Agromorphological, Chemical and Biochemical Characterization of Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbitaceae) Morphotypes Cultivated in Cameroon

Abstract

This study was aimed at evaluating pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata) morphotypes cultivated in Cameroon. A prospective survey was undertaken to sample the knowhow of peasants on the management of pumpkin, followed by an agromorphological, chemical and biochemical characterization in the West (O), Centre (C) and East (E) Regions. The survey revealed that pumpkin is mainly cultivated by women, and that about 20% is grown in association with other crops like maize, cassava and groundnuts. A total of 27 morphotypes were collection from the three regions. The most cultivated morphotypes, C2, C4, C5, E1, E2, E4, O2, O4 and O5 are equally the most consumed by the sampled populations. Principal components analysis on 10 variables revealed a variation between individuals. A positive correlation (r = 0.43; P> 0.05) was observed between fruit weight and grain number. Ascendant hierarchical classification (CAH) helped to produce a dendrogramme which groups morphotypes into three statistically homogenous classes at a distance of R2= 0.62. Analysis of chemical and biochemical constituents revealed no significant difference between the groups of morphotypes for all parameters (P <0.05) except for sodium and total sugars. These results constitute ground work for selection and improvement of Cucurbita species in Cameroon.