soil moisture

1
Evaluation and Selection of Squash Types and
Cultivars for Production of Edible Squash
Blossoms
Darrin Parmenter1, Russell Nagata2, Kent
Cushman3 and Nancy Roe4
1University of Florida, IFAS, West Palm Beach,
FL, 33415 2University of Florida, IFAS, Belle
Glade, FL, 33430 3University of Florida, IFAS,
Immokalee, FL 34142 4Farming Systems, Inc.,
Boynton Beach, FL, 33474.
RESULTS
RESULTS
INTRODUCTION flowers from local vegetable
growers. In general, older squash varieties
produce more male than female blossoms. However,
many of the newer gynoecious hybrids that are
popular because they maximize fruit production
produce more female flowers and fewer male
flowers A market for squash blossoms indicates
a need for cultivars that produce high numbers of
male flowers consistently throughout the growing
season. In fact, an ideal cultivar would produce
sufficient male and female flowers to provide for
dependable yields of both blossoms and
fruit. The objective of this study was to
harvest and evaluate selected cucurbits for male
blossom yield and quality.
Recently, an increasing number of restaurants in
Palm Beach County, Florida, have been requesting
male squash (Cucurbita pepo)
z Cumulative total yield over the duration of
each trial. y Bell height is from base of corolla
to tip of petals. Bell Depth is from base of
corolla to valley between petals. Top Width is
from widest distance across open flower.
Mid-Width is from distance across flower at
valley created with petal fusion.
Number of male flowers per plant per week from
ten yellow, scallop, and zucchini squash
cultivars and one pumpkin cultivar in Palm Beach
County, Florida. Flowers were harvested from
trial 1 from Dec 2005 to Jan 2006 and Trial 2
from Mar to April 2006.Values are means of four
replications with standard error bars.
MATERIALS AND METHODS Two trials were conducted
at a commercial vegetable farm in south Florida
during Fall 2005 and Spring 2006. Entries
included ten squash cultivars (summer,
yellow-zucchini, green-zucchini, round, and
scallop) and one pumpkin (compact/bush). The
experimental design was a randomized complete
block with four replications. Individual plots
were 20 ft long with 11 plants spaced 20 inches
apart. Trial 1 was direct seeded 27 Sept. 2005
and male flowers harvested four to seven times a
week over a 7 week period from December to
January. Trial 2 was planted 2 Feb. 2006 and male
flowers harvested three to five times a week over
a 5 week period from March to April. In
addition to blossom counts, flower traits, such
as bell height, depth, volume, and weight were
also recorded.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS White Bush Scallop
produced significantly more male flowers then any
other entry, with an average of 9.8 male flowers
per plant per week. In contrast, the summer
yellow-squash cultivars Mulitpik and Early
Prolific Straightneck and the green-zucchini
cultivars Jaguar and Raven produced fewer
male flowers on a week-by-week and total basis
then most other entries. Little or no difference
was seen in bell height and depth among the
eleven cultivars however, two cultivars, Costa
Romanesque and Hybrid Pam (compact, bush
pumpkin) had significantly greater bell volumes
and weights, indicating a much larger blossom
size.