Fluted Pumpkin: Do not go into Fluted Pumpkin production without reading this.

Muhammed Alhassan

You have yet another fantastic opportunity in Nigeria’s agriculture industry with the ugu farming business. The most popular vegetable in Nigeria right now is this fluted pumpkin known as Ugu. This can only inform you of the market’s demand and the ugu farming industry’s profitability in Nigeria. In the past, many people solely cultivated this pumpkin leaf (ugu) for livelihood. You should be aware that some farmers in Nigeria are currently earning millions from commercial ugu growing there.

Telforia Occidentalis is a drought-tolerant, dioecious perennial crop that is indigenous to Southern part of Nigeria and it does belong to the family of Cucurbitaceae. It is widely grown in many nations of West Africa, but is mainly cultivated in Nigeria, for its highly nutritious leaves which is used primarily in soups and herbal medicines. Common names for the plant are fluted gourd, fluted pumpkin and ugu. The fruits are not edible but seeds produced by the gourd are high in protein and fat meaning that they can be included in the dishes to make a well-balanced diet.

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T. Occidentalis is estimated to be consumed by 30 to 35 million people in Nigeria with a larger percentage of the plant been consumed in the South East of Nigeria. It is noted to have healing properties and it has been used as a form of blood tonic, to be administered to anemic patients.

Fluted Pumpkin

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Description:

T Occidentalis is majorly a dioecious flowering plant, which means that, it produces separate male and female parts on different plants, with very few documented cases of monoecious (both male and female parts in the same plant) flowering. The plant is large ranging in size from 16 to 105 cm in length with an average diameter of 9cm. The seed count in the fluted gourd can be up to 196 and above per gourd, typically 3.4 to 4.9cm in length for both pistillate and staminate varieties. Fluted pumpkin flowers grow in sets of five showing a creamy-white and dark red petal unlike the light green colour of the young fruit and yellow colour when ripe.

Health Benefits of Fluted Pumpkin

Ugu leaves (fluted pumpkin) leaves is one of those plants that secretly carry some unbelievable health benefits such as; Ugu leave can be used as an ingredient for herbal medicines. It helps to treat malaria, anaemia and sudden attack of convulsion. It has other health benefits too, like -Liver-protection; Lactating properties, excellent for nursing mothers; Boosts the immune system; It increases fertility.
Ugu leaves can be consumed raw or used for cooking. The seed is edible, as it can be used as snacks by roasting or boiling it.

Fluted Pumpkin as food

Fluted pumpkin young shoots leaves are one of the main ingredients of some Nigerian soups, Ofe Egusi and sometimes prepared with wild mango seed (Ogbono or Apon).

Egusi soup made with fluted pumpkin
Egusi soup made with fluted pumpkin

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Ogbono soup made with fluted pumpkin

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The large dark-red seed is rich in protein and fat which can be eaten whole, ground into a powdery form to be used for certain kind of soup or made into a fermented porridge as the case may be.The fluted pumpkin is also considered as oilseed due to its high oil content of about 30%. The shoots contain high levels of potassium and iron while the seeds are made up of 27% crude proteins and 53% fat.

Benefits of Fluted Pumpkin

  1. As a result of haematinic properties of  the fluted pumpkin leaves, liquid extracts from the leaves can be used in the treatment of anaemia because of the high levels of protein and iron in the plant.
  2. The root of the plant possesses anti plasmodial and schizonticidal properties making it capable of treating parasitic malarial infections.
  3. The plant contains high amounts of phosphorus making it useful for keeping off onset of kidney diseases like kidney stone.
  4. Fluted pumpkin seed oil contain high amounts of anti-oxidative properties such as oleic acid, vitamin A, alkaloids, tannins and linoleic acid which makes it capable of treating infertility in males by boosting the functionality of the testicles for an increased sperm count.
  5. Additionally, the seed has been highly recommended for nursing mothers due to its lactating properties.

