The research was conducted on hybrid Squash (Nancy F1) at Tishreen University in
the growing season of spring 2013 in order to study the effect of ground covering and low
tunnels on the early production of squash. The study consisted of four experi
mental
treatments: the control (without covering) and three covering treatments (ground covering
using black mulch, ground covering with a low plastic tunnel, and a low plastic tunnel
without ground covering). The completely randomized design was used with three
replications per treatment and ten plants per replication. The results showed that the
covering with a low plastic tunnel was superior to other treatments, resulting in a clear
increase in female flowers, the ratio of female flowers to the total flowers, fruit number,
and plant production. The results also showed a strong positive correlation between the
plant production and the number of female flowers (r=0.999), the number of fruit per plant
(r=0.999), the ratio of female flowers to the total flowers (r=0.990) and the total number of
flowers (0.995). The correlation with male flowers was however negative (r=-0.954).
This study was conducted in the spring of 2001 in the apiary field at Faculty
of Agriculture, Damascus University - Syria, for the purpose of studying the
effect of flower pollination by honeybees on fruit-set and consequently on the
crop producti
vity of two varieties of squash, named : Berneel and Mabrukeh .
The rate of set fruits resulting from the visits of honeybees was calculated
and compared with the control, which was isolated to prevent bees reaching it.
The result in Berneel variety was 93.84% of setting flowers in the
experiment against 9.91% in the control. The results were in Mabrukeh variety
94.07% in the experiment, against 14.79% in the control.
The study has assured the importance of the density of bees in squash fields.
When the average of visits of honeybees to each flower was 7 visits per hour,
the flower-set rate was 100%. However, when the average of visits of honeybees
has declined to only 2 visits per flower per hour, the rate of set has also declined
to 60%.
