Vegetable CropsPLSC 451/551

Lesson 18, Cucumber, Squash

Instructor:
Stephen L. Love
Aberdeen R & E Center
1693 S 2700 W
Aberdeen, ID 83210
Phone: 397-4181 Fax: 397-4311
Email: slove@uidaho.edu
What do you get when you
divide the circumference of a
pumpkin by its radius?
What do you get when you
divide the circumference of a
pumpkin by its radius?

Pumpkin Pi
 Cucurbits -General Information
Taxanomically diverse group
Family consists of 96 genera, 750 species
Widely divergent regions of origin, mostly
tropical
Most have vining or climbing growth habit
Crop species are grown for fruits
 Cucurbits -General Information
Most are insect pollinated
Flowering habit unique, with most
Monoecious unisex flowers on same plant
Andromonoecious perfect and staminate
flowers on same plant
Deep rooted, withstand drought but not
moisture stress
Most are day-neutral, fruiting response
associated with vine mass
 Cucurbits -General Information
Most are insect pollinated
Flowering habit unique, with most
Monoecious unisex flowers on same plant
Andromonoecious perfect and staminate
flowers on same plant
Deep rooted, withstand drought but not
moisture stress
Most are day-neutral, fruiting response
associated with vine mass
 Cucurbits -General Information
Most are insect pollinated
Flowering habit unique, with most
Monoecious unisex flowers on same plant
Andromonoecious perfect and staminate
flowers on same plant
Deep rooted, withstand drought but not
moisture stress
Most are day-neutral, fruiting response
associated with vine mass
 Cucurbits -General Information
Most are insect pollinated
Flowering habit unique, with most
Monoecious unisex flowers on same plant
Andromonoecious perfect and staminate
flowers on same plant
Deep rooted, withstand drought but not
moisture stress
Most are day-neutral, fruiting response
associated with vine mass
 Cucurbits - General Information
Harvested immature or mature
Short-term storage except for some squashes
Most fruits subject to cold injury in storage
Mostly marketed fresh
 Cucurbits - General Information
Common Diseases
Mosaic viruses
Fungal fruit rots
Common Insect Pests
Aphids
Squash bugs
Cucumber
 Cucumber
Taxonomy

Dicotyledon
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus and species: Cucumis sativa or anguira
Related species: watermelon, luffa, gourds,
chayote
 Cucumber

Domestication
Originated in India
Cultivated there for over 3,000 years
Grown by ancient Greeks and Romans
Brought to North America by Columbus
Cultivated by native Americans in 1500s
Gherkin (C. anguira) introduced from Africa
 Cucumber
Botany
Domesticated types are monoecious or
gynoecious
Male flowers outnumber female flowers
Flower type influenced by photoperiod -
long days promote staminate flowering
Pollination by bees necessary for fruit set
Ethephon promotes pistillate flowers
Cucumber and Gherkin
 Cucumber
Varieties

Two major types in the US

Slicers
White-spined, long, slow
seed maturation, dark green
 Cucumber
Varieties
Two major types in the US
Picklers
Black-spined, short,
rapid seed maturation,
light green or whitish
 Cucumber
Varieties
Middle Eastern Type

Beit Alpha
 Cucumber
Varieties
Chinese Types
 Cucumber
Varieties
Japanese and Korean Types
 Cucumber
Varieties
Indian Types
Armenian
cucumber
same species
as cantaloupe
 Cucumber

Consumer use
Versatile
Consumed fresh in salads, cooked dishes
Processed into pickles, relishes

Important source of vitamin B, vitamin C,

calcium, phosphorus, iron, and potassium
 Cucumber

Production/Harvest Principles
Needs consistent harvest to maintain production
Harvest
Every other day
Early in the morning when turgid
Prior to seed development
Size specification for picklers
 Cucumber

Harvest and handling

Critically important to
avoid harvest injury
Remove field heat, cool to
50 degrees (hydro or
room cooling)
 Cucumber
Storage
Store at 50-55 degrees, 95% RH
Susceptible to chilling injury - <50
Susceptible to yellowing - >65
Maximum storage period 1-2 weeks
Susceptible to ethylene injury
 Cucumber

