Development of buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima) as a semiaridland starch and oil crop

Cucurbita foetidissima (buffalo gourd), a semiaridland plant native to the Greater Southwest, has been utilized by humans for thousands of years, primarily as food and medicine. In recent years, buffalo gourd has been the focus of an important domestication program at the University of Arizona. This research has led to 2 main cultural systems, an annual mode for root-starch production, and a perennial mode primarily for seed-oil production. In our paper, over 75 references are analyzed to evaluate the potential of buffalo gourd as an energy, chemical-products, and food crop. Priorities are suggested, including investigation of buffalo gourd as a novel crop for New Mexico's developing fuel ethanol industry.