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Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food



Squash

Common names: Calabaza, Pumpkin
Scientific name: Cucurbita spp.
Family: Cucurbitaceae

Growth stages 

 

Pests 

 

Seed

 
Sown seeds  Ants

Seedling Stage

 
Leaves   Aphids
Cutworm

Vegetative Stage

 
Vines  Squash vine borer
Leaves  Squash bug

Reproductive Stage

 
Vines   Squash vine borer
Flowers  Spider mites
Fruits   Fruit fly

Maturation stage

 
Fruits   Fruit fly

Postharvest and storage stage

 

Agro-ecology

Squash is planted as a companion crop of corn on small-scale farms. It is also a good rotation crop for other vegetables.

Wild bees and other insect pollinators are necessary and sufficient for flower pollination in small-scale squash production. A female flower has to be visited by bees or by other insects at least 15 times for complete pollination. Incomplete pollination results in small and unshaped fruits. In areas exceeding a hectare, large numbers of bees are needed to ensure pollination (MAF, 2000: p. 4). Manual pollination also helps ensure fruit set.

As a basal fertilizer, place 100 kg of farm manure or compost mixed with 100 grams of neem cake for each hill. One month after sowing, add ½ kg of vermicompost on each hill (Sridhar; et. al., 2002: p. 14).

Mulching with rice straws helps control weeds, and conserves moisture. It also keeps fruits from direct contact with the soil where they could be infected by diseases.

Removal of the growing tips checks the plant growth and development. Bagging fruits in paper protects fruits against fruit fly and other pests.

Further information

Various squash species (Cucurbita spp.) are well represented in the cucurbit germplasm collections all over the world. In Southeast Asia, Philippines has the largest Cucurbita collection. It is maintained by the National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory (NPGRL), Institute of Plant Breeding, in Los Baños, Laguna. C. moschata is the species that is most common. With the introduction of modern cultivars, the old tropical varieties are certainly in danger of disappearing. There is little attention given to the tropical prototypes.

There are now squash varieties available on the market that can tolerate cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and squash vine borer. Cultivars resistant to downy and powdery mildews and to the squash virus complex are also now available (PCCARD, 2000).

External links


References


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