Privi Life Sciences - Crop Journal

Bitter Gourd

Crop Category

Vegetables

Applicable Product

Description

Bitter Gourd is an annual or perennial herb, native to old world tropics.

Bitter Gourd producing countries in the world are India, China, Pakistan, Vietnam, Phillipines, Thailand, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

Bitter Gourd producing states in India are Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Telangana.

Chattisgarh is the largest producer of Bitter Gourd in India.

Taxonomic Classification

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Violales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Momordica
Species: charantia

Economically Important Part

Leaves and Fruits are the most economically important part of Bitter Gourd

Conditions for Cultivation

Bitter Gourd is a warm season crop grown mainly in sub-tropical and hot-arid regions.

Temperatures ranging from 24°C to 27°C are considered as optimum for the growth of the vines.

The seed germinates best when temperatures are higher than 18°C.

High humidity at the time of vegetative growth renders the crop susceptible to various fungal diseases.

Bitter Gourd can be grown on well drained sandy to sandy loam, medium black soils rich in organic matter.

Alluvial soil along the river beds is also good for production of bitter gourd.

A pH range of 6.0- 7.0 is considered as optimum

Major Challenges

The major challenges involve Biotic and Abiotic causes.
Biotic Causes:
- Major Pests: Red Pumpkin Beetle, Melon Fruit Fly, Aphid, Fruit Flies and Beetle.
- Major Diseases: Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew, Leaf Blight, Cercospora Leaf Spot and Scab.
Abiotic Causes:
- Mottling
- Chilling Injury
- Yellowing
- Stunting

Crop Schedule

Crop Stage	Products	Dosage	Method Of Application	Benefits
Basal fertilizer	Geoxol.COM	15 kg / hectare / application with basal fertilizer, if soil organic carbon (more than / equal to 0.5%) and bulk density (less than or equal to 1.6 g / cm3)	Soil Application	Rejuvenates soil for sustainable growth of crops
3 weeks after transplanting / sowing	Mycoxol4G	5 g per liter of water	Soil Drenching	Reduces incidence of soil borne diseases, improves availability of phosphorous and other micronutrients
Deficiency of Zinc	Nutrin Zn	1 g per liter of water, repeat if required.	Foliar Application	Corrects Zinc deficiency
Deficiency of Iron	Nutrin Fe	1 g per liter of water, repeat if required	Foliar Application	Corrects Iron deficiency
Vegetative Growth	PeakMAX	2 ml per liter of water	Foliar Application	Improves vegetative growth and reduces disease pressure
Vegetative Growth	Privid	3ml per liter of water	Foliar Application	Promotes vegetative growth
Vegetative Growth	Nutrin Combo Liquid	1 ml per liter of water	Foliar Application	Optimizes nutritional status
Pre-flowering	Amply5	3 ml per liter of water	Foliar Application	Triggers flowering
Fruit Setting	Silixol OSA	2 ml per liter of water	Foliar Application	Improves quality of produce and reduces impact of abiotic stress
Fruit development	CalSi-B++	1 g per liter of water	Foliar Application	Corrects nutrient deficiency
Fruit development	PeakMAX	2 ml per liter of water	Foliar Application	Reduces disease incidence
Vegetative Stage	Biofuze	3 ml / liter of water. - Repeat sprays at a interval of 2-3 weeks as per pest attack	Foliar Application	Reduces population of sucking pests

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