Squash

Squash Integrated Pest Management

Squash, Cucurbita maxima is a member of the cucurbit family. It is locally known as ‘kalabasa’ or ‘calabaza’, ‘fak-thong’ (Thai), ‘walu’ or ‘labu’ (Indonesian). It is a monoecious annual crop whose stems are long-running or short and bushy, soft-to-hard, and round-to-angular. Adventitious roots are also commonly formed at its nodes. Flowers are solitary with lemon yellow to deep orange color.

Squash is a rich source of vitamin A. The deeper the yellow color of the squash, the higher the vitamin A it contains. The young shoots, flowers, and fruits are used as vegetables. It is cooked alone or in combination with other vegetables, fish, or meat. Mature fruits can be made into pies and sweets, flour, and noodles. In addition, seeds of mature fruits can be boiled in salted water, dried like watermelon seeds, roasted, and used as snack food.

  

              The folkloric used of squash include the use of the fruit pulp as poultice for carbuncles, boils, and ulcers. The part of the fruit stalk that is in contact with the ripe gourd is cut, dried, and make into a pasted and applied to venomous insect bites, particularly from centipedes. The fresh seeds are used as anthelmintic when eaten fresh. The yellow flowers are used against jaundice.

Here are the major pests and diseases in squash.

PESTS:

·         SQUASH BUGS

·         SQUASH VINE BORER

DISEASES:

·         Viruses (Zucchini mosaic virus, squash leaf curl virus)

·         Bacterial wilt

·         Downy mildew

·         LEAF AND VINE PROBLEMS

You can control this pest and diseases by the biological control, chemical control and also the cultural control.

 THANK YOU !!!