Cultivation Guide of Sweet-Parent Pumpkin Variety Series
Cultivation Guide of Pumpkin Variety Series
1, Sowing Time
The pumpkin is cultivated
in Spring mainly, and also in Autumn. In Spring, sow in early February derectly
with low tunnel. In Autumn, sow in late July to early August. The seeds can be
sown derectly, each cave sown in 3 grains of seeds, and it costs about 300g of
seeds per acre. Before sowing, soak the seeds in 55℃ water and,
after the water cools down naturally, continue to soak for 7-10h. After that,
wash up the seeds and then fliter dry, sprout in 30℃ environment.
The seeds can be sown after 16h when the buds sprout.
2, Requirements of Environment and Conditions
2.1,
Temperature
The
sweet-parent pumpkin is heat-resistant vegetable, with proper growth
temperature in 18-32 ℃, and
blossoming and bearing temperature in 25-27 ℃. When the temperature exceeds 35℃, the male flowers will become hermaphrodite, causing
flower and fruit dropping easily.
2.2,
Illumination
The
sweet-parent pumpkin is a short day crop. The temperature and illumination
conditions in seedling stage have great relations with the appearing time of
female flowers. In the low temperature and short-day conditions, the female
flowers appear early and blossom more. Therefore, in Spring cultivation,
culture seedlings ahead of time, and reducing in sunshine duration will
promotes precocity and incease production.
2.3, Moisture
The
sweet-parent pumpkin has strong drought-resistance. After the recovering
period, if there is too much moisture, the vegetative growth will be too
prosperous to convert to reproductive growth. The expressions are that, the
leaves grow prosperously in deep-green color, and the internode distance is
long, with no blossom or late blossom, even failling-melon. If the weather is
rainy when the female flowers blossom, they can not be pollinated normally,
causing the flower and fruit dropping.
2.4, Soil
Nutrient
When
cultivated in Summer, because high temperature is more conducive to the growth
of pumpkin stem and leaf, they are always grow too prosperously, usually
causing flower and fruit dropping and reducing the production on the contrary.
Therefore, if the soil fertility is adequate, it is necessary to strengthen
management, and properly control the fertilization and watering, and timely top
removal and pruning.
3, Soil Selection
The
sweet-pumpkin has strong adaptability, they can be planted in a variety of
soil, even in the land or hillside that is not suitable for farming, but it is
better to cultivate on sandy soil, sandy loam or red-brawn-purple soil which
has thick soil herizon and convenient irragulation and drainage, and is loosen
and rich, sun and leeward, with 5.5-6.8 of PH value. If for the new plantation
cultivation, abundant of organic manure is needed. Generally the cultivation of
sweet-parent pumpkin do not need shed, let the vines crawl freely, but adding
shed will make the result better.
4, Cultivation of Strong Seedling
4.1, Sowing
Time
Generally the
cultivation is in spring. For the culture of seedling in the pretected field,
the sowing time is from late February to early March, that is in The Rains to
the Insects Awaken. For the culture in open field and derect sowing, the seeds
are sown from middle March to late April, the earlier the better. The sowing
can also be in May to June in Summer, but the later it is, the lower yield and
quality it will be.
4.2, Culture
Methods
Choose fertile
ball or nutrient pot to cultivate on, and cover with double films as insulation
culture of seedling. If possible, culture seedling in low tunnel which is
inside high tunnel or insulation.
The seedbed
should choose the ground which is in high topography, dry and well draining,
sun and leeward.
Choose dry
and fertile compound soil fertilizer, garden soil or vegetable soil, and add
dung( for every 100kg soil may also add 2kg of calcium phospate, the nitrogen
fertilizer such as urea can not be added). Mix them until the soil can be nip
to lumps slightly, and spread out when dropped from the 1.5m height. Then nip
the soil to cylindrical fetile balls which are about 8-10cm long and 5-8cm
wide. For the nutrient pot, it only to fill it with nutrient soil and press
hard after the pot is manufactured or bought. And then use first figure to
press a 1cm deep sowing hole on top. When laying the fertile ball or nutrient
pot, there should remain gaps which are about 1cm wide.
