Effects of Varieties and Fertilization on Growth and Yield of Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Farm of the Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from October, 2023 to January, 2024 to study the effect of varieties and fertilization on the growth and yield of squash (Cucurbita pepo L.). The experiment was carried out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications, with two factors. Factor A: four squash variety namely, Alpona (V₁), Kolpona (V₂), Pahuja (V₃), and Alaska (V₄) and Factor B: four fertilizer treatments viz, control (T₀), cowdung @ 5 t ha^-1 with NPK @ 80:80:90 kg ha^-1 (T₁), cowdung @ 10 t ha^-1 with NPK @ 90:90:100 kg ha^-1 (T₂), and cowdung @ 15 t ha^-1 with NPK @ 100:100:110 kg ha^-1 (T₃). Data were collected on plant growth, flowering behavior, fruit characteristics, and yield components. Results revealed that both variety and fertilizer had significant effects on all measured parameters. Among the varieties, Pahuja (V₃) performed best, producing the tallest plants, highest leaf count, highest number of fruits per plant, and the highest yield (32.49 t/ha). Alaska (V₄) flowered earliest and had the widest fruits, while Kolpona (V₂) and Alpona (V₁) recorded the lowest yields. For fertilizer treatments, T₂ (10 t ha^-1 cowdung + NPK @ 90:90:100 kg ha^-1) produced the best outcomes, including the tallest plants, maximum number of leaves and fruits per plant, highest yield (32.06 t ha^-1). Excessive fertilization in T₃ (cowdung @ 15 t ha^-1 with NPK @ 100:100:110 kg ha^-1) slightly reduced fruit weight and overall yield. The best interaction effect was observed in V₃T₂ (Pahuja + cowdung @ 10 t ha^-1 with NPK @ 90:90:100 kg ha^-1), which yielded the highest production (45.37 t ha^-1), demonstrating optimal synergy between variety and nutrient management. Therefore, the variety V₃ (Pahuja) in combination with the fertilizer dose T₂ (10 t ha^-1 cowdung + NPK @ 90:90:100 kg ha^-1) showed better performance compared to other treatment combinations.