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In the parental, filial and backcross populations of an interspecific cross, a bush Cucurbita pepo cv. Zucchini × a vine C. moschata cv. PM 143, growth habit was investigated to transfer the bush gene of `Zucchini´ to `PM 143´. The F₁ hybrids between `Zucchini´ and `PM 143´ showed the vine habit with many lateral branches similar to `PM 143´. In the F₂ and backcross populations, the distributions of plant height and the number of lateral branches showed continuous variations. It is very difficult to elucidate the inheritance mode of growth habit in this interspecific cross, because of the inviability, weakness and sterility of interspecific hybrids as well as a complex situation of growth habit. However, the results obtained indicated that growth habit is determined by several pairs of genes. Additionally, it seems possible to develop bush C. moschata lines, because short plants with similar morphology to C. moschata segregated in the F₂ and backcross populations.
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