Luffa (luffa acutangula) is an annual climbing herb from the cucurbit family, native to Asia, that is primarily consumed when young due to the bitterness of mature fruits. It thrives in various climates with specific soil and watering needs, and its young fruits and leaves are edible, while mature fruits serve as sponges or in indigenous medicine. Cultivation practices include careful irrigation, pest control, and manual pollination to optimize yield, with recent advancements including the introduction of pest-resistant varieties for export.

1. LUFFA
(Luffa acutangula L)
Group no 08
Export Agriculture

2. Scientific Classification
• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Magnoliophyta
• Class: Magnoliopsida
• Order: Cucurbitales
• Family: Cucurbitaceae
• Species : Luffa acutangula L

3. Introduction
• Belongs to cucurbit family
• Native to Asia and believed to be originated in India
• Can only be eaten when young because mature fruits
become very bitter due to the development of
purgative chemicals
• An annual climbing herb

4. • It is well grown in low country dry zone,
intermediate zone as well as wet zone

5. Uses
• Edible - cooked or fried
Stem tops with young leaves and flower
buds used as leafy vegetable.
Young fruits of cultivars, eaten raw or
pickled.
• Unripe fruit is a good source of calcium, iron ,
phosphorus, vitamin B

6. • Used in indigenous medicine
• Mature fruit used as a bath brush or sponge
• Used as a pesticide in some countries

7. Climatic requirements
• Temperatures 25- 30 0C
– for reasonable (50%) seed germination
– early growth in L. acutangula
• Long days and high temperatures favored the
development of more female flowers
.

8. • Luffa can be cultivated up to 500 AMSL
• Heavy rain is not suitable for the cultivation

9. Soil Reqirements
• Prefers - deep well drained
sandy loam soils
rich in organic matter
• pH - 6.5 to 7.5.
• Adequate soil moisture is essential
• Excessive water can result in poor growth and
root disease

10. Improved verities
LA 33
• Long
• Ovoid in shape
• Dull dark green in
colour
• 10 ridges.

11. Asiri
• oblong in Shape
• About 30 cm long
• 10 ridges
• Medium green in colour

12. Planting & Spacing
• The seeds are sown on flat beds or ridges
• 2–3 seeds per hole
• 50–60 cm apart in the row and 200 cm
between the rows.
• Alternatively, seedlings may be raised in
containers and transplanted
• About 1.5 kg of seeds is required for a hectare

13. Irrigation & water Management
• Irrigate the beds before planting the seeds
• Daily irrigation requires at seedling stage
• Thereafter irrigate once in a week
• Required more during dry conditions at
regular intervals, particularly before the
flowering period
• At commercial level – Drip irrigation

14. Fertilizer Management
• NPK fertilizer is applied to:- enhance growth,
flowering and fruit formation
• Apply a dose of 250:100:100 kg NPK/ha
throughout the cropping period

15. Other management practices
• Normally grown on supports or trellises up to
3 m high
• Lateral stems are pruned if they grow too
abundantly
• It promote flower and fruit development,
resulting in a higher yield
• For optimal production, the number of fruits
per stem may be limited to 20–25

17. Pollination
• Natural pollination –cross pollination through
bees
• If it is does not occur manual pollination is done,
-picking up male flowers and transferring
pollens to female flowers
- using cotton buds

18. • This process should be carried out when
flowering is active during the daytime

19. Pests and Diseases
• Most of the time, Luffa is not very susceptible to
diseases and pests
• Some diseases are;
Powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearum)
Downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis)
• Some reported pests are;
cucurbit beetle
trips
caterpillars
leaf miners and aphid

20. Cucumber beetle
Powderly mildew
Downy mildew

21. Control measures
• For pests-
– Continuous inspection
– Use of pesticides (ex:- Malathion)
• For diseases
-Application of fungicides ( ex:- Captan)
-Destroy host plants of vectors

22. Harvesting
For vegetable :-
• Young immature fruits of 300–400 g are
picked 12–15 days after fruit set
• Fruits can be picked every 3 days throughout
the fruiting season
-by hand or with a knife
• Individual plants may produce 15–20 fruits
• Yield declines after 8–13 weeks of harvesting

23. For sponge production :-
• The fruits are left for two months on the vines
till turning brown
.

24. For seed production : -
• The seeds are shaken out of the completely
dry fruits

26. Current Status
• Introduction of Makandura variety
–Found from Makandura
–Perform as well as DOA recommended
verities
–Resistance to some pests
• As a export vegetable
–By International Food Stuff Company
–To New Zealand

27. THANK YOU
Presented by :
A.M.N.S.K.Abeysinghe UWU/EAG/11/0005
A.P.Kariyawasam UWU/EAG/11/0006
Export Agriculture