Evaluation of pumpkin genotypes in eastern Himalayan region

In spite of its high vitamin A content and availability of considerable variation, the genetic potential of pumpkin is unexplored till now. Thus pumpkin genotypes were collected from various parts of India and evaluated (2014-15, 2015-16 & 2016-17) for growth, fruit yield and nutritional quality. The pooled results revealed significant variation among the different genotypes of pumpkin. The experimental findings suggested that among the pumpkin genotypes having higher amount of vitamin A (>4000 IU) namely PCB-10, PCM-18, PCM-20 & PCA-22 besides higher yield potential the genotypes namely PCP-22, PCB-29 & PCB-28 can be promoted for commercial cultivation. To fulfill the requirement of small family needs and for the kitchen garden, the genotypes having medium sized multiple fruits (3-7 fruits per plant weighing 2-5 kg each) namely, PCP-2, PCG-8, PCM-14, PCM-16, PCM-17, PCM-18 & PCM-20 may be recommended. To develop high yielding varieties through selection the traits, average fruit weight, fruits per plant, fruit length, yield per plant and vitamin A content should be duly considered. In the heterosis breeding programme, parents should be selected from the diverse clusters (III & IV)