Lorna M.

Tepper
Agriculturist II
BPI-Los Banos National Crop Research and Development Center
 Table of Contents

Title Page
Cover Page i
Table of Contents ii
List of Tables iii
List of Figures iii
The SQUASH Plant 1
Varieties 2
Culture and Management 2
Climatic and Soil Requirement 2
Land Preparation 2
Planting and Spacing 3
Nutrient supplement 3
Growing Season 3
Crop Establishment 3
Hand Pollination 3
Thinning of Vines and Fruits 3
Water Management 4
Weeding 4
Harvest Management 4
Pest Management 4
Insect Pests 4
Diseases 4
References 7

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 List of Tables

Table Title Page

No.
1 Recommended Varieties 2
2 Biological and remedial control of pests and diseases of squash 5
3 Cost and Return of Squash Production 6

List of Figures

Table Title Page

No.
1 Squash seedlings ready for transplanting 3
2 Squash plant at vegetative stage. Squash plant with ash to control squash 3
beetle (Middle)
3 Hand pollinating squash blossoms 3
4 Squash beetle infestation 4
5 Leaf mosaic virus infection 4
6 Leaf curl virus infection on squash 5

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The SQUASH Plant
Squash is commonly grown in the Philippines throughout the year. In 2009, Philippines ranked 16th
in the world production of squash together with pumpkins and gourds with a production value of $43,441
at a volume of 247,759 metric tons (BAS, 2009). It is usually grown in home gardens and commercial scale
for its immature fruits, young shoots, flowers and seeds. In some places, intercropping squash with other
crops like corn, sugarcane and coconut is practiced. It is commercially cultivated in Ilocos Region, Cagayan
Valley, Southern Tagalog and Bicol Region. The provinces producing semi-commercial scale are Davao,
Leyte, Nueva Ecija and Batangas. Like other cucurbits, squash is recognized as an important source of
vitamins and minerals.
It is considered as one of the farmers’ cash crops in the country. Acceptability to consumers is very
high because of its nutritional value especially in Vitamin A. It is not perishable, commands high price in
the market and a very good industrial potential. Squash can be used in the manufacture of catsup, baby
foods, confectionaries, noodles and many others.
Squash or “kalabasa” (Cucurbita moschata Duch), belonging to family Cucurbitaceae, is viny,
creeping and trailing crop producing fruits and considered to be one of the most delicious vegetables. It is
the most commonly and regularly grown among the cucurbits due to its rich source of Vitamins A and C,
phosphorus, calcium and iron. It can reach a length of 4 meters or more and flowers throughout the year.
Adventitious roots are also commonly formed at its nodes. The leaves are broadly rounded and heart
shaped. Flowers are erect, yellow to deep orange in color, about 12 cm long.
Most squash and cucumber plants produce separate male and female flowers, pollen transfer from
the male to the female flower is essential to the production of good yields of high quality fruit. Bees are the
most common agent of pollination for cucurbit crops. Therefore, an ample supply of honeybees should be
introduced into production fields to enhance and ensure pollination. Poorly pollinated fruits will have poor
development which usually results in unmarketable fruits.
Amount of vitamin A content of squash is comparable to the degree of yellow color. The young
shoots, flowers and fruits are used as vegetable; it is palatable when cooked alone or in combination with
other vegetables, fish and meat. Mature fruits can be made into pies and other delicacies. In addition,
seeds of mature fruits can be boiled in salted water, dried like watermelon seeds, roasted and used as snack
food. It is now added in making noodles, vermicelli or canton.
Squash has very low calories. Phytochemicals is also present in squash. Coumarins and flavonoids
are two of the phytochemicals present in squash. It is also rich in beta-carotene. Summer squash turns out
to be the primary food source of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. For lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-
cryptoxanthin (three other health-supportive carotenoids) summer squash also comes out among the top
three food sources in several studies. These antioxidants are especially helpful in protection of the eyes,
including protection against age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. If possible, the skin should
not be peeled off and the rind should not be removed when cooked. Many valuable antioxidant nutrients
are found in skin and seeds of squash. Since the skin of this food is particularly antioxidant-rich, it's worth
leaving the skin intact.

