Optimizing bottle gourd and luffa gourd production in greenhouses through vine management and insect pollination

亚热带丝瓜和丝瓜因其未成熟的水果作为蔬菜而被种植。两者都有 安大略省的农作物不是当地种植的。然而，加拿大所有的主要超市都有这些蔬菜。这个 本项目旨在将瓶装丝瓜引入加拿大农业，供家庭和农民使用。 国际消费。其他葫芦科植物(南瓜、南瓜和黄瓜)在加拿大种植，建议 那个瓶子和丝瓜也可以在这里生产。OMTEC Inc.正在与温室组织密切合作 安大略省的工业将开发热能、电力和二氧化碳输送系统。这家公司正在扩大它的业务 活动包括种植瓶装和丝瓜，并正在与圭尔夫大学合作 评估这些蔬菜的商业生产潜力，解决生产制约因素。使用 资金来自NSERC Engage赠款，我们与OMTEC Inc.合作开发了水培 华盛顿大学温室内丝瓜和丝瓜的岩棉板生产系统 圭尔夫。对15个丝瓜和5个葫芦品种的筛选表明，它们的潜力存在差异。 商品优质水果的生产。它还确认了藤条管理和缺乏良好的授粉 瓶装葫芦种植制度是这些作物商业化的重大障碍。因此，其目标是 拟议的工作是：1)开发有效的丝瓜和丝瓜藤本植物管理系统；2) 评估夜间昆虫，如飞蛾，作为葫芦传粉者的效果。这项工作将考验 不同的培训系统和修剪技术，以确定哪些是有效的维护藤本植物 具有适合收获果实的植物结构的多产状态。夜间活动的飞蛾，比如番茄 角虫，将测试它们在给葫芦授粉方面的有效性。结果将与 OMTEC Inc.允许他们制定长期战略，在其位于 安大略省里奇敦。两种新蔬菜的加入将增加当地种植蔬菜的选择 对消费者来说，这将增加可以在温室轮作的作物的选择。

The subtropical bottle gourd and luffa gourd cucurbits are grown for their immature fruits as vegetables. Both crops are not locally grown in Ontario. However, all major Canadian supermarkets carry these vegetables. The present project is aimed to introduce bottle and luffa gourds to the Canadian agriculture for domestic and international consumption. Other cucurbits (pumpkin, squash and cucumber) are grown in Canada, suggesting that bottle and luffa gourds could also be produced here. OMTEC Inc is working closely with the greenhouse industry in Ontario to develop heat, power and carbon dioxide delivery systems. This company is expanding its activities to include the cultivation of bottle and luffa gourds and is partnering with the University of Guelph to evaluate the potential of commercial production of these vegetables and resolve production constraints. With funding from an NSERC Engage grant, and in collaboration with OMTEC Inc., we developed hydroponic production systems in rockwool slabs for both bottle gourd and luffa in a greenhouse at the University of Guelph. A screen of 15 luffa and 5 bottle gourd varieties showed that there was variation in their potential to produce of commercial quality fruit. It also identified that vine management and the lack of a good pollination system for bottle gourds as significant barriers to commercialization of these crops. Therefore, the objectives of the proposed work are to: 1) develop effective vine management systems for luffa and bottle gourd, and 2) evaluate effectiveness of nocturnal insects, such as moths, as pollinators for bottle gourds. The work will test different training systems and pruning techniques to determine which are effective in maintaining the vines in a productive state with appropriate plant architecture for harvesting the fruit. Nocturnal moths, like the tomato hornworm, will tested for their effectiveness in pollinating bottle gourds. The results will be shared with OMTEC Inc to allow them to develop long term strategies for producing these vegetables at their facilities in Ridgetown, Ontario. The addition of two new vegetables will increase the choice of locally grown vegetables to consumers and will add to the choice of crops that can be grown in rotation in greenhouses.