Pumpkin and Winter Squash

The common terms “pumpkin”, “squash”, “gourd”, “cushaw”, “ayote”, “zapallo”, “calabaza”, etc. are often applied indiscriminately to different cultivated species of the New World genus Cucurbita L. (Cucurbitaceae): C. pepo L., C. maxima Duchesne, C. moschata Duchesne, C. argyrosperma C. Huber and C. ficifolia Bouché. These species are mainly grown for their fruits (botanically a pepo) which are a significant source of carbohydrates and vitamins (Whitaker and Davis, 1962). The fruits can be picked either when immature or fully mature, and this type of use conditions the culture techniques, cultivar selection and breeding objectives.