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VARIETIES

Table 1. Recommended Varieties

OWNER VARIETY MATURITY FRUIT TYPE SEASON FEATURES
(DAS) Shape Weight Color
Allied Hybrid 90-100 Flat 3-4kg Solid green at Year round Very vigorous and highly
Botanical Jupiter 208 young stage; uniform in size. Excellent
yellow brown at fleh texture and taste.
color break. Flesh Ideal for stacking and long
is yellow distance shipping
Allied Hybrid 95-100 Flat 3-4kg Solid green at Year round Very uniform in terms of
Botanical Venus 106 young stage; size and shape. Very
yellow brown at adaptable. Good shipping
color break. Flesh quality and eating quality
is yellow orange
East-West La Preciosa 90 Flat 3kg Yellow orange Year round Tolerant to virus and
Seed round foliar diseases
Keystone Matavia OP 60 Semi flat 1000- All Season Super glutinous, tolerant
2000 to squash mosaic
Allied Rosalinda 95-100 Flat 3-4kg Solid green at Year round Excellent fruit and plant
Botanical young stage; characteristics. Good
yellow brown at shipper.
color break. Flesh
is yellow
Allied Saturn 108 95-100 Flat 3-4kg Solid green at Year round Vigorous and prolific.
Botanical young stage; Very good eating quality
yellow brown at and good shipping quality
color break.
Pilipinas Squash 80 High flat 3-4kg Dark green Year round Early flowering; sticky
Kaneko Royal Cup (DAS) flesh
Rizalina 102(DS)- Deeply 4.2- Yellow-orange Year round Flowers 57 days during
125(WS) rigged 5.0kg fruits dry season, 80 days
and flat during wet season,
round vigorous open-pollinated,
tolerant to squash virus
complex
East West Suprema 85 Flat 3-4kg Attractive orange Year round Resistant to virus, strong
round, against powdery and
regularly mildew, high yielding, has
ridged excellent eating quality,
has good adaptation to
wide range of different
agro-climatic condition
70-80 High 1 -2kg Yellow fruits Year round High yielding, has
round excellent eating quality

CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT

A. Climatic and Soil Requirement. Squash can be grown in both wet and dry season. It has been
reported that environment can have a marked effort development and quality of the fruit. The optimum
monthly average temperature for good growth is from about 18 to 27°C. Likewise, warm temperature
and low relative humidity favor good fruit-setting development and quality of the fruit.
It thrives on many types of soil but it grows well on organic-rich medium often found on
compost or refuses heaps. A soil pH range of 5.6 to 6.5 is recommended.
B. Land Preparation. Choose a 1000 m2 well-drained area previously planted to rice and accessible to
water source. Squash grows in all types of well-drained soil, but the best soil type for the crop is sandy
loam or clay loam with pH of 6.0 to 6.7. Squash can be grown with minimum tillage. Clear area and dig

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 holes at appropriate distances. In open field, a distance of 2-3 meters between hills. Field preparation
for squash should be done by twice plowing and harrowing then furrow the field at 2 meters apart.
Furrows are made with a native plow or machine tractor to a depth of 15 cm. For lowland rice-based
areas, plow and harrow the field 2-3 times alternately. Furrow the field at a row spacing of 2 m.
Prepare hills at 1 m apart. Incorporate complete fertilizer thoroughly with the soil at planting. For hilly
areas, make holes 2 m x 1 m and placed complete fertilizer in each hole. Basal application of processed
chicken manure or vermicompost of about 2 ton/ha must be done two weeks before planting.
C. Planting and Spacing. To plant a hectare, it needs about 2-4 kilos of good seeds. Squash are directly
planted at the rate of 2-5 seeds per hill, spaced of 2-3 m between rows and 1 m between hills. One week
after emergence, weak seedlings are thinned out and allow only 2 healthy seedlings to grow.
Transplanting is also recommended especially for F1 varieties
to save seeds and insure seedling establishment. Sow seeds in the
seedbed and prick individually in the potlets. Transplanting is done 3
weeks after sowing.
D. Nutrient supplement. Foliar application of Fermented Plant Juice
(FPJ) must be done once a week from emergence until fruiting stage.
E. Growing Season. For optimum yield and profit, plant in rice-based
lowland areas from October to December, and May to July for hilly
areas. Planting squash on these months will avoid the peak
population of insect pests and the high incidence of plant diseases.
Figure 1. Squash seedlings F. Crop Establishment. Plant 2-3 seeds per hill. Thin the weak
ready for seedlings when the first true leaves have developed and leave two
transplanting
vigorous plants per hill. Train the vines to crawl in a direction going
inside the plot so that these will be evenly distributed over the area. Properly trained vines help
prevent growth of weeds in the plot because the thick leaves will shade the ground.

