Production of Hull-less Mutant of Pumpkin Seed under Different Abiotic Conditions

Abstract

Pumpkin seeds are crucial for both human and animal nutrition. Furthermore, the importance of pumpkin seed oil, the snack seed trade and even the medicinal uses of pumpkin seed products have been taken into account for the attempts to improve oil pumpkin seed yield, seed quality and other parameters. The climatic conditions may have a considerable effect on both the vegetative and the reproductive growth as well, and can influence the quality and quantity of the yield. Large-scale field experiment was set up to investigate the climatic sensitivity of hull-less pumpkins. Three groups of fields in different regions of Eastern-Hungary; Southern, Northern and Middle regions were involved in this study. Monthly average temperature and precipitation and soil chemical characteristics were analyzed. Based on the results, the lowest yield was achieved in the Northern region, potentially because of the higher amount of precipitation during the vegetation period. The higher precipitation can possibly increase the sensitivity of pumpkin plants to diseases. The highest amount of the seeds was achieved in the Middle region, where the distribution of the rainfall was moderate. From the investigated soil parameters, the pH had a measurable effect on the final seed yield. It could be concluded that higher precipitation and lower pH can lower pumpkin seed yield. Maximum yield might rely on continuously monitoring the soil moisture status and on the irrigation scheduling management, in addition to the nutrient availability in the soil. Further studies, however, are necessary to prove these hypotheses and to provide more useful data.