Performance of Straight Necked Yellow Summer Squash Cultivars, Plateau Experiment Station, 2001

Charles A. Mullins and A. Brent Smith

Interpretative Summary

"General Patton" and "Patriot II" had higher marketable yields of heavy fruit than other cultivar.

Introduction

Recent interest has been shown in using mechanical methods to harvest straight necked summer squash. Current equipment used in the mechanical harvest of cucumbers could be used in squash harvest. An experiment was the Plateau Experiment Station at Crossville, TN in 2001 to evaluate performance of 10 straight necked summer squash cultivars.

Materials and Methods

The site was prepared for planting by conventional tillage in late April. Fertilizer was broadcast at 300 lb/A of 15-15-15 before final disking on May 15. Plots were direct seeded on May 15. Plot size was three rows, 10 ft long and contained 10 plants with 5 hills (2 plants/hill) each spaced 2 ft apart in the row. Rows were spaced five feet apart. Experimental plot design was a randomized complete block with four replications. Plots were cultivated for weed control on June 26. Carbaryl (Sevin XLR) at 1 lb ai/A was applied for insect control on June 12.

Harvests were made over three consecutive days, with only one row per plot being harvested on each day to simulate the single harvest that would occur using a mechanical harvester. Harvests were made between June 5 and June 7. Yields were recorded by number and weight of marketable, oversize, and cull fruit.

Results and Discussion

‘General Patton= and >Patriot II= were among the most productive cultivars, and >Sunray= was among the least productive cultivars in marketable fruit (Table 1). >Butterstick= produced more oversized fruit than other cultivars. >Butterstick= and >Liberator III= was among the cultivars that produced higher levels of culls. Marketable fruit of >Enterprise=, >Butterstick=, >Patriot II=, and >Liberator III= weighed more than marketable fruit of other cultivar.

 

Table 1. Yield of straight necked summer squash cultivars evaluated at The University of Tennessee Plateau Experiment Station at Crossville, 2001.

Cultivar

Marketable yield tons/A

Oversize yield tons/A

Cull yield tons/A

Marketable fruitwt. - lb/fruit

Seed Source

Sunray

0.23 dz

0.00 c

0.006 c

0.19 c

Seedway

Gold Bar

1.10 bc

0.78 de

0.10 bc

0.28 ab

Seedway

Miltipik

1.18 bc

1.33 cd

0.14 abc

0.27 ab

Harris Seeds

Patriot II

1.72 a

2.37 ab

0.08 c

0.29 a.

Rupp

Enterprise

1.34 ab

2.45 ab

0.15 abc

0.32 a

Seedway

Liberator III

1.43 ab

2.32 bc

0.25 ab

0.29 a

Rupp

Butterstick

1.16 bc

3.31 a

0.29 a

0.30 a

Seedway

Monet

0.90 c

1.75 bc

0.03 c

0.20 c

Siegers

General Patton

1.73 a

2.23 bc

0.13 bc

0.27 ab

Seedway

Seneca Supreme

1.31 abc

1.78 bc

0.14 abc

0.22 bc

Seedway

z Means within a column followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 0.05 level of probability, Duncan=s multiple range test

 

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Copyright © 1999 by The University of Tennessee. All rights reserved.

This research represents one season's data and does not constitute recommendations.  After sufficient data is collected over the appropriate number of seasons, final recommendations will be made through research and extension publications.