Horticulture Series # 218

Principle Investigators: Jonathan R. Schultheis, Professor and Vegetable Extension Specialist and Keith D. Starke, Research Associate, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7609

Acknowledgements: We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Cathy Herring, (Superintendent), and Brandon Poole, (Horticulture Supervisor), from the Central Crops Research Station, Clayton, NC, as well as, the personnel at the research station for their help in establishing, maintaining, and harvesting the squash cultivar evaluation trial.  We gratefully acknowledge our summer research assistants, Stephen Bajorek and Libby Indermaur. We would also like to thank Joy Smith for conducting the statistical analysis on the data collected in this trial.

General Cultural Practices

Zucchini cultivars and Seed companies

Disclaimer

Table 1. Zucchini Squash cultigen trial yields¹, number of 20 lb boxes per acre, per indicated harvests for replicated treatments. Clayton, NC, 2016.

¹ Total of 15 harvests. Planting was July 28, 2016. Harvests 1-5 occurred on 31 August; 2, 5, 7 and 9 September; Harvests 6-10 occurred on 12, 14, 16, 19 and 21 September; Harvests 11-15 occurred on 23, 26, 28 and 30 September; 3 October. ² Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ³Culls consisted primarily of misshaped fruit. ⁴Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus. *virus incidence was low in harvests weeks (1-5) and (6-10); these data were not statistically different, therefore, they are only presented as observations. NS indicates data were not statistically different.

Table 2. Zucchini Squash cultigen trial yields, cumulative boxes, (20 lbs.), per acre, among all harvests¹. Clayton, NC, 2016.

¹Total of 15 harvests. ²Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ³ Culls consisted of primarily misshaped fruit. ⁴ Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus. *Virus incidence was low in harvests weeks (1-5) and (6-10); these data were not statistically different, therefore, they are only presented as observations.

Table 3. Zucchini Squash cultigen trial yields¹. Percentage marketable, cull, and virus symptomatic fruit per indicated harvests by fruit yield for replicated treatments, Clayton, NC, 2016.

Percentage of yield based upon grade.

¹ Total of 15 harvests. Planting was July 28, 2016. Harvests 1-5 occurred on 31 August; 2, 5, 7 and 9 September. Harvests 6-10 occurred on 12, 14, 16, 19 and 21 September. Harvests 11-15 occurred on 23, 26, 28 and 30 September; 3 October. ² Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ³ Culls consisted primarily of mishaped fruit. ⁴ Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus. *Virus incidence was low in harvests weeks (1-5) and (6-10); these data were not statistically different, therefore, they are only presented as observations.

Table 4. Zucchini Squash cultigen trial yields¹, average number of fruit per plant, per indicated harvests for replicated treatments, Clayton, NC, 2016.

Number of Marketable³ fruit per plant per harvest period³

Total fruit harvested

¹ Total of 15 harvests. Planting was July 28, 2016. Harvests 1-5 occurred on 31 August; 2, 5, 7 and 9 September. Harvests 6-10 occurred on 12, 14, 16, 19 and 21 September. Harvests 11-15 occurred on 23, 26, 28 and 30 September; 3 October. ² Average number of fruit harvested from each plant at each harvest period (i.e.: 1-5; 6-10; 11-15). ³ Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ⁴ Culls consisted primarily of misshaped fruit. ⁵ Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus. *Virus incidence was low in harvests weeks (1-5) and (6-10); these data were not statistically different, therefore, they are only presented as observations. NS indicates data were not statistically different.

Table 5. Zucchini squash cultigen trials. Cumulative fruit weight per plant and percent per plant among all harvests¹. Clayton, NC, 2016.

¹ Total of 15 harvests. ² Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ³ Culls consisted primarily of mishaped fruit. ⁴ Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus. *Virus incidence was low in harvests weeks (1-5) and (6-10); these data were not statistically different, therefore, they are only presented as observations. NS indicates data were not statistically significant.

Table 6. Zucchini Squash cultigen trial yields, cumulative fruit number per plant, among all harvests¹. Clayton, NC, 2016.

¹ Total of 15 harvests. ² Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ³ Culls consisted of primarily misshaped fruit. ⁴ Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus.

Table 7. Zucchini squash cultigen trials. Cumulative fruit number per acre and percentages, among all harvests¹. Clayton, Fall, 2016.

¹ Total of 15 harvests. ² Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ³ Culls consisted of primarily misshaped fruit. ⁴ Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus.

Table 8. Zucchini squash cultigen trial yields¹. Number of fruit per acre by grade per indicated harvests for replicated treatments, Clayton, NC, 2016.

¹Total of 15 harvests. Planting was 28 July 2016. Harvests 1-5 occurred on 31 August; 2, 5, 7 and 9 September; Harvests 6-10 occurred on 12, 14, 16, 19 and 21 September; Harvests 11-15 occurred on 23, 26, 28 and 30 September; 3 October. ² Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ³ Culls consisted of primarily misshaped fruit. ⁴ Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus. *Virus incidence was low in harvests weeks (1-5) and (6-10); these data were not statistically different, therefore, they are only presented as observations.

Table 9. Zucchini squash cultigen trials¹. Percent fruit number per acre per indicated harvests, Clayton, NC, 2016.¹

¹ Total of 15 harvests. Planting was 28 July 2016. Harvests 1-5 occurred on 31 August; 2, 5, 7 and 9 September; Harvests 6-10 occurred on 12, 14, 16, 19 and 21 September; Harvests 11-15 occurred on 23, 26, 28 and 30 September; 3 October. ² Marketable fruit are graded into U.S. No. 1 (requires younger and more tender squash than U.S. No. 2 which are permitted to be more mature and allows greater surface area to be affected by defects). ³ Culls consisted of primarily misshaped fruit. ⁴ Fruit were discolored or rough/disfigured due to virus. *Virus incidence was low in harvests weeks (1-5) and (6-10); these data were not statistically different, therefore, they are only presented as observations.

Table 10. Zucchini Squash cultigen trial - Percent plant stand and average fruit length and width among replicated treatments, Clayton, NC, 2016.

¹ Final plant stand count was taken on 31 August 2016. ² Fruit Size was obtained using the average length and width of 5 US No. 1 fruits from harvest 7 on 14 September 2016.