THE POSSIBILITY OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH GROWING IN CONDITIONS OF SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Year 2018, Volume: 2 Issue: 2, 116 - 121, 08.12.2018

Alena Andrejıova Alžbeta Hegedusová Adriána Maťová Andrea Vargová

Abstract

Butternut squash
(Cucurbita moschata Duch ex Poir.) is an important specialty vegetable native
from Mexico. It belong to the family of Cucurbitaceae. Cucurbita moschata is
cultivated for its young shoots, fleshy edible flowers and fruit. It is a
healthy and functional vegetable because of its rich nutrients and bioactive
compounds. Since ancient times it has been essential in the diet of rural
communities and some urban areas worldwide. This vegetable is so far less-grown
in Slovakia. The aim of the work was to evaluate the influence of genotype on
the yield of seven selected varieties of butternut squash in the conventional
growing system under the field conditions. The three-year experiment was
established at Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. We observed the
selected morphological features and the quantitative parameters of the
butternut squash fruits. The morphological analysis showed that evaluated
varieties of the butternut  squash did
not have a homogeneous morphology. For large-scale cultivation systems and for
the direct sale of fresh fruit are suitable pear shaped varieties (Liscia,
Orange, Hannah F1, UG 205 F1 and Waltham F1), which have high yields of fruits.
The average weight of fruit was from 1.63 to 3.40 kg.

Keywords

butternut squash, Cucurbita moschata, morphological features, variety

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