Effects of Ethephon on Yield and Quality of Winter Squash, Cucurbita maxima Duch.1

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Abstract
(2-Chloroethyl)phosphonic acid (ethephon) applied at 2- to 4-leaf stages on winter squash cultivars ‘Boston Marrow’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Hybrid 530’ resulted in pistillate flowers at most early nodes, but these generally aborted. Ethephon applications usually resulted in greater numbers of marketable squash which tended to be smaller in size. The only instance of a significant yield increase occurred on ‘Golden Delicious’ with 2 applications of 150 ppm ethephon. Earlier appearing nodes on ethephon treated plants produced marketable fruit and harvest, based on external color, could have been made up to a week earlier. Presently, ethephon seems to be of limited commercial promise for winter squash under Arkansas conditions.

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