BITTER GOURD

Another name of Bitter gourd is “bitter melon”and is also known as “Karela” in Hindi.The botanical name of bitter gourd is Memordicacharantia and it belongs to the family of “Cucurbitaceae”. It is popularly known for its medicinal, nutritional and other excellent health benefits. Because of its high demand in the market, bitter gourd farming is very popular now a day. Bitter gourd is mainly used for making juice and for culinary purpose. It is a rich source of Vitamin B1, B2 and B3, C, beta-carotene, zinc, iron, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, folateand calcium. It has health benefits such as it helps in preventing blood disorders, detoxifies blood and liver, boosts immune system and helps in weight control.  

Sandy loam soil which is rich in organic content and has good drainage property is ideal for the bitter gourd cultivation. The pH of the soil ranging from 6.5-7.5 is best for bitter gourd farming. 

Phule Green gold: Green color, 25-30cm long fruits. Gives average yield of 90qtl/acre.

Hirakani: Fruits are 15 to 20cm long. Gives average yield of 50qtl/acre.

Phule Priyanka: Hybrid variety having 20-25cm long fruits. Fruits are dark green in color. Gives average yield of 80qtl/acre.

Phule Ujwala: Suitable for export having 18-20cm long.

Kokan Tara: Fruits are dark green and 15cm long. Gives average yield of 60-80qtl/acre.

Mahico White Long: Ready to harvest in 75-80days. Fruits are white color, medium thick. Fruits are 9-12inch long.

Mahico Green long: Fruits are dark green color with lighter toward both end. Ready to harvest in 75-80days. Fruits are 9-12inch long.

MBTH 101: Ready to harvest in 55days. Fruits are 18-20cm long. Dark color fruits with 40-50qtl/acre.

MBTH 102: Ready to harvest in 50-60days. Fruits are 18-20cm long. Dark color fruits with 48-56qtl/acre.

PusaVishesh: Dwarf variety. Fruits are medium long with thick skin. Suitable for vegetable and pickle purpose. Gives average yield of 48-52qtl/acre.

Pusa Do Mousami: Suitable for summer as well as kharif season. Fruits are medium, long and green. Ready for first picking in 55days after sowing. 

Priya: Fruits are near about 40cm long. Ready for first picking in 60days after sowing. 

For bitter gourd farming, well prepared land is required. To bring the soil to fine tilth, 2-3 ploughings should be done followed by weeding. 

Time of sowing:

For Kharif season, 15th of June is optimum time for seed sowing. In summer season, complete sowing in January – February month. 

Spacing:

Seeds are sown in pit of 60cm diameter spaced at distance of 2 to 2.5cm X 2 to 2.5cm. 

Sowing depth:

Sow 3-5 seeds per pit. Sow seeds at depth of 2cm.

Method of sowing:

For sowing use dibbling method.

Seed rate:

For sowing of one acre land, use seed rate of 1-1.2kg.

Seed treatment:

Before sowing, seeds are soaked in 25-50ppm Gibberelic acid and 25ppm boron for 24 hours. 

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Bitter gourd crop required well decomposed cow dung @8-10ton/acre, Nitrogen@24kg (Urea@55kg), Phosphorus@8kg (SSP@50kg) and Potash@8kg/acre (MOP@15kg). Apply well decomposed cow dung, full dose of Potash and Phosphorus and one-third of Nitrogen, three to fourth week before seed sowing. Apply remaining dose of Nitrogen in two equal splits. Provide first dose 25-30days after sowing and second dose 40-50days after sowing. 

At fruit development stage, avoid water stress. Also, unevenness in irrigation leads to mis-shaped fruits.

Intercultural operations are carried out for weed control. To control the weeds, 2-3 hoeing’s should be done in initial stage of plant growth. Weeding operations should be carried out in the soil at the time of fertilizer application and mainly earthing up is done during rainy season.

• Diseases and their control:

Powdery mildew: The symptoms are appearance of white powdery spots on upper surface of leaves which causes leaf withering.

Spraying of Carbendazim@3gm /ltr is done to control the powdery mildew.

Downy mildew: If infestation is observed spraying of Mancozeb or Chlorothalonil@2gm/ltr is done twice at the interval of 10-12 days.

• Pests and their control:

Aphids: They suck the sap from the leaves resulting in yellowing and drooping of leaves.

Spraying of imidachloprid@0.5ml/ltr is done to control the aphids.

Mites: Thrips results in curling of leaves, leaves become cup shaped or curved upward.

Spraying of Dicofol 18.5% SC@2.5ml/ltr water is done to control mites. 

Beetles: The symptoms are damage to flowers, leaves and stems.

Spraying of Malathion 50EC@1ml/ltr is done to control beetles. 

Depending upon season and variety the crop is ready to harvest in 55-60 days. Picking of fruit is done after the interval of 2-3 days. Harvest bitter gourd in morning hours. After harvesting, dry them in shade. Never stored bitter gourd with other fruits like banana, pineapple etc.

Rouging should be done three times i.e. first at vegetative phase, second at flowering stage and third at the time of fruiting stage. Keep isolation distance of 1000m from other varieties of bitter gourd. Remove diseased plants from the field. Place one honey bee colony for the production of good seed yield. For seed production, the fruits are harvested when the fruit turns dark yellow to orange in color. After harvesting seeds are taken out form pulp, then they are cleaned and are shade dried.