Evaluation of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) under protected conditions in tarai region of Uttarakhand
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Date
2017-08
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
Summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L., 2n=2x= 40), an economically important member of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. A number of improved cultivars have been recently developed by public and private sector in the country in this crop but no effort has been made so far to evaluate
them for their suitability of growing under different protected conditions in tarai region of Uttarakhand. In this context, varietal evaluation is felt essential to identify suitable varieties for its production with superior quality attributes under polyhouse growing condition and in open
growing condition with plastic mulch. The experiment involving ten varieties of summer squash namely Cora, Cheongma Zucchini, Champion, ASV- 3098, Long green, Golden Yellow, Yellow Zucchini, Green Star, Sunny House and Catherina collected from different sources was conducted
during the rabi season of 2016-17 at the Vegetable Research Centre (VRC) of G. B. P. U. A. & T., Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) using three replications with a plant spacing of 90 × 60 cm. All varieties had a wide range of
variation for most of the characters under investigation. For fruit yield per hectare under polyhouse , the varieties namely Cora (1033 q), Sunny House (882 q) and Catherina (828 q) were the top performers and superior, however, Long Green was the least yielder genotype with 150 q/ha. In open growing condition, the genotypes Champion (517 q), Cheongma Zucchini (478 q), and Sunny House (399 q) were the top performers and superior than the check variety Cora (263 q), however, ASV-3098 was the least yielder genotype with 118 q/ha fruit yield. The high fruit yield recorded in the genotypes has been directly attributed to increased number of fruits per plant. The economic analysis of summer squash was carried out for three months and the best B:C ratio obtained was 2.89 in Champion under open growing condition with plastic mulch and 2.03 in Cora under naturally ventilated polyhouse. Therefore, it is recommended that such varieties can be grown for
off-season cultivation at the farmer’s field in under tarai condition of Uttarakhand.
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