Karakterisasi Morfologi Buah Labu Kuning (Cucurbita moschata) Pada Desa Sei Bingai Kabupaten Langkat Provinsi Sumatera Utara.

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the fruit morphology of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) cultivated in Sei Bingai Village, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra Province. The research was conducted from October to December 2025 using an exploratory–descriptive method. Sampling was carried out through purposive sampling of harvested pumpkin fruits collected from several local farmers’ fields. Morphological characterization was performed based on UPOV descriptor guidelines by observing both qualitative and quantitative morphological traits. The qualitative characters observed included fruit skin color, fruit shape, longitudinal and transverse cross-section shapes, stem-end and blossom-end profiles, fruit surface texture, flesh color, as well as seed color and shape. Quantitative characters included fruit weight, fruit diameter, skin thickness, flesh thickness, and seed size. Quantitative data were analyzed using mean values, while genetic relationships among accessions were evaluated through cluster analysis using the NTSys program. The results indicated a high level of morphological diversity among pumpkin accessions, particularly in fruit shape, skin color, and fruit size. UPGMA cluster analysis revealed three closely related accession pairs, namely Accessions 1 and 4 with a similarity coefficient close to 0.51, Accessions 3 and 6 with a coefficient close to 0.63, while Accessions 2 and 5 exhibited the highest similarity with a coefficient of 0.75. Keywords: pumpkin, morphological characterization, genetic diversity.