VEGETABLES

1. BITTER GOURD
 Momoridica charantia L.
 Family: Cucurbitaceae
 Bitter gourd is a climbing vine
 Origin- tropical Africa and Asia.

2. Soil & Climate
 Well drained loamy soil
 The optimum pH is 6.5- 7.0 and temperature is 25-
30°C.
 Temperature is less than 18oC-the vine growth is
slowed down leading to late flowering poor yield.
 Temperature goes above 36oC- Poor production of
female flowers and hence the production is also
poor.
 The characteristic bitter taste in the fruit is due to a
chemical constituent momorcidin

3. Varieties-bittergourd
Varieties Released
by
Yield Special character
CBE long
white
TNAU 15t/ha Local type, frt- extra long (60
– 65cm) white clr
CBE long
green
TNAU 15 -18 t/ha Local type, frt- extra long
(60cm) green clr, frt wt 300-
450 gm
Co- 1 TNAU 14t/ha dark green, 20-25 cm, frt wt
100-120 gm
MDU – 1 TNAU 32.19t/ha Induced mutant from MC 103,
long greenish white, 30-40cm,
sex ratio 19.67:1
COBgoH-1 TNAU 51.29t/ha MC.84xMDU-1, dn-120 days,
wt-300gm

4. Varieties
Varieties Released
by
Yield Special character
VK 1Priya KAU 30t/ha Spiny green clr, 40 cm
Arka Harit IIHR 9-12 t/ha Spindle shaped smooth green
clr
Kongan
Tara
KKVD 24t/ha Moderate bitterness 15-16 cm,
good keeping quality
Preethi
(MC 84)
KAU 15-18t/ha Yellowish white clr, 30-40 cm
Priyanka KAU 18t/ha Uniform white, spindle shaped

5. Varieties Released by Yield Special character
Pusa Visesh IARI Suitable for growing during summer
season
Pusa Do
Nausami
IARI 15-34 t/ha Green in colour-15-20 cm long
Hirkani MPKV, Rahuri 13.8 t/ha Dark green frts, 12-20cm long with
prickles
Phule Green
Gold
MPKV Frts dark green, 25-30 cm long and
pricked, tolerant to downey mildew
RHR BGH 1 MPKV 20t/ha Frts dark green, 20cm long and pricked,
Suitable for khariff and summer growing,
tolerant to downey mildew
Pusa HY-1 &
Pusa HY-2
IARI Rich in Vit C, ca, Fe

6. Cultivation and Manuring
 20-25 tonnes of FYM /hectare.
 Long channels of 60 cm width are formed at a
spacing of 2 metres.
 Along these channels, pits of 45 cubic
centimeters are dug at a spacing of 1.5 meter.
 A basal dressing with 20 kg of N, 30 kg of P and
30 kg of K/ha has to be done.
 Besides this 2 kg in each of Azospirillum and
phosphobacteria are also applied.
 The manures are application with top soil in each
pit before sowing.

7. Seeds and Sowing
 Seed rate- 3.0-4.5 kg / hectare.
 Seed treatment-thiram @ 2 g/ kg of seeds.
 Five seeds are sown in each pit.
 After germination, thinned to three seedling per pit.
 Instead of direct sowing in the main field, the seeds
can be sown in polythene bags filled with pot
mixture and watered regularly.
 After 15-20 days the seedlings can be transplanted
in pits dug in main field.

8. Irrigation
 Till germination- Pot watering.
 One day before sowing irrigation water is
allowed to flow through the channel.
 Next day the seeds are sown in pits are pot
watered.
 Next watering is done on the third day.
 The seeds germinate in 7-8 days.
 Subsequent irrigations are done once in a week.

9. Intercultivation
 The vines have to be trained in pandal.
 Pandals height - 6-8’using bamboo.
 Stakes and G.I wire initially, slender bamboo
stakes of 6’ length can be planted in the center
of the pits and the vines are tried with these
thin bamboo poles using banana fibre.
 The vines are trained along these bamboo
stakes to reach the pandal.