Propagation and Planting

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T. Occidentalis’ growing period begins in April or May, it is a fairly drought resistant, vine grown plant which can be grown on a wide range of soil. The seeds are viviparous (germinating in the fruit) and due to the recalcitrant nature of the seeds it can only be stored for a maximum of 3 days after extraction from the fruit. The critical moisture content below which the seeds cannot recover from desiccation is 40 to 60%. It can be intercropped with other food and vegetable crops such as yam, maize and cassava, or it can be planted against fence or bamboo stakes can be prepared for it. It is propagated by seeds sown directly into the soil typically in groups of 3 to increase output in a case of failed germination or at the rate of 30, 000 to 70,000 seeds/Ha with a spacing of 0.3-1m x 0.3-1m. For fruit production wider spacing is required when using stakes while densely spaced stand are best for leaf production.

Management

Staking can be carried out during rainy season to prevent disease infection; the plant can be stacked individually with bamboo trellis especially for fruit production. It can be planted without staking during the dry season for leaf production as disease attack is not that prevalent during this period and it should be noted that staking has no significance on the leaf yield. During the dry season, weeding can be done twice before the plant’s leaf canopy is fully developed to smother the weeds by itself, while three times weeding may be required in staked crop during rainy season. The first pruning can be done 4 weeks after emergence to increase growth and stimulation of branching. Watering is done once every 3 days. Organic manure or inorganic fertilizers are used in traditional systems, but for an optimal leaf yield the recommended fertilizer application is 100 kg K2O and 50 kg P2O5 per ha. Female plants are more vigorous than male ones and produce higher vegetative yields. A high proportion of female plants by removal of a part of the male plant is desirable for high leaf and fruit yields.

Pests and Diseases

The common pests of fluted pumpkin are Grasshoppers which feed on the foliage and stems, Leaf and Flower Beetles which feed on the leaves, White Beetle feeds on the fruits and  flowers, Aphids hinder growth by feeding on the stem, Thrips which causes flower abortion and Green Shield Bug feeds on leaves, stems and fruits.

White leaf spot disease, caused by Phoma sorghina, reduces the leaf lamina. It also affects the seed. It is controlled by spraying with Dithane M-45 at a concentration of 500 ppm twice a week. Erwinia aroideae causes soft rot of the leaves with yellowish ooze; it also affects the fruits. A prevalent virus disease is Telfairia Mosaic virus (TeMV), causing mottling of the leaves and low leaf yield; it also causes chlorosis, stunting and abnormal fruit development. It is transmitted by the Aphid (Aphis spiraecola) via the seed. The storage diseases of fluted pumpkin, (diseases that affect the seeds during storage)  are Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus niger, Botryodiplodia theobromae and Erwinia spp. It was recorded that in the long term storage fungi is capable of causing 95% loss in storage while bacteria can cause only 5% loss.

Harvesting

The harvesting of the first leaves and shoots begins a month after planting and subsequent harvesting can be at 2-4 weeks interval. The fruits are harvested 9 weeks after fruit sets and this is usually harvested between October and December. The harvesting is by pruning, that is cutting below the lowest acceptable leave.

Yield

Fresh shoot yield can be as high as 500-1000 kg/ha and can also be as high as 3-10t/ha depending on the management system. The seed yield can be up to 1.9 t/ha derived from 3000 fruits.

Post-harvest Handling  

The harvested leaves maintain its freshness for just a day but they can be stored in jute bags for 3 days in an airy place but they lose turgidity and become limp.  The fresh shoots are usually sold wholesale to the traders, who retail them in bundles. The large bundles are usually wrapped with plantain leaves or covered loosely with old jute bags for transportation and sparingly watered to preserve it freshness. The fruit can be stored in open shades for a period of 1-2 months and they are graded according to size (small, medium and large). In the market they are arranged in heaps and sold as heaps or singly. The seed are left in the fruits until they are ready to be used for planting or consumption.

