Influence of pollen amount on production and quality of squash hybrid seeds

The low production of squash hybrid seeds obtained in our conditions is probably due to the inefficient production methods. The amount of pollen transferred naturally or artificially between the two parents may affect not only the hybrid seed production but also the seed quality of squash. In this study, flowers were manually pollinated using five amounts of pollen to pollinate one female flower: 1/4 of pollen from one flower; half of the amount of pollen from one flower; pollen of one flower; pollen of two flowers and pollen of four flowers. The randomized complete block design was adopted, with three replications and eighteen plants per plot. The increasing pollen amount affected significantly seed yield per fruit and seed yield per area, but did not influence significantly seed quality. A lower germination was observed in fruits originated from flowers pollinated with 1/4 of pollen of one flower.

C. maxima; C. moschata; flowers; pollination