Pumpkin: Like in Japan

Japanese pumpkin, also known as "tetsukabuto" pumpkin, is a hybrid resulting from the crossing of two different species of pumpkin:

(strawberry) and

(pumpkins).

The genus Cucurbita, which is nothing more than the "pumpkin family", has existed for at least 10 thousand years on the American continent. There is evidence that species of this genus were already used by the Aztec, Inca and Mayan civilizations in their basic daily diet. Studies carried out in North America and Central America found no traces of

in those territories, which indicates that South America is the continent of origin for strawberry pumpkin cultivation.

Brazilian market

In Brazil, the pumpkin and strawberry market has evolved and transformed into more frequent cultivation of the Japanese hybrid.

For farmers, Japanese pumpkin presents greater precocity, uniformity and better productivity, when compared to local cultivars; consequently it became a profitable crop.

For consumers, Japanese pumpkin has attractive and tasty fruits; in general, with dark skin color, rounded shape, slightly flattened, orange pulp and almost no water. It is a product that also has excellent post-harvest and durability, which reduces losses.

Brazil produces between 12 and 15 thousand hectares of Japanese pumpkin, which is equivalent to an annual production of around 130.000 tons of fruit. Practically the entire national territory produces Japanese pumpkin, as shown in the table.

Cultivation aspects

The cultivation of Japanese pumpkin has some particularities. As this hybrid has male sterility and requires a pollinator, some care needs to be taken. In a field without pollinating plants or without the coincidence of flowering times between tetsukabuto and the pollinating cultivar, cultivation may fail.

Choosing the correct hybrid is essential. You should look for productive hybrids, with good fruit setting and good adaptation. Robusta pumpkin, from Petoseed, for example, showed good tolerance to diseases, in addition to having a dark skin, very yellowish and thick pulp and a very pleasant flavor for the consumer. Robusta is being planted throughout the national territory, proving to be adapted to different Brazilian regions.

Planting techniques

Due to male sterility, pumpkin is generally used as a pollinator. Planted interspersed with some lines of the hybrid, around 20% of the cultivation area is used with Moranga. This cultivar should be planted 15 to 20 days before the Japanese pumpkin, thus adapting to the flowering time of both cultivars. To guarantee production, it is necessary to ensure that there are bees, which will then be the pollinating agents.

Some farmers in Goiás have also used artificial pollination with the hormone 2,4-D, a commercial product of which can be found on the input market. In this case, Japanese and strawberry pumpkins are planted together, on the same day. When flowering begins, until 10 am each day, the hormone is sprayed on the tetsukabuto flower, with a backpack pump and a jet directed with a fan nozzle, in a proportion of 2 ml of the commercial product for every 20 liters of water. The spraying is repeated every day, until the moment when it is no longer possible to walk through the field, as the branches grow in a disorganized way. From this moment on, pollination is done naturally by bees. The Robusta Japanese pumpkin, from Petoseed, for example, cultivated in this way in Goiás, showed excellent results, as its full flowering and productivity potential was taken advantage of.

The cultivation spacing is variable, generally 2,0 x 2,5 m are used, totaling 2 thousand Japanese pumpkin plants per ha. Sowing is done directly in the hole, using one seed per hole.

Crop nutrition

Nutrition is a somewhat delicate subject to discuss, because each case is different. You need to know the soil conditions well. Therefore, it is recommended, before any cultivation, to carry out a soil analysis and determine the most appropriate fertilizer.

For practical purposes, some farmers with good results use:

Planting: 1300 kg per ha from 04-14-08

Coverage: 300 kg per ha from 20-00-20, divided into two installments. The first 15 days after germination and the second approximately 20 days after the first coverage. In some cases, fertilization with Ca, B and K is carried out via leaves, at flowering time.

Irrigation systems

Various irrigation systems can be used for Japanese pumpkin, with sprinkler and furrow irrigation being the most commonly used. Center pivoting in large-area growing regions is also common.

It is important to note that the first irrigation, immediately after planting, must be sufficient to moisten the first 20 cm of soil, which will maintain the humidity at the appropriate level for seed germination.

Once the culture is installed, irrigations can be restricted to 1 or 2 per week, increasing the amount of water as the plants develop. However, care must be taken to ensure that the soil does not become waterlogged.

Irrigation should be avoided, mainly by pivot or conventional sprinkler, in the morning, until 10 am, when bees are present in the crop, carrying out pollination.

pests and diseases

The main pests of pumpkins are kitties (

), the thread caterpillar (

), the cucurbit borer (

e

) and the aphid (

).

The most common diseases in pumpkin crops are powdery mildew (

), downy mildew (

), anthracnose (

), angular spot (Pseudomonas lachrymans), scab (

) and the virus PRSV-W, which is transmitted by kittens.

Both in the case of pests and diseases, preventive control is recommended, following technical guidance from regional agronomists, considering climatic conditions and proximity to other host crops. It is always important, in the case of curative control, to identify pests and diseases well and thus use specific and efficient products, seeking to reduce production costs.

To identify diseases, injuries, nutritional deficiencies and some physiological disorders, the farmer or technician can consult the Disease Identification Manual released by Petoseed.

Álvaro Peixoto

Petoseed Brazil