Evaluación de caracteres morfométricos de frutos y semillas de Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl. en Córdoba.

Calabash gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is an important Cucurbitaceae species with a wide variety of uses, including ornamental and aboriginal food conservation, planted mainly in the tropics and subtropics with scarce information about morphogenic analysis of fruits and seeds, limiting the possibilities for the conservation of the species. To determine morphogenic characteristics of calabash gourd fruits and seeds from three localities of Cordoba (Lorica, Tierralta-1 and Tierralta-2), the weight, longitude (lineal and curve), circumference (upper, intermediate and lower), width (upper and lower), cortex and color of 13 ripen fruits (Lorica: 4, Tierralta-1: 6 and Tierralta-2: 3), weight of 1, 1000 and total seeds, longitude, width and thickness of 50 seeds per fruit. The results for the three localities suggest a high phenotypic variability associated with fruit weigh and seed number (viables and non-viables); variation for fruit weigh was around 27,3% (Lorica) and 82,6% (Tierralta-2), while for number of viable seeds ranged between 7,4% and 24,7%. The other considered morphogenic variables reported low to high variability depending on the origin. Fruit weigh and all variables associated with fruit size (Lineal and curve longitude, upper, intermediate, and lower circumference) are good indicators of number (Pr< 0.05) and seed weigh per fruit. Calabash gourd fruits have phenotypic variability and the main characteristics of fruit size have direct effects on seed quantity and viability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]