This presentation is done by Export Agriculture students of Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka as a requirement for the subject which is “Fruit & Vegetable production”. Note that the information included here is relevant to Sri Lankan condition.

1. Bitter Gourd
Mormodica charantia L.
Group B
Export Agriculture
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2. Common Name : Bitter gourd
Botanical Name : Mormodica charantia L.
Family: Cucurbitaceae
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3. Introduction
• Bitter gourd is a popular vegetable in
some Asian countries
• Originated Indian subcontinent
• Tropical and subtropical vine of the
family Cucurbitaceae
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4. Major Growing Areas
• Kurunegala
• Hambantota
• Ratnapura
• Kandy
• Matale
• Nuwara Eliya
• Anuradhapura
• Puttalam
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5. cont’d
• Morphology
• Herbaceous
• tendril-bearing vine grows to 5 m
• alternate leaves
• separate yellow male and female
flowers
• fruit has an oblong shape
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6. Recommended Varieties
• Thinnavely white
• mc43
• Matale green
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7. Thinnavely white
• Average yield 15-20Mt/ha
• Local selection
• Whitish yellow
• >30cm long
• Protuberance spins present
• 8-9 blunt ridges
• High fruit weight
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8. mc43
• Average yield 15-20Mt/ha
• Local selection
• Whitish yellow
• 20-30cm long
• Protuberance spins present
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9. Matale green
• Dark Green
• 8 striped smooth ridges
• Average No. of pods per vine-30-40
• Average pod weight- 150g
• Pod Length - 30-35cm
• Average yield- 20t/ha
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10. Soil and climatic requirement
• Elevation - 1200m
• Cultivated
– Low Country
– Mid Country Both Seasons
• Grows Well In any type of soil(Sandy Loam
Soil)
• PH 5.5-6.5
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11. Land Preparation &
Establishment
• Land tillage for good
germination
• Prepare the soil thoroughly
plowing all harrowing twice
• Make furrows 3 m apart
• Apply 5 t/ha well-decomposed
animal manure two weeks before
planting
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12. Field Establishment
• Spacing is 3 m between rows and 30 cm
between hills
• Seed beds
 Height 15 cm
 Width 1m
 Length convenient
• Direct seedling or transplanted, use only one
seed per hill
• Planting Spacing: 1.5 X 1.0m
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13. Sowing
• 1-ha requires 2-3 kg seeds
• Crack seed coat to facilitate water
absorption
• Soak seeds in water overnight or wrap
in cheesecloth
• Transplant the following day or at
radicle break
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14. Crop Management
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15. Fertilizer application
• Fertilizer (Kg / Ha) Recommendation DOA Sri
Lanka
Urea TSP MOP
Basal 75 200 60
Top Dressing-
1 (4 WAP) 75 ---- 60
Top Dressing-
2 (8 WAP)
75 --- 60
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16. Irrigation
• Soil moisture in the upper 50 cm
• Fields are furrow-irrigated
• Every 10 days during the cool dry
season
• Weekly during the hot dry season
• During the rainy season, drainage
is essential
• Water limited environment drop
irrigation practice
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17. Weed control
• Mulching for grown on raised beds
organic mulch rice straw or
grass
 plastic mulch
• Mulch can be laid down
before or after transplanting and after
sowing
• Select herbicide recommended for bitter
gourd
• Hand or hoe weeding1/26/2014 17

18. Staking and trellising
• PVC pipes or other sturdy materials are
used to provide support
• The trellis is arranged lean or tunnel
structure
• The trellis should be
• 1.8-2.0 m high
• Constructed from stakes 1.2-1.8 m apart
which is almost similar to the plant row
spacing
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19. 1/26/2014 19

20. Pruning
• Leave 4-6 laterals and cut the top of the
main runner to induce early cropping
• Removal of lateral branches in the first 10
nodes
• Without pruning, most of the female
flowers occur between the 10th and 40th
nodes or at a height of 0.5-2.0 m
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21. Pest and diseases
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22. Disease
• Powdery Mildew (Sphaerotheca fuliginea)
• White powdery residue primarily on the
upper leaf surface
• lower surface of the leaves circular patches
or spots appear
control
• Carbendazim
• Karathane sprayed immediately after the
appearance of the disease 2-3 sprays are
taken at an interval of 15 days
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23. Powdery Mildew
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24. Downey Mildew
(Pseudoperonospora cubensis)
• Yellow angular spots on the upper surface
of the leaves
• Rapid defoliation occurs.
• Control
• Ridomil
• which must always be used simultaneously
with a protectant fungicide such as
Mancozeb (0.2%) to prevent the
development of resistant strains
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25. Downey Mildew
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26. Bitter Gourd Mosaic
• Small irregular yellowish patches are on the
leaves
• Some leaves show vein clearing in one or two
lobes of the leaf
• Transmitted by five species of aphids
• Control
• Spraying the crop just after germination with
Monocrotophos or Phosphamidon
• (0.05%) at 10-day intervals prevents aphid
vectors.
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27. Bitter gourd mosaic virus
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28. • Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.
niveum)
• Bitter gourd Witches' Broom
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29. Pest
• Red Pumpkin Beetle (Aulacophora
foveicollis)
• Attacks the melons at the seedling stage
• They make holes in cotyledonary leaves of
melon
• As a result the seedlings in the young stage
die
• Control
• Spraying Carbaryl or Metacid during the
seedling stage effectively controls the pest1/26/2014 29

30. Aphids (Aphis sp.):
• Aphids damage the plants by sucking the leaf
sap in young stage
• Cotyledonary leaves crinkle and in severe
cases the plants wither
• Control
• Spraying Malathion (0.1 %) or Metasystox
(0.1-0.2%)
• Usually sprays against aphids and beetles can
be combined
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31. Aphids Red Pumpkin Beetle
Mites
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32. Thrips Bollworm
cutworm
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33. Harvesting
• Harvested frequently to keep them
from becoming too large or too bitter
• Fruit should be
 light green
thick
 juicy
• Seeds should be
soft
white
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34. cont’d
• Harvest every 2-3 days using a pair of
scissors or a sharp knife to cut the fruit
stalk
• If a fruit remains too long on the vine, it
will turn spongy, sour yellow or orange and
split open
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35. Storage and post harvest
• Keep the fruit in a cool place under the good
ventilation
• To avoid water use a wet cloth to cover the
baskets
• Bitter gourd can be stored in an evaporative
control wooden cupboard by frequently
sprinkling water on the jute sack
• For the optimum storage period 2-3 weeks,
• Temperature 10-12°C RH 85-90%
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36. Uses
• For Respiratory disorders
• As a Liver tonic
• Support to Immune system
• Help to overcome Diabetes
• Can prevent cancer cells from multiplying
• Weight loss due to antioxidants
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37. Present status
• Annual yield around 19583- 22093mt/ha
• Extent of cultivation is 3414 -3788
hectare
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38. Group members
• S. Kayalvizhy UWU/EAG/11/0009
• A.A.I.M Amarasinghe UWU/EAG/11/OO17
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39. References
• Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka
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40. Thank you
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