Study of the effects of nutrition systems and pruning of head on yield and oil content of medicinal pumpkin (Cucurbita pepa L.)

ABSTRACTS: To study the effects of nutrition systems and shoot pruning on yield component and oil content of Medicinal pumpkin (Cucurbita pepa L.), this experiment was carried out at Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Kermanshah, Iran in 2011. The design was a randomized complete block with a factorial arrangement with four replications. Three different nutritional systems contain chemical, manure and combination and two shoot pruning methods of no pruning and pruning after creating 14 nodes on main stem were studied. Results showed that the highest 1000 seed weight with 135.6 gr, fruit fresh weight with 2324.9 kg/ha, fruit yield with 2000 kg/ha and seed yield of 140 kg/ha by using combined nutrition system and shoot pruning after creating 14 nodes on main stem was achieved. Combined nutrition system with 14.95 and manure nutrition system with 14.96 % had the most oil percentage. Treatment of shoot pruning and un-pruning did not had a significant effect of oil percentage.