Figure 2. Squash plant at vegetative stage. Squash plant with ash to control squash beetle (Middle)

For optimum yield and profit, plant in rice-based

lowland areas from October to December, and May to July for
hilly areas. Planting squash on these months will avoid the peak
population of insect pests and the high incidence of plant
diseases.
G. Hand Pollination. To increase fruit setting when insect
pollinators are few, hand pollinate by inserting the male flower
of the same age to the female flower between 6:00 and 8:00 in
the morning.
H. Thinning of Vines and Fruits. Thin some lateral vine near the Figure 3. Hand pollinating squash
fully developed fruits. Remove all deformed fruits while still blossoms
small to avoid nutrient competition. Maintain bigger fruits by

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 allowing one fruit at each vine. Place 5-6 cm thick of rice straw beneath the good fruits or lay bedding
materials made of knitted bamboo if there are available bamboo to prevent rotting of the fruits.
I. Water Management. Irrigate once a week or hand water with 1 L/hill every other day. Irrigate also
every after fertilizer application. Withhold watering or irrigation when the fruits reach matured green
stage because this will result in lower quality.
J. Weeding. Spot weeding around the plant is done two times a week. Repeat if weeds still grow in
between plants.
Spreading of dry rice straw around the plant can minimize the emergence of weeds and also
serves as good matting for the fruits.
K. Harvest Management. Harvest immature fruits for vegetable at 30-40 days from anthesis or
pollination.
Medium matured fruits (with light yellow stripe on the skin) are commonly harvested for
market. The appearance of powdery, whitish substance on the surface of the fruit, and the hardening of
the rind are indices of maturity if intended for seeds. The seeds of a squash are already matured and
fully developed. Harvest the matured fruit when the fruits appear brownish orange. Harvest fruits of
plants that have no symptoms of viral infection (mosaic, yellowing of leaves) if intended for seeds. This
must be done to avoid virus-infected seeds for the next cropping.
L. Pest Management. Squash beetles infest the crop especially at the seedling or vegetative stage. Aphids
and leafhoppers are the most prevalent insect pests of squash throughout the year. For diseases, leaf
curl or mosaic virus is the most damaging.
Insect Pests
1. Squash beetle (Anasa tristis)
– Yellowish beetles damage the
squash by scrapping the surface of
the leaves producing a
skeletonized appearance.
Infestation at cotyledon stage may
result in death of seedlings.
2. Aphids (Aphids gossypii) - The
insect is as big as a coarse sand
Figure 4. Squash beetle infestation and lives in colonies under the
surface of the squash leaves. They produce sticky substances that favor the growth of soothy molds on
the leaves of squash. The soot-like growth of the mold interferes with the photosynthetic activity of
the plant. Aphids also secrete substance that is toxic to the plant causing leaf curling and dwarfing of
shoots.
3. Leaf hoppers (Impoasca sp.) suck the leaves of squash and other crops causing hopper burn. In
squash, they cause drying of leaves during severe infestation. The plants can tolerate the damage if
irrigated twice a week during the whole growing period but with reduced yield.
4. White fly (Bemicia tabaci) - These are small white and dainty flies that live in the undersurface of
the leaves. It transmits viral diseases to squash and other crops causing abnormal growth of
leaves and shoots.

Diseases
1. Leaf Mosaic virus causes yellow green pattern of the leaves
with slight curling. This is transferred by insect vector or
through the seed.

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Figure 5. Leaf mosaic virus infection
 2. Leaf curl virus, like mosaic virus, is seed-borne. It is also characterized by curling of the leaves and
shoots with shortened internodes exhibiting a dwarfed appearance. The plant can survive and
produce numerous leaflets but not capable of producing normal shoots and fruits.

Figure 6. Leaf curl virus infection on squash

Table 2. Biological and remedial control of pests and diseases of squash

Insect pests Recommended control
Squash beetle Squash beetles are easy to catch. Use a net to catch more beetles. Dusting of ash
with carbaryl is also the best remedy.
Aphids Crush the colonies then spray infected and healthy plants with basil leaf extract at
200ml/16 L water. Dishwashing liquid detergent can be applied to minimize the
aphids’ colony, use of beneficial insects like parasitic wasps and lady beetles which
prey on aphids.
Whitefly Overhead irrigation twice a week can reduce the population of these pests. Use
yellow sticky trap. Flooding once a week will replenish the plant sap sucked by the
pest. Another alternative is the spraying of citronella extract (BPI-LBNCRDC)
Leafhopper Overhead irrigation twice a week can reduce the population of these pests.
Flooding once a week will replenish the plant sap sucked by the pest.
 Maintain strict weed control in and around glasshouses and polythene tunnels
 Dispose of infested plants carefully, keep stock plants in a separate structure
from those used for propagation or production
 Avoid taking cuttings from infested stock plants
 Yellow sticky traps may be useful in doorways or under vents, to catch adult
leafhoppers flying from infested plants to ‘clean' plants. However, these will
also catch flying beneficial insects, e.g. parasitic wasps, so they should be used
and positioned with care.
 Use biocontrol agents such as Anagrus atomus (tiny parasitic wasp),
Steinernema feltiae (Insect-pathogenic nematodes), Anthocorid bugs and
Chrysoperla carnea(lacewing)
( http://herbs.hdc.org.uk/page.asp?id=3)
Disease
Mosaic virus/ leaf If symptoms appear on the plant at early stage, uproot the plants, then burn. If
curl virus plants are infected at fruiting stage, irrigate the plant at weekly interval up to
harvesting as it can tolerate the virus. If matured fruits are harvested, do not use
the seeds as planting materials. Uproot and burn infected plants after harvesting.
Sources: Colting, L. M., et al., 2003; Farmers’/Gardeners’ Practices
Tepper L.M. 2011, Progress Report, BPI-LBNCRDC, Los Baños Laguna

