Abstract
Winter squash fruits (Cucurbita moschata D.) are among the best sources of vitamin A precursors and constitute sources of bioactive components such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Approximately 70% of C. moschata seed oil is made up of unsaturated fatty acids, with high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and components such as vitamin E and carotenoids, which represent a promising nutritional aspect in the production of this vegetable. C. moschata germplasm expresses high genetic variability, especially in Brazil. We assessed 91 C. moschata accessions, from different regions of Brazil, and maintained at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) Vegetable Germplasm Bank, to identify early-flowering accessions with high levels of carotenoids in the fruit pulp and high yields of seed and seed oil. Results showed that the accessions have high variability in the number and mass of seeds per fruit, number of accumulated degree-days for flowering, total carotenoid content, and fruit productivity, which allowed selection for considerable gains in these characteristics. Analysis of the correlation between these characteristics provided information that will assist in selection to improve this crop. Cluster analysis resulted in the formation of 16 groups, confirming the variability of the accessions. Per se analysis identified accessions BGH-6749, BGH-5639, and BGH-219 as those with the earliest flowering. Accessions BGH-5455A and BGH-5598A had the highest carotenoid content, with averages greater than 170.00 μg g-1 of fresh mass. With a productivity of 0.13 t ha-1, accessions BGH-5485A, BGH-4610A, and BGH-5472A were the most promising for seed oil production. These last two accessions corresponded to those with higher seed productivity, averaging 0.58 and 0.54 t ha-1, respectively. This study confirms the high potential of this germplasm for use in breeding for promotion of earlier flowering and increase in total content of fruit pulp carotenoids and in seed and seed oil productivity.
Highlights
Winter squash (Cucurbita moschata D.) is one of the vegetables of greater socio-economic importance in the Cucurbita genus, largely due to the high nutritional value of its fruits and seeds
The accessions of C. moschata assessed in this study expressed high genetic variability for agro-morphological characteristics and for agronomic aspects related to the production of seeds such as number and mass of seeds per fruit, for accumulated degree-days for flowering, for total content of fruit pulp carotenoids, and for productivity of fruits, which allowed considerable gains to be obtained from selection for each of these characteristics
The network of genetic correlations showed that higher fruit productivity in C. moschata might be achieved from the selection of aspects considered crucial in the production of this crop such as higher number of fruits per plant, and height and diameter of fruit
Summary
Winter squash (Cucurbita moschata D.) is one of the vegetables of greater socio-economic importance in the Cucurbita genus, largely due to the high nutritional value of its fruits and seeds. The pulp of its fruits constitutes an important source of carotenoids such as β-carotene, the precursor of greater pro-vitamin A activity [1, 2, 3]. Together with other cucurbits such as C. pepo and C. maxima, the cultivated area and the world production of this vegetable in 2017 were approximately 2 million hectares and 25 million tons, respectively [6], most of it concentrated in China and India. In Brazil, this crop is of high socio-economic importance, with a cultivated area of approximately 90 thousand hectares, an estimated production of more than 40 thousand tons / year, and an annual production value of around R$ 1.5 million [7]
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