Agricultural and Biological Research

Studies on heterosis of different yield and its attributing traits in pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch ex Poir)

Mahendra Kr. Yadav*, Satyendra Kumar and Juri Das

The investigations were carried out to evaluate the 28 F1 of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch. Ex Poir.) at Department of Vegetable Science, Kalyanpur, CSA, University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur (U.P.) during Zaid 2021. The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The data were recorded for 19 characters traits viz., days to first male flower appearance, days to first female flower appearance, node numbers to first male flower appearance, node numbers to first female flower appearance, vine length, internodal length, branches plant-1, days to first harvest, average fruit weight, fruits/plant, equatorial circumference of fruit, polar circumference of fruit, flesh thickness, total soluble solids, dry matter content, moisture content, seed/fruit, Specific gravity and fruit yield/plant. Highest fruit yield per plant was recorded in best hybrids viz. Azad Pumpkin-1 × P-40-16, Azad Pumpkin-1 × Punjab Samrat, P-40-16 × Punjab Samrat Azad Pumpkin-1 × P-35-16, Narendra Agrim × Punjab Samrat and Azad Pumpkin-1 × DVRP-2-5) in F1, exhibited significant and desirable heterosis in better parent with days to first male flower appearance, days to first female flower appearance, node number to first female flower appearance and days to first fruit harvest.