114 – II.2. SQUASHES, PUMPKINS, ZUCCHINIS, GOURDS (CURCURBITA SPECIES)
species worldwide (Paris, 2001), and in tropical Africa C. moschata and C. maxima are
known to be more important than other species such as Cucurbita pepo; however,
production figures simply report on “pumpkins, squash and gourds”. In addition,
international production statistics do not reflect the use of the Cucurbita in home gardens
or when grown on a small-scale basis for local consumption. Nonetheless, the FAO
gathers production statistics worldwide for commercial production of pumpkins, squash
and gourds and these numbers offer some indication of the importance of the Cucurbita
in commercial agriculture. The FAO Statistical Database reports the 2013 world
production of pumpkins, squashes and gourds at 24.6 million metric tonnes (mMT) from
almost 1.8 million hectares. The People’s Republic of China was by far the main
producer with 7.1 mMT, followed by India (4.9 mMT), the Russian Federation
(1.1 mMT), Iran (897 293 MT), the United States (796 872 MT) and Ukraine
(610 800 MT). For Latin America, the main producer was Mexico (544 998 MT),
followed by Cuba (412 028 MT), Argentina (302 324 MT) and Peru (232 888 MT).
In tropical Africa, substantial production was reported for Rwanda (239 182 MT) and
Cameroon (158 801 MT). Also included in the top 25 producers were Egypt
(543 334 MT), Spain (533 200 MT), Italy (530 000 MT), Turkey (388 785 MT),
Bangladesh (375 000 MT), Indonesia (372 387 MT), Korea (323 364 MT), Algeria
(260 913 MT), Pakistan (257 740 MT), Japan (227 303 MT), Morocco (224 314 MT),
the Philippines (223 479 MT), Thailand (207 000 MT) and South Africa (181 315 MT)
(FAOSTAT, 2013).
Environmental conditions
All of the cultivated Cucurbita are warm season crops adapted to monthly mean
temperatures of 18-27ºC, and are killed by frost. Warm temperatures promote growth and
are especially beneficial for germination and development of seedlings. Cucurbita species
are widely adapted to various types of soils, but prefer good drainage and do not tolerate
poorly drained soil.
Cucurbita argyrosperma
Cucurbita argyrosperma ssp. argyrosperma, within its native range (southwestern
United States to Central America), is cultivated in a wide altitudinal range from sea level
to 1 800-1 900 metres, generally in regions with warm and slightly dry climate (with
irrigation), or in regions with a well-defined rainy season. C. argyrosperma does not
tolerate very low temperatures well. C. argyrosperma can be found in cultivation in
Mexico, and some cultivation can be found in Argentina and Peru and the southwestern
United States. Some sporadic cultivation may be found elsewhere.
Cucurbita ficifolia
Cucurbita ficifolia is widely distributed under cultivation from 1 000-3 000 metres,
on practically all mountain ranges in Latin America. Cultivation at higher altitudes is
a feature that distinguishes C. ficifolia from other cultivated species of the genus, which,
in general, can be managed in a wider interval of ecological conditions. Studies by
Andres (1990) and others have shown that C. ficifolia is an annual, which, depending on
certain ecological conditions (i.e. not too severe frosts), is capable of surviving for a
longer period of time than that corresponding to a species with this type of life cycle.
C. ficifolia requires a rich, well-drained, moisture-retentive soil, and a very warm,
sunny and sheltered position, but may be able to tolerate poor, wet and badly drained soils
in some instances. Plants are not very frost-tolerant, but they can be grown in temperate
