The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical profile of the flesh and yield parameters
of Greek pumpkin genotypes, including nine local landraces and two commercially available cultivars,
focusing on valorizing the genetic pool of Cucurbita sp. with high added value products. Yield
parameters (mean fruit weight and total fruit yield) recorded high variability with genotypes V8 and
V2 showing the highest fruit yield. Moreover, genotype V11 was the most abundant in glucose and
total sugars and scored the highest sweetness index suggesting good taste and promising marketing
attributes. The highest antioxidant activity (OxHLIA assay) was assessed in the V8 genotype, while
the V2 genotype showed the highest -, - and total tocopherols content. Oxalic acid was the main
organic acid, followed by malic and citric acids, while organic acid composition varied among the
tested genotypes. Moreover, the flesh extracts showed varied antimicrobial activity against several
bacteria and fungi, while no toxicity against non-tumor cells was recorded. In conclusion, our
results make evident the presence of high innate variability in terms of crop performance, chemical
composition and bioactive properties not only between the different genotypes but also at the intrapopulational
level. This finding is of high importance for the valorization of the local genetic pool
of Cucurbita species through the selection of elite genotypes with high yield and quality of fruit,
contributing to the conservation of valuable genetic material and limitation of the risk of genetic
erosion due to neglect of local landraces.
This research was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), P.I. (FCT,
Portugal) through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020),
SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021) and UIDB/50006/2020. National funding by FCT, P.I., through the
institutional scientific employment program contract for M.I.D., R.C.C., C.P. and L.B. contracts, and
M.G. and A.K.M. PhD grants (2020.06706.BD and 2020.06231.BD, respectively); FCT, P.I., within the
scope of the Project PRIMA Section 2—Multi-topic 2019: PulpIng (PRIMA/0007/2019); the MICINN
for the Juan de la Cierva Formación contract for T.C.S.P.P. (FJC20120-045405-I); and the General
Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Ministry of Development and Investments under the
PRIMA Program. PRIMA is an Art.185 initiative supported and co-funded under Horizon 2020, the
European Union’s Program for Research and Plants 2022, 11, 800 16 of 18 Innovation (Prima2019-08).
