary europe Smooth Bright yellow Oblong Pale cream juicy Casaba Europe Oval & pointy Almost white Very sweet Christmas Very pale (Piel de Sapo) Europe Warted Green Football 2 – 4 orange – light Sweet mottled green Charentais Grey – grey- (French Europoe Sutured and blue Oval 1 - 3 Orange Fruity, sweet melons) netted Galia Paler than Pale green to Spicy sweet (Isreali melons) Israel Netted cantaloupe Oval almost white or banana- like White – Subtle and Honey Dew Smooth greenish Green, white sweet. white. Some or orange Texture same may be as yellow cantaloupe Musk melon (American US Netted Orange cantaloupe) Sweet. Entire Oriental Orient Sutured White, with Elongated 500 g Pale peach - fruit is edible: with sutures white soft rind and small seed Dark brown, Persian Middle East Netted with light Oval Bigger Bright pink- Delicate brown than ornage flavour netting. cantaloupe Turning light green when ripe True cantaloupe Europe Rough warty Winter melon (catchall name for long season, long keeping) In South Africa, Athena-type cantaloupes are the most popular. Our variety Divine falls into this class.