Scientific name: Maximum Cucurbit
The pumpkin is a delicious food that we can consume in soups, in creams, cookies, cakes, arepas, etc. In many houses it is used as a symbol of protection and is used in "Halloween" as a lamp in the party. It is a herbaceous plant native to America and belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. There is a wide variety of pumpkin crops that can weigh from half a kilogram to more than fifty. It has great properties and benefits such as:
- Contains water (90%), natural fiber and high content of vitamins A, C, E, B, B2, B3, B6; also minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, necessary for our health.
- Its seeds are anti-inflammatory of the urinary tract.
- Increase defenses.
- Acts as a laxative.
- The juice refreshes the face and blurs wrinkles.
- It contains a lot of fiber and low in calories, that is, it helps us lose weight.
- It is diuretic.
- Helps to restore the intestinal flora.
- Combats flatulence and kidney stones.
- Helps fight anemia and liver conditions.
- Improves blood circulation.
- Has the ability to prevent cancer.
- It is very beneficial for the brain.
How the pumpkin spreads
It is propagated by seeds, it is best to choose the most vigorous, healthy and productive plant, to extract its seeds, which must be washed and placed in the shade to dry. The place where the seeds were placed must be taken into account since these seeds are very desired by the mice.
Land preparation and planting
After deforestation and vegetation burning, you can wait until it rains to plant the pumpkin. These seeds are planted in monocultures, the soil is prepared with the harrow and then sown when the rainy season ends or in the dry season. In the Venezuelan plains these crops are achieved only with soil moisture.
Traditionally in the conucos it is sown manually, two or three seeds are placed per hole, while the current agriculture is sowed manually and mechanically with the corn seeding machine. One way to get good harvests is to apply drip irrigation practices.
Cleaning de undergrowth
Growing Creole squash is very powerful against weeds. Therefore, it is recommended that 21 days after harvesting, the harrow should be passed between the rows to remove the weeds that form in the crop, in order to avoid reinfestation of the weeds.
Another method to eliminate the weed is with the machine called desmalezadora, this is passed between the plants and the rows when the plant is still small. This method is recommended in small crops.
Another practice is the implementation of herbicides such as gramoxone, plants under 15 days are covered with containers (in this way the crop is not exposed to the herbicide) to apply the herbicide, after this solution is dried the containers are removed, thus achieving weed control.
Control of pests and diseases
Pumpkin cultivation is affected by mildew woolly, whitefly, aphids, viruses, among others. The affected plants show symptoms of yellowing and wilting of their foliage and discoloration of the stem, they collapse before the ripening of the fruit, consequently causing the death of the plant.
Ways to control these pests include the rotation of non-cucurbitaceous crops or promote early growth, use of biological controls such as flies and parasitic wasps, and chemical control with approved insecticides.
Harvest
- For better acceptance of the customer, the pumpkins should be harvested when they are ripe and their pulp is orange.
- When harvested in advance, the pumpkin does not mature well and the color of the pulp is not accepted by consumers.
- The pumpkins are very resistant and have a very hard crust that allows to resist the transport in bulk in trucks with many tons, it can also be transported in sacks.
- The harvest should be stored in a dry place and any gourd that is in poor condition should be eliminated.
