Cucurbits - Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology - page 320

Table 14.1 Names, Origin and Use of Some Cultivated Cucurbits.
Species

Common names Origin Use

Cucurbita argyrosperma C. Huber Pumpkin, squash Mexico Food, animal feed

Cucurbita ficifolia Bouche Fig-leaf gourd, Malabar gourd South America Food, animal feed

Cucurbita maxima Duchesne Squash, pumpkin Northern Argentina Food

Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Squash, pumpkin Northern South America Food, medicinal

Cucurbita pepo L. gourd Squash, pumpkin, Mexico vegetable oil Food, ornamental

Legenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl. Bottle gourd food Africa Utilitarian,

ornamental,

Tricosanthes cucumerina L. Snake gourd India Food, medicinal

Table 14.2 Some Defining Characteristics of the Economically Important Cucurbita Species.
Species Seed Leaf Stem Peduncle Fruit flesh

C. maxima White to brown,

oblique seed scar

Almost round,
unlobed,
prickly

Soft, round
flared at
fruit

Round, corky, not
deep orange
attachment

Fine, not
fibrous

C. moschata White to brown, rough

margin, oblique
seed scar

Shallow lobes,
almost round,
soft pubescence

Hard, ridged
at fruit
attachment

Hard, angled, flared Fine, not

fibrous,
deep orange

C. pepo Light tan, prominent

smooth margin,
rounded seed scar

Deeply lobed, very
prickly

Hard, ridged Hard, angled, ridged Coarse, orange

So-called seedless watermelons (Figure 14.4) have become
very popular in recent years, and by some estimates now
represent more than 90% of the US market. The first step in
construction of a seedless hybrid is to double the chromo-
some number of an appropriate female parent, usually with a
pale-green rind, by treatment with a chemical agent. The
resulting 4N (tetraploid) parent is crossed with a 2N striped
parent to produce 3N (triploid) seeds which when planted
produce sterile fruit that are mostly seedless. (Maynard 2001;
Maynard & Maynard 2000). Mini, seedless watermelons
(

gourd are found in four of the seven species. The gourds
are the source of least confusion since they are more or less
readily identified by appearance, regardless of species.
Squash and pumpkin are used interchangeably depending
on local custom. As a general rule, pumpkins are round or
nearly so whereas squash are irregularly shaped. The deco-
rative or Halloween pumpkin ( Cucurbita pepo ) is always
referred to by that name.
Defining characteristics of the economically important
Cucurbita spp . are in Table 14.2. Within squash it is useful
to differentiate between summer and winter types. The
summer types (yellow, zucchini or scallop) are fast maturing,
have soft rinds, are consumed when the fruit is immature and
are quite perishable. Harvest of very immature fruits (e.g.
baby squash) and the edible blooms are in high demand
by up-scale restaurants and command high prices (see
Figure 14.1). On the other hand, winter squash take longer to
mature, have a long storage life, several months versus two
weeks, are consumed when the fruits and seeds are fully
mature and have durable rinds. Any confusion that may exist

< 3 kg) have also grown in popularity in recent years.

Squash, pumpkin and gourd ( Cucurbita spp.)
The common names in the three genera and seven species
of this general group of cucurbits overlap considerably
(Table 14.1). Cucurbita maxima , C. moschata and C. pepo
are the economically important species in this group and
are the focus of this section. The other species are included
in Table 14.1 to assist in sorting out the confusing common
names. Products commonly called squash, pumpkin or