| Scientific name |
Lagenaria siceraria |
| Hybrid |
F1 Kirti 8002 |
| Soil |
Well drained fertile silt loam is ideal for cultivation of bottle gourd. |
| Land Preparation |
Land prepared by 2-3 times ploughing and made fine tilt and made furrows for sowing |
| Spacing |
150*60 cm |
| Climate |
Bottle gourd is a typical warm season vegetable and tolerates cool climate and it cannot tolerate frost. |
| Season |
June-July, October-November, February-March well suited for sowing |
| Seed Rate |
1.5 -2 kg/ha |
| Fertilizers & Manures |
| FYM |
20 t/ha |
|
| Nitrogen (N) |
200 Kg / Ha |
Half the N and entire P & K should be applied before planting. The balance N is given at the time of flowering. The fertilizer is applied in a ring at 6-7 cm from the base of the stem. |
| Phosphorus (P₂O₅) |
125 Kg / Ha |
| Potassium (K₂O) |
125 Kg / Ha |
| Any special cases : No |
|
|
| Irrigation |
Irrigation is given at weekly intervals to keep the moisture well maintained at the root zone, to promote rapid taproot development. |
| Weed Control |
The crop needs 2-3 weeding operations in order to keep if free from weeds. Normally the first weeding is done 30 days after planting. Subsequent weeding is done at a monthly interval. |
| Any special crop practices |
For bottle gourd cultivation proper training and pruning are advantageous. Training plants to bower helps to tap sunlight more effectively and high yield. Axillary buds of growing vines should be removed till vines reach the bower height. When vine reaches bower, apical bud is removed at 10-15 cm below bower to allow 2 or 3 branches to spread on bower. After formation of 4-5 fruits, vines are again pruned allowing 2-3 axillary buds only to grow on primary vines. It is also advisable to remove all yellow and pale coloured older leaves near bottom portion. |
| Diseases |
| Name of the diseases |
Symptoms & management |
| Gummy Stem Blight |
It is fungal disease with soil borne nature produce water-soaked lesions on leaves and stems, which can turn brown or tan and eventually become cankers that exude a gummy substance
Control : Use disease free seeds, crop rotation , paste stem with COC 50% WP 3g/L, Chlorthalonil 75 % @ 2 gm /lt |
| Fusarium Wilt |
This disease characterized by wilting, yellowing, stunting, and eventually death of the plant
Control : Use resistant hybrids, , crop rotation, Drenching of Propiconazole 5% EC 2ml/L |
| Powdery Mildew |
This disease is favored by high humidity, white powdery residue primarily on the upper leaf surface. On the lower surface of the leaves circular patches or spots appear. Severely attacked leaves become brown and defoliation
Control : Carbendazim (1ml/litre of water) or Karathane (0.5 ml/litre of water) , tebuconazole 50 % + Trifloxystrobin 25 % @ 0.5 gm / ltr or Meptyl dinocap @ 0.5 gm /ltr |
| Downy Mildew |
Downy mildew is caused by the fungus Pseudoperonospora cubensis. It is prevalent in areas of high humidity and disease is first seen as yellow angular spots on the upper surface of the leaves. Under conditions of high humidity, whitish powdery growth appears on the lower surface of the leaves. The disease spreads rapidly killing the plant quickly through rapid defoliation
Control : Metalaxyl 4% + Mancozeb 64 % (2 gm/L), Carbendazim 12 % + Mancozeb 64 % WP @ 2 gm / ltr, |
| Mosaic |
This virus disease produce small irregular yellowish patches are seen on the leaves. Some leaves show vein clearing in one or two lobes of the leaf and severely infected plants show reduction in leaf size and elongation and/or suppression of one or two lobes. Young developing leaves are completely distorted and malformed with considerable reduction in their size. Some of the leaves show marked reduction in the development of lamina resulting in a shoe- string effect. The virus is transmitted by by aphids.
Control : Acepahte 20% SP (1g/L) |
|
| Pests |
| Name of the pests |
Symptoms & management |
| Aphids and White flies |
Colonies of nymphs and adults attack leaves and tender shoots and suck the sap; Leaves curl and dry up.
Control : Acepahte 75 % SP (1.5 g/L), Dimethioate 1.5ml/L, Imidacloprid 30.5 % SC @ 0.25 ml / ltr, Diafenthiuron 50 % WP @ 1 gm /ltr, 30-35 blue sticky traps / Ha |
| Leaf Cutter |
It will damage the leaves by feeding on it. Control measures : Chloro ( Organophosphate) 20 EC @ 2 ml /ltr |
| Fruit Borer |
Adult moth lays eggs inside the fruit by piercing and after hatching the larva will feed on the flesh and cause fruit damage.
Control Measures:
Clean cultivation, i.e. removal and destruction of fallen & infested fruits daily.
Deep ploughing to expose hibernating stages
Application of spray baits.
30-35 yellow sticky traps /Ha |
| Fruit fly |
Attack fruits. Reddish dark brown flies with hyaline wings, lay eggs under the skin of the fruits; Maggots feed on the pulp of fruits. Infested fruits start rotting and rendered them unfit for human consumption; Fruits show dark-brown, rotten, circular patches and fall off prematurely
Control Measures:
Clean cultivation, i.e. removal and destruction of fallen & infested fruits daily.
Deep ploughing to expose hibernating stages
Application of spray baits.
30-35 pheromone traps /Ha |
|
| Harvesting |
Fruits are harvested at tender stage attain edible maturity 10-12 days after anthesis and are judged by pressing on fruit skin and noting pubescence persisting on skin. Harvesting starts 45-50 days after sowing and is done at 3-4 days intervals. While harvesting, care should be taken to avoid injury to vines as well as to fruits. Plucking of individual fruits is done with sharp knives by keeping a small part of fruit stalk along with fruit. |
| Yield |
65-70 t/ha |
