Watch… How does a pumpkin grow to the size of a car? | sciences

Can a pumpkin weigh as much as a small car? At first glance, if you come across a fruit of this size, you might think that it is a huge piece of industrial decor, designed for a festival.

But the truth is that the fruit of this type of fruit can actually be reached to this size, according to the experience of an American engineer who loves growing pumpkins, which was reported by an agency The American Associated Press.

For years, Tony Scott, an engineer in the semiconductor industry, has loved growing pumpkins in the backyard of his house, entering every year in a race with other farmers seeking to grow the largest possible fruit. This year, he won third place after the weight of his fruit reached 876 kilograms.

As if it were an accurate scientific project, Scott takes great care of his fruit, watering it carefully, covering it with a blanket on cold nights to maintain its temperature, and measuring its circumference daily with a measuring tape that wraps around it like a belt that is barely enough for it.

Here’s a short video from the Associated Press showing the shape and size of the fruit:

The science behind the orange giant

The extreme care that Scott pays to his fruit is not the only reason for this size. The secret behind this orange giant lies in a delicate alliance between genes, water and light. Genes inherited from the “Atlantic Giant” strain give the plant an exceptional ability to store nutrients.

This strain is a Canadian variety of pumpkin seeds, developed in the 1970s by farmer Howard Dale to produce giant fruits, known for their ability to grow to weights exceeding one ton.

In the 19th century, traditional pumpkin varieties produced fruits weighing no more than 20-30 kilograms, but in the 1950s, a Canadian farmer named Howard Dale began long-term hybridization experiments between large pumpkin varieties with the aim of obtaining larger and faster-growing fruits.

The farmer continued to select seeds from the largest fruits in each generation, and replant them the following year, which is the classic method of artificial selection, and by 1979, he officially registered his new variety as “Atlantic Giant,” and it won international recognition after its fruits exceeded the weight of 200 kilograms in growth competitions.

Studies on the Atlantic giant recorded high activity in genes regulating cell division in the early growth stage, and an increase in the rate of transport through vessels, which accelerates the delivery of carbohydrates and water to the fruit.

Natural mutations have also been recorded in genes that control growth arrest, which causes the fruit to continue to enlarge for a longer period before it ripens.

Different care

After planting, the stage of careful care begins, represented by abundant water, as these plants consume hundreds of liters of water daily, and depend on a strong internal system that allows them to absorb nutrients quickly.

Any other pumpkin on the plant often remains small and directs all the water and nutrients to just one fruit, giving it an edge over the rest.

Sunlight fuels the process of photosynthesis, which converts energy into huge mass, and this is what makes it grow to sizes that you do not see in nature, as botanical researcher Alika Borsuk of the New York Botanical Gardens explains.

The fruit grows horizontally, not longitudinally, due to the effect of gravity. The reason is that when the pumpkin begins to grow, its weight becomes very heavy, sometimes hundreds of kilograms. Neither its thin peel nor its supporting stem can withstand the vertical growth, and due to gravity, the weight of the fruit moves downward, compressing it from the top and spreading it from the sides.

Can it continue to grow endlessly?

As the fruit grows with more attention and care, it will eventually reach a point where it stops growing.

This fruit is grown specifically for size, not taste, so its pulp is fibrous and thick and its flavor is dull, compared to the types of small squash used in cooking and desserts. Farmers also supply it with large amounts of water and fertilizer to stimulate its rapid growth, which reduces the quality of its natural taste.

The Cucurbitaceae family, which includes, in addition to pumpkin, other vegetables and fruits such as zucchini, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe, is distinguished by its ability to produce relatively large fruits thanks to its rapid growth and large storage of water.

Although some of its members, such as watermelon and zucchini, can reach amazing sizes, the Atlantic Giant pumpkin remains the true giant among its relatives. Thanks to its genetics and strong root system, it can store huge amounts of water and nutrients, growing to sizes far exceeding all members of its agricultural family.