is that much brown sugar necessary to integrity of pumpkin bread, or what happens if i use less. i just do not like overly sweet quick beads-

Sherry, I make a pumpkin-based chocolate gingerbread loaf https://food52.com/recipes/31713-dark-chocolate-gingerbread-pumpkin-mini-loaves in which I use but 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup molasses. Granted, there are a lot of bold flavors in this, so getting a strong pumpkin flavor isn't a primary objective. I do use a whole can of pumpkin, plus a bit of applesauce, not for sweetness, but to boost the moisture even more. (I based this recipe on the ratios in my lifelong favorite banana bread -- from "The Tassajara Bread Book" -- which calls for 2 cups of crushed banana. The applesauce tops up the can of pumpkin to about 2 cups. I significantly reduce the sugar in that recipe, too.)
Let us know what you do, Sherry, and how it turns out! Thank you ;o)

I’m going to dissent and say that, although I don’t use this recipe, I make pumpkin bread all the time, as it’s so quick and easy and especially delicious in the fall and winter.

I routinely reduce the sugar in my recipe by 25% because, like you, I don’t enjoy overly sweet quick breads. I find the pumpkin is provides plenty of moisture to avoid a dry end product.

Hi Sherry! Totally get where you're coming from—I don't like super-sweet quick breads, either. For what it's worth, this is a pretty substantial loaf (which is to say, the sugar covers a lot of ground), and the amount of sugar called for is what we felt delivered the best, pumpkiniest flavor. If you want to reduce the sugar quantity, I wouldn't recommend doing so by more than 15% to start. Not only does the sugar contribute sweetness, but also moisture (and there's nothing worse than dry pumpkin bread). If you adapt the recipe at all, would love to hear how it goes!