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Viruses
A number of viruses can infect squash plants, including Squash Mosaic Virus, Cucumber Mosaic Virus and Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus. The viruses' symptoms vary depend on how old the infected plant is and its variety. Squash plants can even be infected with multiple viruses at the same time. If a plant is infected at the early stages of fruit development, no fruit or very little fruit may be produced. If the infection occurs later on, fruit can be discolored, deformed and stunted. Viruses can also cause the fruit to be mottled or have ring-shaped spots.
Pests
A number of insect pests attack squash plants and their fruit. They can directly cause fruit deformity by creating tunnels or otherwise damaging the fruit. They can also indirectly cause deformity by damaging the plant and leaving it susceptible to viruses and disease; the insects themselves may bring the disease to the plant. Aphids and squash bugs are two insects that attack squash plants.
Poor Pollination
Squash plants must be pollinated by multiple insects in order to set fruit. Bees and other insects cross-pollinate the flowers, and the more pollinators that visit a plant, the more consistent the shape of the fruit on the plant will be. However, each flower on a squash plant is open for only one day, typically in the early morning. If an insufficient number of pollinators are available when a given flower is open, the resulting squash fruit can be small or misshapen.
Management
Deformed squash fruit can be avoided in a number of ways. Management practices include planting resistant varieties that are not susceptible to viruses, controlling weeds and keeping pest populations low. Unfortunately, squash plants are easily damaged by pesticides, so care must be taken in using them. Encouraging natural predators of insects that attack squash plants can help keep populations down. If a plant becomes diseased, it should be buried to prevent the disease from spreading to other plants.