Squash

Common names: Calabaza, Pumpkin
Scientific name: Cucurbita spp.
Family: Cucurbitaceae

Growth stages	Pests  For weeds and diseases please see further down on this page. For rodents, snails and slugs please click here
Seed
Sown seeds	Ants
Seedling Stage
Leaves	Aphids Cutworm
Vegetative Stage
Vines	Squash vine borer
Leaves	Squash bug
Reproductive Stage
Vines	Squash vine borer
Flowers	Spider mites
Fruits	Fruit fly
Maturation stage
Fruits	Fruit fly

Weeds

Grasses
Sedges
Broadleaf

Diseases

Fungal
Bacterial
Viral

Agro-ecology

Squash is planted as a companion crop of corn on small-scale farms. It is also a good rotation crop for other vegetables.

Wild bees and other insect pollinators are necessary and sufficient for flower pollination in small-scale squash production. A female flower has to be visited by bees or by other insects at least 15 times for complete pollination. Incomplete pollination results in small and unshaped fruits. In areas exceeding a hectare, large numbers of bees are needed to ensure pollination (MAF, 2000: p. 4). Manual pollination also helps ensure fruit set.

As a basal fertilizer, place 100 kg of farm manure or compost mixed with 100 grams of neem cake for each hill. One month after sowing, add œ kg of vermicompost on each hill (Sridhar; et. al., 2002: p. 14).

Mulching with rice straws helps control weeds, and conserves moisture. It also keeps fruits from direct contact with the soil where they could be infected by diseases.

Removal of the growing tips checks the plant growth and development. Bagging fruits in paper protects fruits against fruit fly and other pests.

Further information

There are now squash varieties available on the market that can tolerate cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and squash vine borer. Cultivars resistant to downy and powdery mildews and to the squash virus complex are also now available (PCCARD, 2000).

OISAT Field Guides

Field Guide to Non- chemical Pest Management in Squash Production download (1022 kb)

External links

• AVRDC. Crop production guides. http://avrdc.org/?page_id=2315
• UC IPM. Cucurbits. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/PMG/pmgcucurbits.pdf
• NYS IPM Publication. Production guide for organic cucumber and squash. http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/organic_guide/cucurbit.pdf
• Department of Agriculture, Prince Edward Island Canada. Pumpkins and squash production guide. http://www.gov.pe.ca/agriculture/index.php3?number=69768&lang=E
• Purdue University. Squash. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/rhodcv/hort410/squash/squash.htm

References

• PCCARD (2000): Squash production guide. PCARRD. Los banos, Laguna, Philippines.
• Sridhar, S.; Arumugasamy, S.; Saraswathy, H.; Vijayalakshmi, K. (2002): Organic vegetable gardening. Center for Indian Knowledge Systems. Chennai.