| Pusa Hybrid 1:
new pumpkin hybrid
Pumpkin ‘Pusa Hybrid 1’ has been selected and tested in different agroclimatic conditions under All India Coordinated Vegetable Improvement Project. It is a first hybrid of pumpkin available for commercial cultivation. Its vine growth is medium with an average length of 4.0m. The leaves are lobed and surface of leaves is non-hirsute and soft in texture with white spots due to raised epidermal cells. The fruits are rounded-flat, and medium in size. On an average a fruit weigh 4.75 kg each. The flesh is deep golden-yellow in colour. It is ready for picking 100 days after sowing in spring-summer season, the average yield being 520 q/ha. ‘Pusa Hybrid 1’ is suitable for growing in Punjab, Kerala, Delhi and other parts of the northern plains. Its cultivation Well-drained, sandy loam or loamy soil in organic matter is ideal for its cultivation. Apply 20-25 tonnes of well-rotten farmyard manure at the time of soil-preparation, followed by 175 kg of single superphoshate, 65kg of urea and 60 kg of potassium sulphate or muriate of potash/ha at the time of preparation of channels and hills. Another dose of urea (75-100 kg/ha) should be topdressed in 3 splits 25, 50 and 75 days after sowing. Sowing time is February to early March. About 4.0-kg seed is enough for a hectare crop. Two to three seeds are sown in hills 0.75-1.0m apart only one side of the channel prepared at a distance of 4.5-5.0 m. the plants (8-10 cm long) should be thinned out to 1 or 2 healthy plants/hill. The crop should be properly hoed to keep weeds under control. Red pumpkin beetles and aphids attacking its plants at 2-3 leaf stage may be controlled by spraying once or twice with Sevin @ 1-2 mg/litre of water respectively. The crop is affected by powder mildew, if weather is warm and humid. Spraying one or twice with Bavistin or Karathane @ 2g/litre of water controls powdery mildew effectively. The fruits should be well mature before harvesting for storage or marketing. |
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