Poor Pollination

Insufficient or inactive pollen

Symptoms:
Fruit fail to expand normally, quickly turning brown at the blossom end and falling off the plant.

Control:
Most cucurbits have separate male and female flowers. Flower sex can be affected by plant age and environmental conditions. Some cultivars have only female flowers, and must have a pollinator line interplanted to insure normal fruit development. An adequate population of bees is also needed to insure pollination. Proper selection of insecticides for treating other pests is important to minimize adverse effects on the pollinators.

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