Evaluation and morpho-agronomic characterization of pumpkin accessions from the semiarid region of the northeast of Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate morphoagronomic characteristics of different Cucurbita moschata (Duch) accessions from the Semiarid region of the Northeast of Brazil. Two experiments were conducted at the experimental field of the Bahia State University (Department of Technology and Social Sciences), Juazeiro, BA, Brazil, one from May to October 2021 and another from February to July 2022. Eighteen C. moschata accessions were evaluated in the first experiment, and 11 S1 progenies were evaluated in the second. Quantitative descriptors were analyzed in both experiments: fruit weight (FW; kg); fruit diameter (FD; cm); fruit length (FL; cm); fruit internal cavity diameter (FICD; cm); fruit internal cavity length (FICL cm); average of fruit skin thickness (AFST; mm); average of fruit flesh thickness (AFFT; mm); soluble solids content (SS; °Brix); 100-seed fresh weight (100SFW; g); 100seed dry weight (100SDW; g). Qualitative descriptors evaluated included fruit shape, fruit ribbing, skin color, flesh color, flesh texture, and skin texture. Significant differences were found for FW, FD, FL, FICD, FICL, AFST, AFFT, and SS in the first experiment, and or FD, FL, FICD, FICL, AFST, SS, and 100SDW in the second experiment. The results indicate genetic variability among accessions for quantitative and qualitative morphological fruit characteristics.