OUTSTANDING QUALITIES

• UNIFORM, MEDIUM–SIZED FRUIT
• EXCELLENT YIELD POTENTIAL
• OUTSTANDING INTERNAL QUALITY AND FLAVOUR
• INTERMEDIATE RESISTANCE TO POWDERY MILDEW
• NEW INDUSTRY STANDARD

Pluto F1 hybrid is a Cucurbita moschata type butternut with medium-sized fruit and excellent fruit quality. Plants are adaptable and vigorous and tend therefore to be less susceptible to diseases. Yield potential is excellent and the fruit is not inclined to crack. Fruit set is excellent and covers a long bearing season. Fruit shape is similar to that of Waltham and the weight is 1 000 – 2 000 g. The firm, deep orange flesh has an excellent flavour and high sugar content. The smooth rind has a tan colour when mature. Mature fruit has an excellent shelf life. Pluto is well adapted for cooler season harvests where small to medium fruit are required. The fruit is used as traditional butternut for the fresh market, however, the superior flesh quality makes Pluto suitable for processing and export. Pluto has intermediate resistance to Powdery mildew (Px) (ex Sf).

SPECIAL VARIETAL REQUIREMENTS

• Pluto performs well in cool and warm season plantings however during cool seasons, fruit size is smaller than during summer
• Fruit size is affected by plant population: The higher the population, the smaller the fruit size. We suggest 12 000 – 15 000 plants per hectare

DESCRIPTION

CHARACTERISTIC*: PLUTO
KIND: F1 hybrid squash (Cucurbita moschata (Duchesne) Duchesne ex Poiret)
TYPE: Butternut squash
MATURITY: 85 – 100 days to harvest as mature fruit
SEASON: Widely adapted for warm season production and cool season production in tropical and sub-tropical areas
PLANT TYPE: Full vine
FRUIT SHAPE: Cylindrical, with a bulbous blossom end
RIND COLOUR: Tan
YIELD POTENTIAL: 35 – 50 t/ha
MATURE HARVEST MASS :1 000 – 2 000 g (depending on season)
SHELF LIFE (MATURE FRUIT): Excellent
UNIFORMITY: Very good
POPULATION GUIDE: Final stand of 12 000 – 15 000 plants per ha
DISEASE REACTION (SCIENTIFIC):
Intermediate resistance: Podosphaera xanthii (ex Sphaerotheca fuliginea) Px (ex Sf) 
MARKETS / END USE: Export, fresh market and processing
SPECIAL FEATURES: Very uniform, medium size fruit, superior flesh quality and excellent flavour, excellent yield potential