Evaluation and Selection of Pumpkin for High beta-carotene Inbred line Improvement

Abstract

Pumpkin is known as the vegetable that has high beta-carotene compared with other vegetable crops. Therefore, pumpkin breeding program for good flesh quality and high beta-carotene selection was set and
30 pumpkin lines including 26 breeding line and 4 inbred lines were evaluated. The experimental design was CRD. The result showed that there was beta-carotene content from 0.18-1.98 mg/100 g FW. Fourteen lines were high beta-carotene with 1.01-1.98 mg/100 g FW. The RT1-K/PI 100S-5S-2S-4 and inbred line 007-14 were the highest beta-carotene lines with beta-carotene 1.98 and 1.76 mg/100 g FW, respectively. Another line with high beta-carotene, high total soluble solid and percentage of dry weight pumpkin was RT14-F6T/S 61S-7S-4S 5/1. Principal Component Analysis based on L * a * b *, beta-carotene, dry weight, total soluble solids, and firmness traits showed that all pumpkin lines were diverse in fruit quality traits and there was high potential for inbred line improvement.