Flowering phenology and floral biology in pumpkin cultivars

ABSTRACT Phenological events, in particular, flowering phenology and aspects of floral biology help to understand the relationship of plants with their pollinators. Thus, this study sought to estimate, under semi-arid conditions, the relationship between different genotypes of pumpkin or winter squash (Cucurbita moschata Duch.) and the environment, under the aspects of reproductive biology. Four cultivars were evaluated in three productive cycles, measuring the variables daily flower emergence, stigma receptivity, anthesis time and the morphometry of pistil and staminate flowers. The production of male flowers was higher than female flowers with a higher proportion in the third production cycle characterized by higher air temperature and lower relative humidity. Among cultivars, ‘Jacarezinho’ and ‘Sergipe’ presented the highest and the lowest values of flower production, respectively. Female flowers remain open longer than male flowers and stigmas remain receptive until the flowers close. Considering the morphometric data, there is positive association between the petal length and the corolla diameter, and between access to the nectar and the anther size, with a difference between cultivars and cultivation conditions.