Divergence analysis of Cucurbita pepo L. population for seed oil production

The work aim was to analyze the divergence of the genotypes of common pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) and to select suitable parents for the breeding program to increase the production of cold-pressed oil. For the analysis of the yield components of the genotypes, the fruits of the common pumpkin were collected in autumn and winter 2021-2022 in central and Western Serbia. There were 19 genotypes (G1-G19) collected randomly in a larger geographical area. The following analyses were carried out: fruit weight, seed weight per fruit, seed number per fruit, thousand seeds weight, percentage of seeds in the total weight of the fruit, percentage of kernel in the total weight of the seed and seed oil content. The results revealed highly significant differences between the common pumpkin genotypes for analyzed traits at a significance of P≤0.05, indicating the presence of sufficient, considerable genetic variability between the different genotypes. The most significant seed yield components in the pumpkin fruit itself were in significant positive correlations with the oil content in the seeds. The genotypes were divided into 5 clusters. The highest seed weight per fruit and seed oil content were represented in G16, G9 and G12. The results indicate that crossing parents G13, G7, G14, G6, G8, G4, G3, G11 on one side and G16, G9, G12 on the other side is expected to result in high heterosis and a high probability of new combinations to obtain higher yielding cultivars of common pumpkin with higher oil content.