Soaking
before sowing to ensure the trim sprouting. Sun the seeds for 1-2 days before
sowing, then immerse them in cold water. Fish out the seeds and then pour them
into 45℃ warm water
prepared, stir them continously for about 10mins until the water temperature
cools down to be 30 ℃, remove the
empty seeds to increase sprouting rate. Then soak in clear water for about 8
hs, and drain the seeds for sowing after the seeds soak up adequate water. When
sowing, sow 1 grains of seeds into the sowing hole in fertile ball, with embryo
downwards. After sowing, cover with 1cm thick fine soil evenly, suitably to
cover the fertile balls wholly. And then pour thin feces, to make the water
content reaches saturation.
When the
seedbed is slightly dry, cover with a layer of thin film(the high tunnel do not
need to), press the film edge tightly by soil. And then use bamboo to build up
flat archy shelf in 50cm high, and then cover with film, use soil to press the
film edge tightly(low tunnel inside high tunnel). The heat insulation is
functioned.
Before
germination, keep the temperature in 25-30℃ in the daytime and 12-15℃ at night. When the seeds emerge partly, the film coverd
on the fertile ball or nutrient pot can be removed. When the cotyledons outgrow
trimly, water once and ventilate properly, keep the temperature in 20-25℃ in the daytime and
10-13℃ at night, so
as to prevent excessive growth. Along with the growth of the seedling, reduce
the covering time of film step by step, make sure that the seedling have
adequate illumination as far as possible. In the sunny days, if the surface of
the seedbed blanches, water the seedbed in the morning or at nightfall. If the
seedbed dose not blanches, do not water, so as to prevent diseases.
5, Preparation of Land and Fertilization of Base manure
The Pumpkin
requires potassium and nitrogen fertilizer abundantly. For 24 tons of yielf per
acre(hereinafter
inclusive), it requires 126-144kg of burnt potash, and 108-126kg
of pure nitrogen. The requirement for calcium and phosphorus comes second,
96-144 kg of calcium oxide, and 36-42kg of phosphorus pentoxide. And it also
requires magnesium, for 24-72kg of magnesium oxide. Bacause the requirement of
potash, nitrogen and calcium concentrates in the fruit-expanding period, and
the phosphorus and magnesium is stable and not easy to be used, for base
manure, the organic manure should be supplied heavily, along with phosphorus,
calcium and magnesium fertilizer, coordinated properly with potash and nitrogen
fertilizer. The potash and nitrogen fertilizer is mainly used as top dressing.
At the same time, pay attention to the farming character. Plough the field and
prepare to flat. 20 days befor transplanting or sowing, dig holes for base
manure. For pure cultivation, dig hole accordling to the planting distance of
0.6m by 2.0m. For intercropping in young fruit orchard which is cultivated with
less than 50 plants, dig hole according to the planting distance of 2.5m plus
1.5m by 0.6m, in the same direction with seedlings. The hole is 0.4m wide and
0.15m deep, each hole supply with o.1kg of compound fertilizer, in the ratio of
18:6:16 or 15:15:15, and 3-5kg of finished farm yard manure, mix them evenly.
And then cover with soil for transplanting.
6, Timely Transplanting
6.1,
Transplanting time
25 days after
the gernimation of seedling, when the seedling grows out one bud with three
pieces of leaves, transplant in time. The transplanting should be done at
nightfall or in cloudy day, not suitable in rainy day.
6.2,
Reasonably dense transplanting
Dig hole in
0.1m depth on the covering earth of base manure hole. Transplant 1 plants each
hole, totally 3300 plant per acre. For derect sowing, suppy adequate base
water, sow 2-3 grains of seeds in each hole, and then cover with 1-2cm thick
fine soil. When the seedlings outgrow 2 pieces of main leaves, reserve one
strong seedling.
6.3,
Attentions
For current
supply of base manure, transplant seedlings in side of the hole which is
covered with 0.1cm thick soil. Eliminate seedlings which are seek or without
nutrient soil ball. Put the seedling into transplanting hole, hold up, earth up
and then press tight slightly. The suitable depth is to make the seed leaf at
the same herizon with earth. After setting, supply adequate root-setting water.
For early transplanting, cover the field with ground film before transplanting,
and then cover with low tunnel with thin film.
7, Field management
7.1, Complementary
planting and protection of seedling
The lack of
seedling impact the yield heavily. During the recovering of seedling after
transplanting, for lack of seedling and undergrowth seedlings which are with
yellow-leaf, abnormal or have difficulty in recovering, add new seedlings or
seeds in time, to ensure seedling integrity. Pay attention to prevent and
control diseases and insect pests, and prevent livestock from damaging
seedlings.
