Varieties

Varieties
  • Varieties grown in the country differ in colour, shape and size of fruits, flesh colour etc. Characters of improved varities development in Indian are furnished below.
  • The distinguishing morphological characters among four cultivated species of Cucurbita are given in Table 1.
    Table 1: Key characteristics differentiating the cultivated species of cucurbita

    Species

    Common Name

    Habit

    Skin texture

    Stem

    Androecium

    Peduncle

    Fruit flesh colour and texture

    Stage of edible fruit

    Funicular attachement of seed

    Seed margin

    C.moschata

    pumpkin

    Annual

    Hard rind, smooth surface

    Moderately hard, smoothly angled

    Lind slender columnar substance sticking to seed. Yellow to orange flesh

    Hard, smoothly angular, long keeping quality

    Fine grained asymmetrical

    Ripe, strong flavour

    Obtuse slightly

    Scalloped obtuse

    C. pepo

    Summer squash

    Annual

    Hard, angular

    Hard, angular

    Short, thick

    Hard, angular

    Coarse grained, deep yellow flesh

    Immature poor keeping quality

    Obtuse symmetrical

    Smooth obtuse

    C.maxima

    Winter squash

    Annual

    Hard

    Soft round

    Short, thick columnar

    Soft basically round, but enlarged by soft cork

    Fine grained, without gelatinous substance sticking to seed

    immature

    Acute asymmetrical

    Smooth obtuse

    C.mixta

    Winter squash

    Annual

    Hard

    Hard angular

    Long slender columnar

    Hard basically

    Coarse grained, deep yellow flesh

    Immature

    Obtuse slightly asymmetrical

    Barely scalloped acute

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    Name

    Source

    Remarks

    Arka Suryamukhi

    IIHR, Bangalore

    A variety of C. maxima. It is a selection from a foreign introduction. Fruits are small (1-1.5kg) round with flat ends and deep-orange with streamy streaks on the rind. Flesh is firm and orange- yellow in colour. Keeping and transport qualities are good. It is also resistant to fruit fly (Daucus cucurbitae). It yields 36 tonnes/ha in 100 days duration.

    Arka  Chandan

    IIHR, Hessargatta

    A selection from Rajasthan collection (IIHR 105).
    Fruits are medium in size (2-3 kg), round with blos?
    som end. Rind colour is light-brown with creamy- patches at maturity. Flesh is thick, firm, sweet (TSS 8-10%), bright-orange and rich in carotene (3331 iu/100g of flesh) and keeping qualities are good and has got pleasant aroma. Fruits mature in 120 days and yield 32.5 tonnes/ha.

    CO 1

    TNAU, Coimbatore

    A local collection with late maturing large, sized (7-8 kg) globular fruits with a characteristic broad proxi­mal end. The distal end will be slightly tapering to form a tip. Immature fruits are dark-green in colour and turns to brownish-orange after full maturity. Fruit number per plant is 7-9 and flesh thickness is 4-5 cm. Yield 30 tonnes/ha and duration 150-160 days.

    CO 2

    TNAU, Coimbatore

    A local selection with small flat fruits (1.5-2.0kg). An early maturing type (135 days) and yield about 23-25 tonnes/ha each plant produces 10-12 fruits. Fruit colour is green.

    Ambili

    KAU, Vellanikkara

    A pure line selection from a local cultivar of Thrissur. A vigorously growing variety having flat round fruits of medium size (5-6 kg) with shallow grooves. Im­mature fruits are green and turn tan coloured dur­ing maturity. Leaves are characterized by white spots on the upper surface of the lamina. Flesh thickness is 4cm and yield potential is 34 tonnes/ha and matures in 130 days.

    Saras

    KAU, Vellanikkara

    Fruits elongate, orange fleshed, Medium sized, yield 39t/ha.

    Soorj

    KAU, Vellanikkara

    Fruits round, Orange fleshed and average yield is 35t/ha

    Suvarna

    KAU, Vellanikkara

    Fruits flat round green with white patches and spots at immature stage turning light brown at mature stage flesh orange in colour.  average fruit length 13.5cm yield 37 t/ha

    Pusa Biswas

    IARI, New Delhi    

    A local selection of the line 'CM 10' A vigorously growing variety having dark-green leaves with white- spots veins, Fruits are spherical medium (5kg) and light-brown with thick golden-yellow flesh. Matures in 120 days and yield potential is 20 tonnes/ha.

    Pusa Vikas  

    IARI, New Delhi

    A small fruited semi dwarf to dwarf type. The fruits are-small (2.0kg), round and flat with yellow flesh. Highly, suitable for cultivation in spring-summer sea­son in North India. Its yield potential is 30 tonnes/ha.

    Solan Badami

    YSPUH&F.
    Solan

    Fruits are small and yield 22.5t/ha

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Arka Chandan
Last modified: Monday, 13 February 2012, 9:39 AM