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Table 3. Cost and Return of Squash Production
Item Unit Cost (PhP) Total Cost (PhP)
I. Variable Costs
A. Labor cost (PhP250/man-day(MD))
Clearing (20MD) 250/MD 5,000
Plowing -mechanized(2X) 750/8hrs 1,500
Harrowing –mechanized(2X) 750/8hrs 1,500
Furrowing (4days) 250/man-animal-day 1,000
Dried manure/Fertilizer application (10MD) 250/MD 2,500
Planting (10MD) 250/MD 2,500
Side dressing/hilling up (10MD) 250/MD 2,000
Spraying (8MD) 250/MD 2,000
Weeding/hilling up (30MD) 250/MD 7,500
Irrigation (10MD) 250/MD 2,500
Harvesting (30MD) 250/MD 7,500
Subtotal 35,500
B. Supplies and Materials
Seeds (2kg) 1,650/kg 3,300
Fertilizers
Complete (2bags) 1,300/bag 2,600
40 bags of vermicompost/processed manure 250.00/bag 10,000
Urea (1bag) 1,300/bag 1,300
Muriate of Potash (1bag) 2,200/bag 2,200
2 Liters (FPJ**) 50/L 100
Jute sacks (50pcs) 15/piece 750
Subtotal 20,250
Total variable cost 55,750
Miscellaneous (15% of total variable costs) 8,363
II. Fixed Cost
**Land Rental (10,000-12,000/ha province) 4,000 4,000
TOTAL COST 68,113
C. Average Yield per hectare
* 12.0 tons to 21.8 tons (Php10.00/kg)
Gross income
@ 12,000kg 120,000
@ 21,800kg 218,000
Net income
@ 12,000kg 51,887
@ 21,800kg 149,887
ROI (%)
@ 12,000kg 76.18%
@ 21,800kg 220.06%
* Based on BPI Progress Report 1999- 2000. **Based on provincial rate (Laguna and Quezon)
**Fermented Plant Juice

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REFERENCES

Colting, L. M., et al, 2003; Farmers’/Gardeners’ Practices

East West Seed Company
Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, 2006
The George Mateljan Foundation et al., WORLD HEALTH FOODS, George Mateljan, Founder. 2001-2012
Joseph E. Pizzorno, Jr., N.D. (SaluGenecists), Buck Levin, Ph.D., R.D., Kerry Evans, Ph.D., Kim J. Mayer, N.D.,
L.M.P. (SaluGenecists), Lara Pizzorno, M.A.(Div.), Squash Production. July 14, 2008. Open Academy for
Philippine, Agriculture. http://www.openacademy.ph/
Murray, Michael N.D. 2005.; The Encyclopedia Of Healing Foods, New York: Atria Books
Tepper L.M. 2011, Progress Report, BPI-Los Baños National Crop Research and Development Center, Los
Baños Laguna.
Rhodes, Davis, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette,
IN 47907-2010, Updated 01/07/08.
Gilkeson, Linda and Miriam Klein. Ecological Agriculture Projects. A Guide to the Biological Control of
Greenhouse Aphids. Date retrieved, September 19, 2012. http://eap.mcgill.ca/publications/
EAP53.htm#Aphids
HDC Herb Best Practice Guide. B1-Leafhopper. Date retrieved, September 19, 2012. http://herbs.hdc.
org.uk/page.asp?id=3

Department of Agriculture, Regional Filed Unit no. 10, Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division
Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (2009) information on “Squash”. September 2011. http://afmis.
da.gov.ph/
East West Seed Philippines. Date retrieved, September 24, 2012. http://www.eastwestseed.com
/philippines/en/products/detail.php?SECTION_ID=8&ELEMENT_ID=62

Editorial Team:

Dr. Vivencio R. Mamaril

Ms. Solita R. Sicat
Ms. Elenita Sison
Ms. Ma. Teresa S. Buño

Printed at the Information Section

Bureau of Plant Industry
January, 2013
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