EVALUATION OF 10 SELECTED STRAINS OF CUCURBITA MOSCHATA DUCH.

Characteristics of 10 selected strains (referred to as strain No. 1 to 10 in the text) of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch.) were studied. The yield of strain No. 1 is the highest among all the strains. The chewy texture and taste of fruits of No. 1 is the best, followed by strain No. 3, and therefore were optimal for cooking. The fruits of strain No. 7 have numerous large and yellowish colored seeds, and most closely resembled those for seed chewing purpose. No. 4 and 5 were unsuitable for both cooking and seed chewing, but they were suitable as ornamental plants, because of the pleasing color and shape of the fruits. The remaining strains No. 2, 6, 8, 9 and 10 were suggested to be applied as materials in further breeding, since they showed no prominent characters.