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North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2 pp 195–224Cite as

Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds (Cucurbita L.) of North America

Abstract

Pumpkins and squash (Cucurbita L. spp.) include six independently domesticated crop species and subspecies that are grown worldwide for their edible fruits and seeds and for ornamental interest. Because domesticated pumpkins and squashes can be crossed with each other and with diverse primary genepool relatives, contributions from Cucurbita crop wild relatives (CWR) have enabled the development of disease-resistant cultivars and represent a vast pool of untapped genetic variability underlying traits including drought tolerance and disease resistance. Even so, thorough evaluations of these wild species for agronomically important traits are limited. The 12 Cucurbita crop wild relatives of North America are more narrowly distributed than they were in the past because of the extinction of megafaunal dispersers and because of habitat loss, and the genetic diversity of wild Cucurbita species may be decreasing; one North American wild relative, C. okeechobeensis (Small) L. H. Bailey ssp. okeechobeensis, is nearly extinct, and some others are rare. Ex situ and in situ conservation of these species that includes phenotypic assessments are needed to better utilize the wealth of genetic resources available for pumpkin and squash crop improvement.

Keywords

  • Cucurbita
  • Ex situ conservation
  • In situ conservation
  • Genetic resources

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Heather Rose Kates

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  1. USDA, Agricultural Research Service Center for Agricultural Resources, Research, National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Dr. Stephanie L. Greene

  2. USDA, Agricultural Research Service Beltsville Agricultural Research, Center, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, USA

    Dr. Karen A. Williams

  3. USDA, Agricultural Research Service Center for Agricultural Resources, Research, National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Dr. Colin K. Khoury

  4. Tropical Plant and Soil Science, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Dr. Michael B. Kantar

  5. Department of Agronomy/North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Dr. Laura F. Marek

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Kates, H.R. (2019). Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds (Cucurbita L.) of North America. In: Greene, S., Williams, K., Khoury, C., Kantar, M., Marek, L. (eds) North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_6

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