PROSPECTIVE SOURCES FOR PUMPKIN SELECTION

There have been conducted some researches based on the use of 82 pumpkin accessions collected from 36 countries, housed within the National Genebank of the Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources. The study aimed to evaluate these accessions for early maturity, fruit size, and yield potential. The findings revealed that only six accessions exhibited significant early maturity traits. These included k-1127 (‘Super Delight’, Japan), k-1147 (‘Nameless’, Japan), k-1154 (‘Eurosvemmerc rook veck’, USA), k-69 (‘Noya’, Mexico), k-159 (‘Hereules’, USA), and k-354 (‘Manti-pumpkin, Kazakhstan). Compared to the standard variety ‘Kashgarskaya 1644’, these accessions matured 6 to 10 days earlier. For fruit size and yield, five accessions showed notable potential: k-160, k-450, k-1147 (Japan), k-1103 (Mexico), and k-390 (Philippines). The average fruit weight of these accessions ranged from 8.2 kg to 13.24 kg, whereas the standard variety ‘1644’ (k-1644) produced fruits averaging 4.7 kg. These results highlight valuable genetic resources for breeding programs aimed at improving pumpkin varieties for early maturity and higher yields.