Another name of Bitter gourd is “bitter melon” and is also known as “Karela” in Hindi. The botanical name of bitter gourd is Memordica charantia 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 done very successful. 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, folate and 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.

Pant Karela 1: Fruits are thick. Ready to harvest in 55days. Gives average yield of 60qtl/acre.

Pant Karela 2 and Pant Karela 3

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.

Pusa Vishesh: Fruits are green, thin and medium size. Gives average yield of 48-52qtl/acre.

Arka Harit: Fruits are shiny green. Ready to harvest in 120days after sowing. Fruits with less seed and with less bitterness. Gives average yield of 52qtl/acre. 

Kashi Harit: Fruits are dark green. Ready for first harvest in 50days after sowing. Gives average yield of 120qtl/acre.

Kashi Urvashi: Fruits are straight and green color. Ready for first picking in 60days after sowing. Gives average yield of 120qtl/acre.

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

Kalyanpur Baramansi: Fruits are long i.e 30-50cm with light green color. Suitable for rainy season cultivation.

Faijabadi: Local variety. Fruits are long, medium size and dark green color.

Pusa Hybrid 2: Minimum long, thick and glossy green fruits.

Other state varieties:

CO 1: The variety has medium sized fruit which are long and dark green in color. The fruits have an average weight of 100-120gm. It gives an average yield of 5.8t/acre and the variety matures in 115 days.

COBgoH 1: The variety matures in 115-120 days and gives an average yield of 20-21t/acre.

MDU 1: The fruit are 30-40cm in length and matures in 120-130 days. It gives an average yield of 13-14t/acre.

Punjab Kareli-1: Released in 2009. The variety has green leaves which are smooth and serrated. They bear long fruits which are thin and green in color. First fruit harvesting is done after 66 days. The fruits have an average weight of 50gm and it gives an average yield of 50qtl/acre of fruit.

Punjab-14: Released in 1985. The plant has small vines. The fruits have an average weight of 35gm and are light green in color. The variety is suitable for sowing during rainy or spring season. It gives an average yield of 50qtl/acre.
 

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

Time of sowing:
For summer season, February to March and for kharif season, June to July is an optimum time for seed sowing. For hilly areas, complete sowing in March to April month.

Spacing:
Use row to row distance of 2-2.5meter and plant to plant distance of 40-50cm. Sow seeds on both side of beds.
 
Sowing depth:
Sow two to three seeds per pit. Sow seeds at depth of 3-5cm.

Method of sowing:
For sowing use dibbling method.
 

Seed rate:
For sowing of one acre land, use seed rate of 2-2.4kg. For Kalyanpur Baramansi, use seed rate of 1.2 to 1.6kg/acre.

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

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

Bitter gourd crop required well decomposed cow dung @8-10ton/acre, Nitrogen@32kg (Urea@70kg), Phosphorus@ 24kg (SSP@150kg) and Potash@24kg/acre (MOP@40kg). 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.

In rainy season, crop do not required irrigation. If necessary, depending upon rainfall intensity and frequency provide irrigation. Avoid water logging conditions in soil. Provide proper drainage. In summer season, provide irrigation at interval of 7 to 10days. In May-June, apply irrigation at interval of 4-5days.

Intercultural operations are carried out for weed control. To control the weeds, 2-3 hoeings 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.

• Disease 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.

• Pest 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.

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.