Saving Seeds of the Cucumber Family (Cucumber, Melon, Squash, Pumpkin and Gourd) Production Harvesting The cucumber family (Cucurbita- The fruits should be left to fully ripen ceae), commonly referred to as and turn color. The fruits of luffa and ‘cucurbits’, includes cucumbers, bottle gourd should be left on the melons, squashes, pumpkins, and plant until they dry (Fig. 5). For gourds. They are all warm season cucumbers, fruits will turn brownish crops and very susceptible to frost. color (Fig. 6). Bitter gourd fruits will Many cucurbits are susceptible to turn orange. Some wax gourds will foliar diseases that attack plants be covered with a pale-white during periods of high humidity and powdery wax on the surface of the rainfall. Therefore, regions having high temperatures and low humidity are ideal for the production of Figs. 1, 2. Female (left) and male (right) flowers of squash cucurbit seeds. Isolation Most cucurbit plants produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Female flowers can be identified by locating the ovary (a small looking cucumber, Figs. 3, 4. Pollen on anther of male Fig. 5. Mature luffa gourd fruits melon, gourd, etc.) at the base of flower is rolled onto stigma of female flower (left) and the female flower is the flower (Fig. 1). The flowers are bagged (right) insect-pollinated, and easily cross within species. However, seed savers can grow more than one of pollen has been transferred on the variety at a time in a single location stigma. After pollination, cap or bag by using hand pollinating the female flower again to exclude techniques: insects (Fig. 4). Mark the pollinated female flower by wrapping a string Hand pollination. Cap or bag fe- to the pedicel. male and male flower buds on the same plant or nearby plant of the Selection same variety. Then select male flow- ers when they bloom, turn over their Select early flowering, vigorous petals to expose their anthers, and plants. Hand-pollinate the female gently roll the anthers over the flowers located 10–20 nodes from stigma of the just bloomed female the base of the plant. Remove any flowers (Fig. 3); you can see a layer deformed fruits. Fig. 6. Mature cucumber fruits Excerpt from “Saving your own vegetable seeds—a guide for farmers”. This fact sheet was written by Sutevee Sukprakarn, Sunanta Juntakool and Rukui Huang of Katsesart University and Tom Kalb of AVRDC. Photos by authors and Ming-che Chen. AVRDC Publication No. 06-658. Published by AVRDC—The World Vegetable Center; P.O. Box 42, Shanhua; Taiwan 74151; ROC. April 2006. tel: (886-6) 583-7801; fax: (886-6) 583-0009; email: [email protected]; web: www.avrdc.org fruit. After harvest, the fruits can be For ‘dry seeds’ such as luffa and jar, metal can, or foil envelope. kept in a shed for a couple of weeks bottle gourd, keep the seeds in the Protect seed from sunlight. to allow the seed to further ripen. fruit until they naturally separate from the flesh. This can be identi- Store seeds in a cool (below 15 °C is ideal), dry location. Place Processing fied when you shake the fruit, the sound of seeds moving inside is the seeds in a refrigerator for long- For ‘wet seeds’ such as cucumber, heard. Cut off the bottom of the fruit term storage. For short-term stor- wax gourd, bitter gourd and melons, and shake the seeds out, winnow age, keep the seeds in a cool, shady cut the fruit lengthwise and scrape to clean the remaining chaff, then and dry place. seeds out with a spoon (Fig. 7). place the seed on a screen for fur- Allow seeds and the jelly-like ther drying before storage. References surrounding liquid to sit in a container Kelly, A.F. and R.A.T. George. 1998. at room temperature for 1–2 days Storage Encyclopaedia of seed production of (Fig. 8). Fungus may start to form world crops. New York: John Wiley & on top. Stir daily. The jelly will Dried seeds can be safely stored for Sons. dissolve and good seeds will sink at least three years. Place seeds in Rashid, M.A. and D.P. Singh. 2000. A manual to bottom while remaining debris jars, manila envelopes, cloth or of seed production in Bangladesh. AVRDC-USAID-Bangladesh Project. and immature seeds can be rinsed mesh bags, plastic containers, or Joydebpur, Gazipur, Bangladesh. away. Spread seeds on a paper foil envelopes. The best containers towel or screen until dry. are air-tight, such as a sealed glass Figs. 7–8. Wet seed extraction (left) and fermenting seed (right).