Sophisticated Production Systems

Open field for machine harvest
Bed production for fresh market
Trellis systems
Tunnels
Greenhouse and controlled environment
Hydroponic systems
 Cucumber
Open field, large-scale, machine harvest
Intensive traditional or organic
Restricted to picklers
Gynoecious varieties
Reduced labor
Reduced yield
Flat, smooth field
 Cucumber
Beds, medium to large-scale, hand
harvest
Intensive modern production
Slicers and picklers
Machine-assist harvest
Raised beds for drainage
 Cucumber

Trellised, small scale, hand

harvest
Intensive-modern, garden market, or
subsistence
Slicers/fresh market
Labor intensive
Reduced land needs
 Cucumber

Tunnels (modified trellis)

Common in Asia
Intensive small-scale
Fresh market types
Labor intensive
Reduced land needs
 Cucumber

Greenhouse (controlled)
Common worldwide
Often for export
Needs high price return
Parthenocarpic varieties
Diligent pest control
 Cucumber

Hydroponic
Controlled environment
Very intensive/expensive
Amenable to organic systems
Extended production
Requires diligence
Requires unique knowledge
 Squash and Pumpkin

Botany
Cultivated species:
C. pepo summer and winter, pumpkins
C. maxima winter squash, pumpkins
C. moschata winter squash
C. argyrosperma (mixta) winter squash
 Summer squash/pumpkins
-Zucchini
-Jack o lantern pumpkins

C. pepo
 Winter squash
-Butternut
-Cushaw

C. moschata
 Winter squash/pumpkins
-Hubbard
-Buttercup
-Turban
-Giant pumpkins

C. maxima
Winter squash/pumpkins
-Jack-be-Little
White pumpkins
Blue pumpkins
Seed pumpkins

C. mixta
 Squash and Pumpkin
Genetics and breeding
Insect pollinated (cross), bred as selfed crop
Domesticated species closely related
Can be crossed:
C. pepo x C. maxima
C. moschata x C. maxima
Cannot be crossed:
C. pepo x C. moschata
(C. mixta rarely used in breeding, difficult)
 Squash and Pumpkin

Origin and Domestication

Native of North, Central, and South America

C. pepo cultivated in Mexico 8000 BC
Evidence of cultivation of other species throughout
Central and South America back to 3000 BC
Distributed throughout the world by European
explorers
 Squash and Pumpkin
Use and importance
Fresh use:
Boiled or baked
Seeds used for consumption or oil
Processed:
Canned for use in pies
Important source of carbohydrates, vitamin C,
vitamin A, and certain minerals
Pumpkin
Seed
 Pumpkin and Squash
World production systems
Large-scale production (limited)
Pumpkins for processing
Pumpkins for seed (oil, consumption)
Market garden production (very common)
Organic production (especially summer squash)
Subsistence production (Meso-America)
 Other Squash-like Crops

FigLeaf Gourd
Cucurbita ficifolia

Short-lived perennial, cold tolerant

Fruit 6-20 in long, green with white stripes
Dry fibrous flesh converted to alcohol or sugar added
to make a dessert food
Stores for up to a year without refrigeration
Cultivated in Mexico and SA highlands
 Other Squash-like Crops
Chayote
Sechium edule

Short-day perennial vine

Native to Central America
Used by the Aztec culture
Fruit eaten boiled or pickled
Secondary use of roots as a source of starch
Grown in Meso-America, exported to US, Europe
 Other Squash-like Crops
Loofah Gourd (Luffa)
Luffa aegyptiaca (smooth)
Luffa acutangula (angular)

Annual climbing vine

Indigenous to tropical Asia
Angular used as a vegetable, mostly boiled
Smooth dried and used as vegetable sponge
Market garden and subsistence production worldwide
 Other Squash-like Crops
Bitter gourd
Momordica charantia

Indigenous to tropical India

Perennial grown as annual
Ridged, warty fruit, 3-10 inches long
Immature fruit eaten , extremely bitter when mature
Eaten fresh, more commonly cooked with other foods
Market garden production in India, Nepal, Aisa
 Other Squash-like Crops
Chinese Winter Melon
Benincasa hispida

Native to the Indo-Malayan region

Vining annual plant
Large, 10-40 inch long, light green fruit
Fruit used in soups or candied
Mature fruits store for up to a year
Widely grown in east and south Asia
 Other Squash-like Crops
Bottle Gourd
Lagenaria siceraria

Annual plant, tropical adaptation

Thought to have originated in Africa
Ancient and common use in tropics (inc. Am.)
Variable in shape, size, color
Immature fruit used like summer squash
Dried, mature fruit used as containers, ornaments
Grown worldwide, important in the tropics