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Pumpkin(Cucurbita moschata Dutch Poir.); Cucurbitaceae

CO 1, CO 2, Arka Suryamuki and Arka Chandan. Puas Viswas, Ambili
Sandy loam rich in organic matter and with good drainage. The pH range from 6.5- 7.5 is found ideal

June- July and December- January.

Soak the seeds in double the quantity of water for 30 minutes and incubate for 6 days. Sow
the seeds (3 seeds/pit) treated with Azospirillum just before sowing and thin the seedlings to
two per pit after 15 days

1.0 kg /ha.

2 m x 2 m. Pit size 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm.

Apply 10 kg of FYM (20 t/ha) and 100 g of NPK 6:12:12 mixture as basal and 10 g of N per pit after 30 days of planting. Apply Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria @ 2 kg/ha and Pseudomonas 2.5 kg/ha along with FYM 50 kg/ha and neem cake @ 100 kg/ha before last ploughing.
Hoe and weed thrice. Spray Ethrel 250 ppm (2.5 ml per 10 l of water) four times at weekly intervals commencing from 10 to 15 days after sowing.
In hi-tech horticulture, use 12 days old healthy seedlings obtained from shade net houses for planting. Raise the seedlings in protrays having 98 cells. Use well decomposed cocopeat as medium. Sow one seed per cell. Water regularly twice a day.
Apply a dose of 60:30:30 kg NPK/ha throughout the cropping period through split application. Apply 75% of the phosphorus as superphosphate as basal dose.

Pests
For Leaf miner – Liriomyza trifolii,
Red pumpkin beetle – Aulacophora foveicollis,
Aphids– Aphis gossypii,
Thrips– Thrips palmi,
White fly – Bemesia tabaci,
Pumpkin caterpillar – Diaphania indica and
Fruit fly– Bactrocera cucurbitae,
Spray cyantraniliprole 10.26 OD @1.8ml/lit. or Azadirachtin 0.03%

Aphids and jassids
Imidacloprid 70 WG 1.0g/10lit.
Fruit borers & Caterpillars
Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC 2.0ml/10lit.
Red Spider mite
Dicofol 18.5 EC 2.0ml/lit.
Fruit fly
1. Collect the affected fruits and destroy.
2. The fly population is low in hot day conditions and it is peak in rainy season. Hence adjust the sowing time accordingly.
3. Expose the pupae by ploughing.
4. Install cucurbit fruit fly trap @ 4/ acre
5. Neem oil @ 3.0 %
Do not use copper and sulphur dust, as these are phytotoxic

Treat the seed with P. fluorescens @ 50g/kg seed followed by soil application @ 100g/pit with neemcake @ 50g/pit or FYM @ 50kg/pit to control root knot nematode.

Powdery mildew
 Spray dinocap @ 1 ml/l or carbendazim 0.5 g/l
Downy mildew
Spray mancozeb or chlorothalonil @ 2 g/l twice at 10 days interval
CIB recommendation
 Spray ametoctradin + dimethomorph 20.27% w/w SC @ 0.04%

Harvest when the fruits turn from green to yellow and easy detachment of stalks from the stem. Yield in 18-20 t/ha in 140 days (Varieties) and 30-40t/ha in hybrid.

Crop Growing districts                                Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, Dindigul
Major markets in Tamil Nadu                   Periyar Vegetable Market, Koyambedu,Chennai Gandhi Market, Oddanchathiram  Natchipalayam                                                                                 vegetable market, Coimbatore
Grade Specification                                    Clean and glossy, bright appearance, peel
                                                                           changes from green to yellow, yellowish
                                                                           flesh colour

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