7.2, Timely
Top Dressing
After
setting, as the plant grows rapidly in suitable temperature and humidity
condition, the fertilization should be controlled to maintain dark-green leaf
and prevent excessive growth.
7.3, Drainage
and Drought Control
After
setting, the moisture should be controlled, suitable to keep the soil around root
system moist. Pay attention to drainage in rainy seasons, to prevent
accumulated water around root.
7.4,
Cultivation
From setting
to the spreading of vines, cultivate for the first time. Cultivate for the
second time when reserving the vines along with earthing up, to make the vines
extend to one side and make the soil in the root part to be a small soil ridge.
Afterwards, cultivate for 1-2 times along with the spreading of vines. Stop the
cultivation when the vines grow to cover the whole ridge. Earth up soil each
time after heavy rains, not to make the root system come out of soil.
7.5, Pruning
and Pressing Vines
The punpkin
belongs to the extenssive management crops. But if let it grows freely, the
branches and leaves will be too exuberant, which will leads to bad fruit-setting. When
the seedling outgrows about 6 pieces of leaves, top removal should be done to
promote the germination of side vines. After that, reserve 2-3 strong side
vines and wipe out the rest ones, to use side vines to fruiting more. When the
vines grow to be 50cm long, lead and press them for one time, better in suuny
day after rain. Lead the vines to blank line, and then use wet clod to press on
vine in the distance of 36cm, to make about 14cm long vines top appeared. After
that, press once in about 40cm interval, totally 3 times. Distribute the vines
evenly, to prevent congestion and shading between plants, so as to promote the
growth of adventitious root, increase absorbing areas for root system and to
fix the plant. For shed cultivation, it can reserve the chief vine only, and
timely lead vines onto shed and bind them.
7.6,
Supplementary pollination and fruit volume control.
Pumpkin is a
typical cross-pollination of crops, as the results of self-pollination rate is
low, artificial pollination should be carried out, especially important for the
beginning fruiting period when the quantity of male flower is less and in rainy
season when the activity of insects is hindered. The flower blossoms in the
early morning, around 6 am it is the best time for pollination, which should be
finised by the end of 9 am in sunny day. The method is as follow. Wipe out the
petals of the male flower, and then lightly smear the pollen pollen column in
the female column, that is completed. But in rainy day, the female flowers
should be covered to prevent from rain water erosion. The first melons is
generally not retained for small size, remove the flower before blossom.
Reserve 2-3 melons per plant. After the setting of melon, reserve 3-4 pieces in
front of it and then top removal. Pick off the unnecessary male flower when
they are in thumb size. If the plant is excessive grown, the setting of fruits
will be hard. For one side. The fertilizer and water should be controlled. For
the other side, use knife to stab the vines in the stem bottom longitudinally, to promote
fruit setting.
8, Timely Harvest
The melon
will be mature in 50 days after blossom, fastly in high temperature. The green
skin color will turn to yellow difficultly in low temperature. The main features
of mature is as follow. The wax powder on peel will thickens, the color turns
from green to yellow or orange, the peel hardens, nail can not break in easily.
Choose dry sunny day when the dew is dry to carry out harvest. The base of
melon stalk should be cut flat to prevent injury to the other peel, to
facilitate storage. Old mature pumpkin can be stored longer after harvesting.
For Spring sowing, if the management of the plant is well, both the main and
side vines can bear melons and the harvest period is much longer.
9, Control of Disease and Insect Pests
The main
disease includes virus, powdery mildew and leaf spot diseases, and the main
pests includes aphid, yellow melon leaf beetle and leaf miner. For
virus disease, the control of aphid should be terrific, and spray 500 times of
virus A for prevention. For powdery mildew and leaf spot disease, spray 600
times of 80% Kebo(48%bordeaux mixture+30%mancozeb WP) once in 10 days. It can
also spray 1500 times of triadimefon for control of powdery mildew, and
600 times of oxadixyl.mancozeb for control of leaf spot disease. For control of
aphid, spray 2500-3000 times of 10% imidacloprid WP for control, or spray
1000-1500 times of 40% Lorsban EC or 1500-2000 times of 52.25%
Nongdile(47.5%chlorpyrifos+4.75%cypermethrin), along with control of yellow
melon leaf beetle and leaf miner. Attention that DDVP and Cygon is harmful
to melon. When there is too much weed, use glyphosate watered down according to
the description.
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