Hybrid Cultivars and Straw Mulch Improve Yield and Gross Margin of Squash in Eastern Uganda

Squash ( Cucurbita maxima Duch. and Cucurbita moschata Duch.) remains an underutilized vegetable crop in Uganda, despite its nutritional and potential economic benefits. Squash is grown at a subsistence level with minimal input, and unimproved cultivars and prolonged drought challenge its production. Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of cultivar selection and soil mulching with straw on squash yield, marketability, and gross margin across 2 years: Oct 2020 to Feb 2021 (year 1) and Oct 2021 to Feb 2022 (year 2). Field trials were conducted in two subcounties of the Kamuli District, Butansi and Namasagali, in Eastern Uganda, in a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement of treatments and replicated four times in each location and year. The main plot included soil mulching (+/−) using dried sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum L.) straw, and subplots included four cultivars: two hybrids, ‘Arjuna F1’ and ‘Pujinta F1’ ( C. moschata ), and two open-pollinated, ‘Orange Flesh’ and ‘Mayford’ ( C . maxima ). Hybrid cultivars had the highest total yields, marketable fruit numbers, and weights compared with open-pollinated cultivars during both years in Namasagali subcounty field plots and in Butansi subcounty plot in year 2. Mulched plots had the highest total and marketable fruit numbers and weights in both locations during year 2 and in Butansi subcounty in year 1. Gross margins were higher in mulched plots in years 1 and 2 in Namasagali and in year 1 in Butansi subcounties. Mulched plots had lower aboveground weed biomass and soil temperatures than nonmulched plots. The adoption of hybrid squash cultivars combined with straw mulch presents a viable strategy for enhancing the sustainability of agricultural production in Eastern Uganda. This approach demonstrates significant potential for enhancing yield, improving fruit marketability, and increasing gross margin.