Alena ANDREJIOVA, Alžbeta HEGEDUSOVÁ, Adriána MAŤOVÁ, Andrea VARGOVÁ

THE POSSIBILITY OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH GROWING IN CONDITIONS OF SLOVAK REPUBLIC

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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