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Research Report SAN 86-12 April 1986

PUMPKIN VARIETY TRIAL

J. M. White and W. R. Llewellyn

A replicated fresh market pumpkin variety trial was conducted at
the Central Florida Research and Education Center in Sanford, Florida,
to evaluate the performance of 13 commercial cultivars in the summer of
1985.

Four-inch raised beds of Myakka fine sand were hand planted on July
10, 1985. The fertilizer program was 500 Ib/acre of a 5-5-8 pre-plant
broadcast with three side-dressings of 50 Ib/acre of nitrogen as
ammonium nitrate. Six applications of a fungicide and two applications
of an insecticide were used to aid in pest control. Four replications
were arranged In a randomized complete block design.

Fruit was harvested on October 3 and 17, 1985. Pumpkins were
graded as culls or marketable, marketable fruit measured (polar and
equatorial), and weighed Individually. The results are presented in
Table 1. Remlae (2,310 Ib/1000 Iln ft) and Connecticut Field (1,620
Ib/1000 lin ft) had the highest yield and the highest average fruit
weight (10.0 and 9.3 Ib, respectively.) Yields of the best cultivars
were low by a factor of 2 to 3. Remiea, Pankow's Field, Jackpot,
Spirit, and Funny Face were taller (polar) than round (equatorial).
Spookle was slightly flat, while the others were close to being round.

Table 1. Marketable yield by weight and number,
and size of pumpkins tested In 1985.

average fruit weight,

Marketable yield/ Avg. Average measurement
1000 lin bed ft. wt. Equatorial Polar
Entry Ib No. (Ib) (in)
Remlea 2,310 a 225 a 10.0 a 25.7 abc 29.1 a
Connecticut Field 1,620 ab 188 ab 9.3 a 27.5 a 28.5 a
Funny Face 1,325 bc 188 ab 6.8 bc 22.8 d 24.7 bc
Young's Beauty 1,301 bc 225 a 5.7 cd 23.1 cd 23.5 cd
Spirit 1,725 bc 188 ab 6.3 bcd 22.7 d 24.6 bc

Howden 1,170 bc 150 abc 8.1 ab 26.8 ab 26.6 ab
Jack-O-Lantern 988 bcd 150 abc 6.4 bcd 23.0 cd 24.2 bc
Small Sugar 804 bcd 250 a 3.0 ef 18.0 e 17.9 e
Jackpot 785 bcd 113 bc 6.9 bc 24.0 cd 26.1 abc
Big Tom 600 cd 88 bc 6.6 bcd 24.3 bcd 25.1 bc

Pankow's Field 486 cd 100 bc 4.7 de 19.5 e 21.5 d
Half Moon 340 d 50 c 6.8 bc 25.0 abcd 24.9 bc
Spookle 188 d 63 c 2.6 f 17.6 e 16.8 e

University of Florida
Central Florida Research and Educatl
Sanford, Florida