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Profitability Analysis of Fluted Pumpkin Farming in Nigeria

Fluted pumpkin is a highly nutritious vegetable crop that is widely consumed in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. It has a lot of health benefits and is in high demand in local and international markets. Fluted pumpkin farming can be a profitable venture for farmers in Nigeria if approached with the right strategies and techniques. In this profitability analysis, we will examine the costs and revenue associated with fluted pumpkin farming in Nigeria.

Costs Associated with Fluted Pumpkin Farming

The cost of farming fluted pumpkin can vary depending on the location, size of the farm, and other factors. The following are some of the costs associated with fluted pumpkin farming in Nigeria:

  1. Land Acquisition: The cost of acquiring land for fluted pumpkin farming is a significant expense. An acre of land can cost between N100,000 to N1,000,000 depending on the location.
  2. Seedling and planting: Depending on the size of the farm, the cost of buying seedlings can be between N50,000 to N150,000. Labour costs for planting, watering, and fertilizing can range from N50,000 to N100,000.
  3. Fertilizers and pesticides: Fertilizers and pesticides are necessary for the growth and protection of fluted pumpkin. The cost of these items can range from N50,000 to N100,000 depending on the size of the farm.
  4. Labour: The cost of labour for weeding, harvesting, and transportation can range from N80,000 to N150,000 depending on the size of the farm.

Revenue from Fluted Pumpkin Farming

The revenue from fluted pumpkin farming can be significant, especially when the crop is cultivated with good farming practices. The following are some potential revenue streams from fluted pumpkin farming in Nigeria:

  1. Sale of fluted pumpkin leaves: Fluted pumpkin leaves are highly nutritious and in high demand in local and international markets. The price of fluted pumpkin leaves can range from N10 to N50 per bundle (depending on the size) and up to N100 for organic leaves.
  2. Sale of fluted pumpkin seeds: Fluted pumpkin seeds can also be sold for food, medicinal, and cosmetic purposes. The price of fluted pumpkin seeds can range from N200 to N1000 per kilogram.
  3. Sales of the stem: The fluted pumpkin stem can also be sold for culinary and medicinal purposes. The price of the stem can range from N100 to N500 depending on the size.

Profitability Analysis of Fluted Pumpkin Farming

Based on the above costs and revenue projections, we can assess the profitability of fluted pumpkin farming as follows:

  1. Gross Revenue: The gross revenue from fluted pumpkin farming can be estimated by multiplying the expected yield by the selling price of the fluted pumpkin leaves, seeds, and stems. For instance, if one acre yields 400 bundles of fluted pumpkin leaves, 200 kilograms of seeds, and 150 stems, the estimated gross revenue will be:

= (400 x N30) + (200 x N500) + (150 x N250) = N12,000 + N100,000 + N37,500 = N149,500

  1. Total Cost: The total cost of fluted pumpkin farming can be estimated by adding up the costs associated with land acquisition, seedlings and planting, fertilizers and pesticides, and labour. For instance, if one acre of land was acquired for N500,000 and other costs amounted to N300,000, the estimated total cost will be:

= N500,000 + N300,000 = N800,000

  1. Net Profit: The net profit from fluted pumpkin farming can be estimated by subtracting the total cost from the gross revenue. This will give us an idea of the potential profit that can be made from fluted pumpkin farming. Using the estimates above, the net profit will be:

= N149,500 – N800,000 = -N650,000

From the analysis above, it is clear that ignoring some profit cushioning factors, fluted pumpkin farming may not be profitable if the right farm management measures are not taken. However, this analysis is only an estimate and there is a lot that farmers can do to reduce costs and increase yields. Factors such as the quality of the seeds, the availability of irrigation water, the use of appropriate fertilizers and pesticides can significantly impact the yield and profitability of fluted pumpkin farming in Nigeria.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telfairia_occidentalis

https://globalfoodbook.com/benefits-of-fluted-pumpkin-telfairia-occidentalis/

https://www.prota4u.org/protav8.asp?p=Telfairia+occidentalis

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Muhammed Alhassan