Summer Squash cultivation – Punjab

Introduction

Summer Squash is a seasonal vegetable. It is very susceptible to frost and heat damage, but with proper care, it will produce a bumper crop with very few plants.

There are many varieties of summer squash to choose from, including zucchini. The main difference between winter and summer varieties is their harvest time; the longer growing period gives winter squash a tougher, inedible skin. Here are their various botanical names: Cucurbita pepo (Summer Squash/Zucchini), C. maxima (True winter), C. pepo (Acorn, delicata, spaghetti), C. moschata (butternut).

Climate and soil requirement for Growing Summer Squash

It requires warm growing season with a temperature ranging between 18-30⁰C. It can be grown in various kinds of soils, but sandy loam to loamy soils are ideal.

Improved Summer squash variety

1.Punjab Chappan Kadoo-1 (1982)

It is an early maturing variety and is ready for the first harvest in 60 days after sowing. Plants are the bush type, with thick and erect foliage, leaves nonlobed and green without white specks; petiole and leaves hairy; fruits attractive green; disc-shaped, mildly ribbed with flat stem-end and attractive.This variety has field resistance to downy mildew and tolerant to the virus, powdery mildew, and red pumpkin beetle. It has a high female to male ratio. The average yield of fruits is 95 q/acre.

Agronomic Practices for Summer Squash cultivation

Sowing Time

1. Mid-January to March

2. October to November (Under protection)

Seed Rate

Two kg of seed per acre.

Spacing

Prepare 1.25 m wide beds and sow two seeds/hill at a distance of 45 cm apart on both sides.

Manures and Fertilizers for Summer Squash

Apply 15 tons of farmyard manure per acre before preparation of beds. Add 40 kg. of N (90 kg. of Urea), 20 kg. P₂O₅ (125 kg. of Single Superphosphate) and 15 kg. K₂0(25 kg. Muriate of Potash) per acre in two parallel bands at 45 cm apart and the channel should be prepared in between these fertilizer bands before sowing of the seed. Apply half of nitrogen along with the whole of Single Superphosphate and Muriate of Potash at the time of land preparation. Rest half of the nitrogen should be applied as top dressing during the early growth stage.

Irrigation: First irrigation should be given immediately after sowing to facilitate germination. Subsequent irrigations should be given at 6-7 days interval depending upon the season. A total number of irrigations should be 9-10.

Harvesting of Summer Squash

The crop will be ready for first picking 60-80 days after sowing depending upon variety and season. Fruits become fit for harvesting after seven days of fruit setting. The interval of pickings should be 2-3 days.

Seed Production

A seed crop field must be isolated all around to a minimum distance of 800 meters from other varieties of this crop. A minimum of three field inspections should be conducted to produce true to type seed. The first inspection should be done before flowering, second at flowering and fruiting and third before harvesting of the crop. The off type and diseased plants should be rogued off. The fruits turn bright yellow to orange at seed harvesting stage. The harvested fruits are cut into two halves, and seed is scooped out by hand. The seed is washed in water, and fruit flesh is poured off. The extracted seed is dried immediately. The seed yield is 2.0 to 2.5 q/acre.
Source-

MLA

“Cultivation Of Summer Squash – farmersgrid.com.” farmersgrid. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May. 2017 <https://farmersgrid.com/post/cultivation-of-summer-squash>.

APA

Cultivation Of Summer Squash – farmersgrid.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://farmersgrid.com/post/cultivation-of-summer-squash

Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana.
The old Farmer’s Almanac.