Two Cucurbita moschata Bush-Parthenocarpic Breeding Lines Through an Interspecific Cross

Cucurbita moschata varieties in Korea have soft flesh when their immature fruits are panbroiled. Their vine growth habit hinders wide cultivation in the greenhouse. Zucchini varieties belonging to Cucurbita pepo have bush growth habit but a little hard flesh when their immature fruits are done. These species are generally non-parthenocarpic although the latter species has larger differences in parthenocarpy than the former species (2,3). In Korea, summer squash growers in the greenhouse put much labor on a daily basis into fruit set and arranging the vines at 3-4 day intervals. To reduce labor requirements, the interspecipic cross between C. pepo ‘Ford Zucchini’ and C. moschata ‘Seoulmadi‘ was made in 1988. In 1997 ‘Wonye 401’ and ‘Wonye 402’ with semi-bush growth habit and good quality of immature flesh were bred (1).

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