Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology Safety Assessment of Transgenic Organisms in the Environment, Volume 5..

II.2. SQUASHES, PUMPKINS, ZUCCHINIS, GOURDS (CURCURBITA SPECIES) – 91

taxa of the genus and is always clearly separated in analyses with various molecular

markers (Weiling, 1959; Andres, 1990; Wilson, Doebley and Duvall, 1992; Sanjur et al.,

2002). All of these data have led to the proposition that the wild ancestor of C. ficifolia

could be an undiscovered (or possibly extinct) species from South America (Andres,

1990; Nee, 1990; Sanjur et al., 2002). Although archaeological records show that it was

the most cultivated Cucurbita species in the Americas prior to the European contact

(Bisognin, 2002), currently C. ficifolia is the least cultivated of the Cucurbita species in

the Americas. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans introduced C. ficifolia to the

Mediterranean countries (specifically France and Portugal) and India. It was also spread

to other parts of the world and picked up other names, e.g. shark skin melon in Asia,

Malabar gourd in India, and pie melon in Australia and New Zealand.

Table 2.2. Synthesis of archaeological records of cultivated species of Cucurbita

C. argyrosperma C. ficifolia C. maxima C. moschata C. pepo

• Valley of Tehuacán,
  Puebla, Mexico
  (before 5200 BCE)


• Ocampo, Tamaulipas,
  Mexico
  (200-900 CE)


• Southwest United States
  (380-1340 CE)


• Zape River, Durango,
  Mexico
  (700 CE)
  
  
  • Huaca Prieta, Peru
    (2700-300 BCE)
  
  
  • Casma Valley, Peru
    (2000-1500 BCE)
  
  
  • North of Belize and Tikal,
    Guatemala (remains of
    doubtful identification)
    (2000 BCE-850 CE)
  
  
  • Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico
    (700 CE)
    
    
    • Casma Valley, Peru
      (2000-1500 BCE)
    
    
    • Viru Valley, Peru
      (1800 BCE-600 CE)
    
    
    • Pampa Grande
      North of Argentina
      (500-1000 CE)
    
    
    • Ica, Peru
      (500-1400 CE)
    
    
    • San Nicolás, Peru
      (1200 CE)
      
      
      • Ocampo, Tamaulipas
        and Valley of
        Tehuacán, Puebla,
        Mexico
        (4900-3500 BCE)
      
      
      • Huaca Prieta, Peru
        (2700-300 BCE)
      
      
      • North of Belize and
        Tikal, Guatemala
        (2000 BCE-850 CE)
      
      
      • Valle Casma, Peru
        (500 BCE)
      
      
      • Southwest United States
        (300 BCE)
      
      
      • Viru Valley, Peru
        (600-1100 CE)
      
      
      • Chincha, Peru
        (1310-1530 CE)
      
      
      • Great Plains, west of the
        Mississippi River,
        United States
        (1700 CE)
        
        
        • Valley of Oaxaca
          (8750 BCE-700 CE)
        
        
        • Ocampo, Tamaulipas
          (7000-5000 BCE)
        
        
        • West-Center, Illinois
          (5000-2000 BCE)
        
        
        • Ozark Highlands, Missouri,
          United States
          (4000 BCE)
        
        
        • West of Kentucky,
          United States
          (3000-600 BCE)
        
        
        • Philips Spring, Missouri,
          United States
          (2300 BCE)
        
        
        • Valley of Tehuacan, Mexico
          (2000-1000 BCE)
        
        
        • Southwest United States
          (300 BCE)
        
        
        • Zape River, Durango, Mexico
          (600-700 CE)
        
        
        • Edzna, Campeche, Mexico
          (850 CE)
        
        
        • Great Plains, west of the
          Mississippi River,
          United States
          (1400 CE)
        
        
        
        
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Source: Adapted from Lira, Andres and Nee (1995).

Cucurbita maxima

The natural distribution of Cucurbita maxima is comprised of Argentina, Bolivia and

Chile (Table 2.1). C. maxima was domesticated in South America. Historical chronicles

indicate that during the time of the conquest of Río de La Plata (16th century),

this species was one of the main crops of the Guaraní people living in what is now

northeastern Argentina and Paraguay (Parodi, 1935). Then, as now, there were many

variants under cultivation in the Andean valleys (Cárdenas, 1944). Archaeological

evidence for C. maxima uses and domestication has been found from Peru to northern

Argentina as shown in Table 2.2. The wild species that have shown higher genetic

affinity or otherwise are more similar to this crop (Puchalski and Robinson, 1990;

Wilson, Doebley and Duvall, 1992; Sanjur et al., 2002) are C. maxima ssp. andreana,