Determination of Water use and Yield of Pumpkin (Cucurbita Pepo L.) as First and Second Crop

In this study, growing possibility, yield and water use efficiency of pumpkin seed (Cucurbita pepo L.) as a second crop after triticale-Hungarian vetch mixture in semi-arid Kayseri conditions of Turkey were investigated. For these purposes, pumpkin seed production during normal growing season in the region was considered first treatment (D1), pumpkin seed production after Hungarian vetch-triticale but on non-cultivated area was second treatment (D2) and pumpkin seed production as a second crop after Hungarian vetch-triticale was third treatments (D3). Watering just after at 40 kPa (T40) and 60 kPa (T60) soil tensions were evaluated as sub irrigation treatments under D1, D2 and D3 main plots. The experiment was designed Completely Randomized Split Plots in Blocks and each treatment was replicated 4 times. According to results, pumpkin plants could be harvested when they reached to 1230° cumulative temperatures above 10°C after sowing. Seed yield differences among growing seasons were found non-significant and 1070, 980 and 1038 kg.ha-1 seed yields obtained from D1, D2 and D3 treatments, respectively. Irrigations at 60 kPa soil tension yielded 11.7% higher seed yield than ones at 40 kPa. Pumpkin water consumption in the first (D1) and second production seasons (D2 and D3) were found as 498, 435 and 441 mm, respectively while irrigation water use efficiency (WUE) were 0.20, 0.23 and 0.24 kg.m-3. It is concluded that second crop pumpkin culture after Hungarian vetch-triticale mixtures was more favorable for the farmers of central Anatolian since they were able to grow both pumpkin seeds and forage crops within the same growing season