Adaptive Winter Squash

View the project final report

Commodities

• Vegetables: winter squash

Practices

• Crop Production: crop improvement and selection, drought tolerance, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, seed saving, varieties and cultivars, insect and disease tolerance

In recent seasons, with higher summer temperatures, drought and related disease and insect pressure, winter squash production of common moschata winter squash varieties has been drastically reduced. Winter squash is a very important crop of a local, sustainable food supply, particularly during fall and winter months. We use winter squash to supply our fall and winter CSAs and winter markets. Winter squash are large, producing a large amount of food in a small space; they are nutritious; and they store for a long period of time. These characteristics make them a very important contribution to a sustainable food supply. When their production is dramatically reduced, as it has been in recent years, we are forced to reduce the size and length of our fall and winter CSAs.

Two seasons ago, we began to trial moschata winter squash varieties from the American Southwest, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. We have been encouraged by the results. By conducting larger trials of these varieties, we expect to discover winter squash varieties that are more suited to our new climate and that are equally marketable to our customers in terms of size, taste and storage capability. We also expect that by crossing Waltham Butternut squash with similar "necked" moschata squash from these same regions, we will be able to create a more adapted butternut-like squash that is what customers are looking for, but that is also well-suited to our growing conditions.

Two seasons ago, we began to trial moschata winter squash varieties from the American Southwest, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. We have been encouraged by the results. By conducting larger trials of these varieties, we expect to discover winter squash varieties that are more suited to our new climate and that are equally marketable to our customers in terms of size, taste and storage capability. We also expect that by crossing Waltham Butternut squash with similar "necked" moschata squash from these same regions, we will be able to create a more adapted butternut-like squash that is what customers are looking for, but that is also well-suited to our growing conditions.