Introducing the New Early-Maturing Pumpkin Variety Kaohsiung No. 2
Targeting the market of small families and singles, the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, after more than 10 years of breeding and trials, released on the 13th an early-maturing pumpkin variety weighing only 600 grams, "Kaohsiung No. 2 - Joy of Penghu Island." It not only has a delicate texture but also matures 2 weeks earlier than ordinary Chinese-type pumpkin varieties. By the end of the year, a small quantity of trial fruit of Kaohsiung No. 2 will be available on the market, and farmers may be able to buy seeds as early as next spring. This is an excellent pumpkin variety.
Unlike Kaohsiung No. 1, which also belongs to the Chinese-type pumpkin group, Kaohsiung No. 2 is only the length of an iPhone 8 and weighs half as much, averaging only 0.6 to 0.8 kg. Its hourglass-shaped gourd appearance is also very appealing. It takes only 50 days from sowing to flowering and can be harvested in 95 days, about 2 weeks earlier than ordinary Chinese-type pumpkin varieties. The plant also has small leaves, so 100 more plants can be grown per fen of land than with Chinese-type pumpkins, greatly increasing yield. In addition, Dai Shunfa, director of the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, said that domestic pumpkin production is mostly concentrated in spring and autumn, while Kaohsiung No. 2's yield per unit area in summer is 2 times that of the control variety, so it can supplement domestic pumpkin demand outside the production season. This variety also has a short fruit maturation period, so it should have the potential to "seize the market" by replanting after natural disasters.
Shi Chunjian, branch station chief of the Penghu Branch Station of the Kaohsiung Station, who is in charge of breeding, said that ordinary pumpkins on the market are about 2 kg in size. Unless people buy slices, many consumers have to eat one pumpkin over 3 or 4 meals. But Kaohsiung No. 2 is not only small in size, its texture is also denser and more delicate, without the gritty feeling caused by too much fiber, giving small families or singles one more choice.
Kaohsiung No. 2 was developed by crossing a flat spherical local Penghu variety with a papaya-shaped variety. Shi Chunjian said that during selection and breeding, a small-scale "public opinion survey" was even conducted to let people choose the pumpkin appearance they wanted to buy, and ultimately the "hourglass-shaped" appearance was selected. The Kaohsiung Station also invited restaurant operators to test recipes. The operators said that because the fruit of this variety is small and cooking time can be shortened, it is very convenient to cut open the whole pumpkin and make a pumpkin bowl; scoop out the seeds and fill it with thick soup to make a dish that is both beautiful and delicious.
At present, Kaohsiung No. 2 has been trial-planted in Chiayi, Nantou, and Yilan. Before the end of the year, a small quantity of trial fruit will be available on the market. Shi Chunjian said he had heard that some farmers using organic cultivation methods could sell one for 100 yuan, 3 times higher than the market price per jin. Therefore, the Kaohsiung Station is very optimistic about the market potential of this variety. This variety has already been exclusively licensed to Xinhua Seedling Co., Ltd., and farmers may be able to buy seeds of Kaohsiung No. 2 - Joy of Penghu Island as early as next spring.