10. A similar design with bamboo is commonly used in India (Desai and Musmade 1998).

11. Intercultivation-
Training

12. PGR
 To increase the production of female flowers ,
ethrel 250 ppm (2.5ml of ethrel mixed with 10
lit. of water) is sprayed when the plant is with
two true leaves (15 days after sowing).
 This is repeated thrice once in a week.
 During flowering (45-50 days after sowing), a
top dressing with N @20kg/ha has to be done.

13. Plant Protection
 Beetles
Carbaryl is sprayed @ 2g / lit.
 Fruit fly
Malathion @1ml/ lit
 Powdery mildew
Bavistin has to be sprayed.
On no account copper based fungicide,
sulphur, BHC, and DDT as they are phyto-
toxic to gourds.

14. Harvest and Yield
 The harvest starts from 60-65 days after sowing
and matured fruits can be harvested in a week.
 The fruits should not be allowed to over
mature as the seeds developed will affect the
quality of vegetable.
 The average yield -10-15 tones/ha
 Crop duration of 120 days.

15. SNAKE GOURD
 Botanical name : Trichosanthes cucumerina
 Family : Cucurbitaceae
 It is quick growing annual climber with long
fruits some time even as long as 180-200cm with
or without stripes.
 There are short fruited types also.
 Origin-India.
 Soil with a pH range of 6-7 is the best suited.
 25-35oc
 Heavy rains during flowering and fruiting will
affect the yield.

16. Varieties –Snake gourd
Varieties Released
by
Yield Special character
CO-1 TNAU 18 t/ha Long (160-180 cm),dark
green with stripes,
CO -2 TNAU 35 t/ha Light,greenish white, suitable
for HDP
CO-4 TNAU 35 t/ha Early maturing variety,dark
greeb with white stripes
TA-19 KAU Light green with white
stripes,fruit weight -600g
Konkan
Sweta
KKV(M.P) 15-20 t/ha Medium long, white in
colour, good flesh content

17. Season
 June – July and December – January are the two
main seasons for sowing snakegourd crop.

18. Cultivation and Manuring
 20-25 tonnes of FYM /hectare.
 Long channels of 60 cm width are formed at a
spacing of 2.5 metres.
 Along these channels, pits of 45 cubic
centimeters are dug at a spacing of 2 meter.
 Pits are filled with a mixture of 10 kg of FYM +100g
of 6:12:12 mixed fertilizer and top soil.
 For short fruited (pannipudal) types like CO 2,-
spacing of 1.5 M x 1.5 m will be sufficient.

19. Seeds and Sowing
 Seed rate- 1.5-2.0 kg / hectare.
 Seed treatment-thiram @ 2 g/ kg of seeds.
 Five seeds are sown in each pit.
 After germination, thinned to three seedling per pit.
 Instead of direct sowing in the main field, the
seeds can be sown in polythene bags filled with
pot mixture and watered regularly.
 After 15-20 days the seedlings can be transplanted
in pits dug in main field.

20. Irrigation
 Till germination- Pot watering.
 One day before sowing irrigation water is
allowed to flow through the channel.
 Next day the seeds are sown in pits are pot
watered.
 Next watering is done on the third day.
 The seeds germinate in 7-8 days.
 Subsequent irrigations are done once in a week.

21. Intercultivation
 Lay out a horizontal spreading surface by
providing bamboo stacks or cross wire
 The seedlings when start producing tendrils
should be stacked with thin bamboo stacks
using banana fibre so as to enable them to
reach the pandal.
 Such training is not necessary for short fruited
varieties like Co2.

22. PGR
 When the plants are with 2 true leaves ,
etherel @ 2.5 ml / 10 lit. of water is sprayed
and this is repeated thrice at weekly interval.

23. Other intercultivation
 Long fruited types is training of developing
fruits .
 Five days after fruit set at the tip of the
developing fruits a small stone is tied using a
piece of banana fibre .
 If it is not done the developing ovary will be
coiled and loose its market value .
 But short fruited types do not require such
training
 Top dressing can be done during flowering @
20-30 kg of N/ hac.

24. Harvest and Yield
 The harvest starts from 78-80 days after
sowing .
 The harvest is done once in 5-6 days
 A total number of 6-8 harvests can be made.
 The yield ranges from 18-25 tonnes/ ha.