Tomarza Pumpkin Seed

Tomarza Kabak Çekirdeği is a snack pumpkin seed cultivated in the district and villages of Tomarza in Kayseri, belonging to the botanical species Cucurbita pepo L. An application for its registration was submitted on 11 July 2011 under Law No. 6769 on Industrial Property, and it was officially registered as a geographical indication on 23 September 2014. The registration was carried out by the Tomarza District Pumpkin (Pumpkin Seed) Producers Union.

Product Description and Distinctive Characteristics

Tomarza Kabak Çekirdeği grows on barren lands in Tomarza district, whose volcanic tuff soils have a sponge-like structure that provides high water retention capacity. These soils, characterized by their lightness, depth and permeability, create an ideal environment for pumpkin plant development. Between 60 and 70 percent of the roots are located within the top 30 cm of soil and can extend laterally up to 1 to 1.5 metres. This root structure enables the plant to grow without irrigation even during dry summer months, thereby reducing fallow land in the region and contributing to crop rotation.

The fruits may be long cylindrical, round, flattened round or pear-shaped. The rind colour varies from yellow to orange, orange-yellow or dark orange, while the flesh ranges from light orange to dark orange. The rind may be smooth, grooved or ribbed. Average fruit weight ranges from 5 to 60 kg, with 2 to 7 fruits produced per plant. The seeds are narrow elliptical, elliptical or broad elliptical in shape, and range in colour from pale cream to cream or dark cream. After harvest, the seeds are naturally dried under sunlight and can be stored for 1 to 2 years in moisture-free storage conditions. Farmers produce their own seed stock using seeds from the healthiest pumpkins.

Botanical Characteristics

• Root: Pumpkin is an annual vegetable crop that develops a taproot and 4 to 6 shallow lateral roots during its early growth stage. Over time, the lateral roots branch out and extend laterally up to 1 to 1.5 metres.
• Stem: The stem grows prostrate or semi-prostrate, forming a dense mat with a diameter of 50 to 100 cm. The herbaceous but strong stem has a square cross-section, initially green and turning light green or brown over time. The stem bears hard spines and hairs and produces 4 to 6 lateral branches.
• Leaves: Attached to the stem by long, striated, grooved, spiny and hairy petioles. Leaves are oval, pentagonal or heart-shaped, lobed and toothed at the margins. They vary in colour from light green to dark green, sometimes with grey or silvery-green variegation.
• Flowers: The plant is monoecious, with male and female flowers occurring on the same plant but in different locations. Male flower stalks are long and slender, while female flower stalks are short and thick. Flowers are yellow in colour, with green sepals and fringed petals.

Production Method

Soil Preparation

Sowing

Cultivation Practices

Monitoring

Production and marketing are monitored by the District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, Erciyes University Seyrani Faculty of Agriculture, Tomarza Municipality and the Chamber of Agriculture. Two inspections are conducted annually, during the sowing and harvest periods.