Evaluation of seed yield, oil and mineral contents inbred pumpkin lines (Cucurbita pepo L.) under water stress

Water stress is one of the main constraints which could limits crop productivity, especially in arid and semi-arid regions characterized limited water resources. This study was conducted to investigate the seed yield, oil and mineral contents of 44 lines and 4 commercial pumpkin varieties (2 local and 2 hybrids) in irrigated and drought stress conditions. The study was conceived as a randomized block design with three replications and carried out during the 2017 growing season. On average, the irrigated plots produced 161.27 kg da⁻¹ seed yield whereas it was 33.67 kg da⁻¹ in non-irrigated plots. The highest yield among the commercial pumpkin varieties was obtained from the G2 hybrid variety in the irrigated conditions. On the other hand, in the non-irrigated plots, higher seed yields were obtained from G9, G34, and G36 pure lines. Drought resulted in a remarkable decrease in the total oil content and significant increase in the amount of Ca and Zn in pumpkin seeds. These results clearly indicated that G9 line, which has the highest seed yield in both irrigated and drought conditions, can be utilized as a recommendable parental pumpkin line in future hybrid breeding efforts