Fluted pumpkin farming is an exponentially growing industry in Nigeria. Both the seeds and the plant’s leaves have dozens of potential uses, so it’s no wonder that it’s getting a lot of attention from farmers and financial investors. If you would like to learn the most interesting production practices for fluted pumpkins in Nigeria, please continue reading below!
Fluted pumpkin production in Nigeria
Fluted pumpkin, otherwise known as ugu (ugwu) or fluted gourd, is a crop native to Southern Nigeria. According to the most recent studies, fluted pumpkins are annually consumed by thirty to forty million people in the country. Thus, they have proven to be one of the top-selling types of crops Nigeria. Even though the fruit itself is inedible, the seeds contained within, as well as the leaves are a valuable resource for a farmer.
Fluted pumpkin production consists of several stages, such as preparation, planting, management, harvesting, and post-harvesting handling. We’ll talk about all of these in detail below, and we’ll explain the various production practices you can adapt to increase the amount of fluted pumpkin you yield.
Stage 1: Preparation
The first thing you need to do is to select the site where your crops will be planted. Next, you need to prepare the soil for seeding. Fluted pumpkins grow best on well-drained surfaces with a neutral pH level. Get rid of all the weeds and stumps that may prevent your seeds from growing.
The majority of farmers have admitted that they plant the fruits during the dry season, between November and February. Fluted pumpkins are usually grown in-between April and May. The plant is known to be drought resistant and extremely versatile in terms of soil. Seeds that are ripe for planting are taken out of the fruit and air dried for a day before the sowing process.
One of the first production practices you’ll have to choose from is whether you’ll sow the fluted pumpkin solely or will it be intercropped with other types of produce. You also have to decide between letting the fruit grow on the ground and stringing it against a wooden fence or bamboo stakes.
Stage 2: Planting
To plant your fluted pumpkins, you need to sow the seeds right into the ground. There are also numerous production practices involved in this process. When you’re planting the seeds, you can place them into the holes either by one, two or three. Studies have shown that planting them in groups of three increases the size of your potential harvest.
The seeds need to be put into the soil at a depth of three to five centimeters. The recommended ratio is thirty to seventy thousand seeds per hectare while leaving about 0.3 to 1 meter of space between the groups. There are also three different ways of placing the seed:
- Hilum up;
- Hilum down;
- Hilum sideways.
The only one we don’t recommend is to plant the fluted pumpkins with the pointy end sticking upward.
Tip: If you want your fluted pumpkins to yield more leaves, then sow them closer to each other. However, if you want to produce more fruit, leave more space in-between.
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Stage 3: Management
Here’s a list of the recommended production practices that will help you secure a richer harvest:
- Stake the plants during the rainy season to protect them from potential infections.
- Weed the crops two times before the pumpkin’s canopy is strong enough to get rid of the weeds on its own. If you’re planting during the rainy season, a third weeding may be necessary.
- Perform the first pruning a month after the fruit has developed to stimulate its growth.
- Water the fluted pumpkins every three days.
- Use fertilizers or manure for a better harvest.
Tip: We advise a ratio of a hundred kilograms of K2O and fifty kilograms of P2O5 per hectare.
Stage 4: Harvesting
You can harvest the first leaves, which are usually more important for a fluted pumpkin farmer, four weeks after you sow the seeds. However, professional farmers prefer to delay the first harvest until six weeks after planting. Next, you can continue collecting the leaves in cycles that last from two weeks to a month. The fruits can be picked up within two months of their setting. This occurs mostly between October and December.
Tip: The best way to harvest fluted pumpkins is by slicing the crop under the lowest reachable leaf.
You can yield about five hundred to a thousand kilograms of leaves per hectare, or even higher if you use the right management system. It’s also possible to obtain two tons of seeds from three thousand pumpkins.
Stage 5: Post-harvest Handling
The last production practice for fluted pumpkins is their storage. Collected leaves maintain their freshness and health-beneficial attributes only for 24 hours unless contained in jute bags that can prolong their shelf life up to three days. It’s recommended to sell the leaves to entrepreneurs wholesale, and let them handle the retail sales.
The seeds are left untouched in the fruits until they are needed for sowing or eating. A fluted pumpkin can be shelved for a period of up to two months.
Now you’ve discovered all the secret production practices for fluted pumpkins in Nigeria. If you know anyone that might benefit from learning this information, be sure to share it with them! Happy farming!
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Source: Zenithblog.com
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