OUTSTANDING QUALITIES

• LARGE, UNIFORM FRUIT
• HEALTHY PRODUCTIVE PLANTS
• INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR PROCESSING BUTTERNUT
• VERY GOOD YIELD POTENTIAL
• RELIABILITY

Atlas F1 hybrid is a Cucurbita moschata type butternut bearing large fruit with excellent fruit qualities. Atlas is widely adapted for planting in all growing regions and the overall vigour of this variety tends to make it less susceptible to diseases. Yield potential is very good. Fruit set is excellent and covers a long bearing season. Fruit shape is similar to that of Waltham and fruit weigh between 2 000 – 3 000 g in summer. Atlas is also well adapted for cooler season harvests as fruit are smaller and suitable for the fresh market. Flavour is considered excellent with improved colour and high sugars. The flesh texture is very firm and the rind is very smooth. The rind colour is tan when mature. The mature fruit has an excellent shelf life. The fruit is used as traditional butternut however the superior flesh quality makes Atlas ideal for processing. This is the variety of choice for most processors.

SPECIAL VARIETAL REQUIREMENTS

• Do not over-fertilize with nitrogen, especially close to fruit maturity. We suggest only 90kg per ha over the growing season
• Ideal plant population is 10 000 – 12 000 plants per hectare. We do not recommend more than 15 000 plants per hectare
• Irrigation in the afternoon is not recommended.

DESCRIPTION

CHARACTERISTIC*: ATLAS
KIND: F1 hybrid squash (Cucurbita moschata (Duchesne) Duchesne ex Poiret)
TYPE: Butternut squash
MATURITY: 90 – 105 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: Semi-bush
FRUIT SHAPE: Cylindrical, with a bulbous blossom end
RIND COLOUR: Tan
YIELD POTENTIAL: 30 – 45 t/ha
MATURE HARVEST MASS : 2 000 – 3 000 g in summer
SHELF LIFE (MATURE FRUIT): Excellent
UNIFORMITY: Good
POPULATION GUIDE: Final stand of 10 000 – 12 000 plants per ha
DISEASE REACTION (SCIENTIFIC): –
MARKETS / END USE: Processing and fresh market
SPECIAL FEATURES: Ideal for the processing market due to the large size, superior flesh quality and excellent flavour