Bitter Gourd Mormodica charantia L.

Group BExport Agriculture

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Common Name : Bitter gourd

Botanical Name : Mormodica charantia L.

Family: Cucurbitaceae

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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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Major Growing Areas

• Kurunegala • Hambantota• Ratnapura• Kandy• Matale• Nuwara Eliya• Anuradhapura • Puttalam

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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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Recommended Varieties

• Thinnavely white • mc43 • Matale green

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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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mc43

• Average yield 15-20Mt/ha • Local selection • Whitish yellow • 20-30cm long • Protuberance spins present

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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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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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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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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 1.0m1/26/2014

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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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Crop Management

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Fertilizer application

• Fertilizer (Kg / Ha) Recommendation DOA Sri Lanka

Urea TSP MOP

Basal 75 200 60Top Dressing-1 (4 WAP) 75 ---- 60

Top Dressing-2 (8 WAP) 75 --- 60

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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 practice1/26/2014

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Weed control

• Mulching for grown on raised bedsorganic 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 weeding

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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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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 m1/26/2014

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Pest and diseases

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Disease

• Powdery Mildew (Sphaerotheca fuliginea) • White powdery residue primarily on the

upper leaf surface• lower surface of the leaves circular patches

or spots appearcontrol • 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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Powdery Mildew

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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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Downey Mildew

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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.1/26/2014

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Bitter gourd mosaic virus

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• Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum)

• Bitter gourd Witches' Broom

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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

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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 combined1/26/2014

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Aphids Red Pumpkin Beetle

Mites

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Thrips Bollworm

cutworm

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Harvesting • Harvested frequently to keep them

from becoming too large or too bitter• Fruit should be

light greenthick juicy

• Seeds should besoft white1/26/2014

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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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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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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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Present status

• Annual yield around 19583- 22093mt/ha• Extent of cultivation is 3414 -3788

hectare

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Group members

• S. Kayalvizhy UWU/EAG/11/0009• A.A.I.M Amarasinghe UWU/EAG/11/OO17

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References

• Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka

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Thank you

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