Effect of Seed Storage Period and Harvesting Frequency of Fresh Fruit on Fresh Fruits and Seeds Yield in Summer Squash

Abstract

This research was conducted at the Vegetable Research Farm / Dept. of Horticulture / Agric. College /Duhok Univ., to study the effect of seed storage period and number of harvesting times of fresh fruits on fruits and seeds yield in summer squash (Local cv. Mulla Ahmad) . The results exhibited that seed storage period had no significant effect on fresh fruits yield plant-1 ,while harvesting frequency of fruits affected significantly number of fruits plant-1 , fruit weight and fruit yield plant-1 as compared with control treatment ( without fruit harvest) , and the best interaction treatment in number of fruits and fruit yield plant-1 was (seed storage for one year + 2 harvesting of fruits) produced 19.15 fruit and 10.00 kg plant-1 respectively . Regarding seeds yield , it was noticed a significant reduction in number of fruits held for seed production through elongation of storage period recorded (2.304 & 2.051) fruit in both seed storage treatments respectively , this trait did not affected significantly with increasing no. of fruit harvesting . Whereas , average fruit weight , seed yield plant-1 and total seeds yield decreased significantly by increasing seed storage period . Concerning harvesting frequency of fruits, it caused a significant reduction in all traits related with seeds yield as compared with control treatment . The results also revealed that interaction treatment between storage period and harvesting frequency of fruits does not had a significant effect on number of fruits plant-1 . The interaction treatment (seeds storage for one year + without fruits harvesting ) gave the best results for most traits of seeds yield and its components recorded 1.476 kg. for fruit weight , 467.17 seeds in number of seeds fruit-1 , 32.15 g in seeds weight fruit-1 , 93.64 g in seed yield plant-1 and 1373.34 kg ha-1 for the total seeds yield.