PLANTING
Propagation: normally by seed, though Cucurbits can be grown from cuttings taken
from rooted nodes.
Soil: Cucurbits need strong rich soil with plenty of humus, manure being
particularly beneficial. The plants do not tolerate waterlogging and prefer slightly
alkaline conditions, so lime can usefully be applied when the soil pH is about 6 or
lower. They are, however, sometimes classified as having “intermediate tolerance”
to acidity.
Seed rate: 3.5–5 kg/ha. Several seeds are often placed per station, then thinned to
the best plant.
Spacing: highly variable. Many types can be trained to grow upwards, on poles,
fences, bushes, etc. This way the plants use up vertical space, leaving space
underneath for other crops which benefit from the shade, and increase the amount of
food produced per unit area. This climbing habit can be very useful in small gardens,
window boxes, urban food growing allotments, etc. Climbing plants and their uses
are discussed in 1Gd.
GROWTH CONDITIONS
Day length: day-neutral (C. ficifolia, the Fig-leaved or Malabar Gourd, Chilicayotl
is short-day).
Growth period: Cucurbits are mainly fast growing and the immature fruit is usually
ready to harvest in 45–60 days; production often continues for a further two or three
months. Pods mature in about 3 or 4 months.
Temperature: sub-tropical in origin, though many varieties have been selected for
temperate regions. Sensitive to frost—C. pepo types are the hardiest.
Rainfall: although Cucurbits need regular and plentiful water during their short
growing season they suffer in prolonged wet, humid conditions. Low or medium
rainfall regions, no more than about 1000 mm per year, are therefore preferred.
Pests: Root-knot nematodes can be harmful but are controlled with crop rotations.
Vine Borer hollows out marrow stems, causing the leaves to wilt and die. Cutworms
often attack young seedlings; protect with collars of cardboard around each plant.
The Cucurbit Fly is a major pest in Africa, and both the yellow/black adults and
larvae of the Cucumber Beetle attack cucumbers.
Diseases: the most serious are Fusarium Wilt, Anthracnose, Downy Mildew and
virus diseases.
YIELD
Immature fruits/pods of many Cucurbit crops yield about 7–12 MT/ha, mature
UTILISATION
- The vast range of uses for the remarkable Cucurbitaceae family is also
discussed in the introduction above. Human beings have grown and used this
crop for thousands of years; the Bottle Gourd, for example, was one of the first
crops to be cultivated, and can be a valuable crop to grow in certain
circumstances such as in refugee camps where there is a shortage of containers,
to hold both solids and liquids.
fruits/gourds, etc. yield about 10–30 MT/ha.