An introduction to the taste characteristics of the new early-maturing pumpkin variety Kaohsiung No. 2 - Joy of Juhu
Targeting the market of small families and singles, the Kaohsiung Agricultural Improvement Station spent more than 10 years breeding and testing, and on the 13th launched an early-maturing pumpkin variety weighing only 600 grams, "Kaohsiung No. 2 - Joy of Juhu". It not only has a delicate texture, but also matures about 2 weeks earlier than general Chinese-type pumpkin varieties.
Targeting the market of small families and singles, the Kaohsiung Agricultural Improvement Station spent more than 10 years breeding and testing, and on the 13th launched an early-maturing pumpkin variety weighing only 600 grams, "Kaohsiung No. 2 - Joy of Juhu". It not only has a delicate texture, but also matures about 2 weeks earlier than general Chinese-type pumpkin varieties. By the end of the year, a small amount of Kaohsiung No. 2 trial fruit will be available on the market, and farmers may be able to buy the 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 as long as an iPhone 8 and weighs half as much, averaging only 0.6 to 0.8 kg. Its gourd-like appearance with a waist 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 general Chinese-type pumpkin varieties. The plant also has small leaves, so 100 more plants can be grown per fen compared with Chinese-type pumpkins, and yield can be greatly increased. In addition, Dai Shunfa, director of the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Improvement Station, said that the domestic pumpkin production period is mostly concentrated in spring and autumn, while Kaohsiung No. 2's yield per unit area in summer is 2 times higher than that of the control variety. Therefore, it can supplement domestic pumpkin demand outside the production season, and because this variety's fruit maturation period is short, it should have the potential to "grab the market" by replanting after natural disasters.
Shi Chunjian, branch station director 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. If people do not buy slices, many have to eat one pumpkin over 3 or 4 meals. But Kaohsiung No. 2 is not only small in size, but also has a denser and more delicate texture, without the gritty feeling caused by too much fiber, giving small families or singles one more choice.
Kaohsiung No. 2 was developed by crossing an oblate 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 "waisted" appearance was selected. The Kaohsiung Station also invited restaurant operators to try making dishes with it. The operators said that because this variety's fruit is small and cooking time can be shortened, cutting open a whole pumpkin to make a pumpkin bowl is very convenient. Scooping out the seeds and filling it with thick soup makes a dish that is both attractive and delicious.
At present, Kaohsiung No. 2 has been trial-planted in Chiayi, Nantou, and Yilan. Before the end of the year, a small amount of trial fruit will be available on the market. Shi Chunjian said that he had heard that some farmers using organic cultivation methods can sell one for 100 yuan, 3 times higher than the per-jin price on the market, so the Kaohsiung Station is very optimistic about this variety's market potential. This variety has been exclusively licensed to Xinhua Seedling Co., Ltd., and farmers may be able to buy the seeds of Kaohsiung No. 2 - Joy of Juhu as early as next spring.
