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Bitter Gourd
Botanical Name – Momordica charantia L.
Family – Cucurbitaceae

Importance

• 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.   

Varieties

1.Punjab Karela-15: 

• It has smooth, serrated, green leaves.
• Green and pubescent stem.
• Long vines with smooth, serrated, dark green leaves.
• Fruits have a matt look and a dark green colour.
• It has a mediocre level of resistance to bitter gourd yellow mosaic disease.
• The yield is 51q/acre on average.

2.Punjab Kareli-1 (2009): 

• Vines are long, according to Green, smooth, and serrated leaves are present.
• Its fruits are ridged, long, and green.
• First fruit harvest occurs 66 days after planting.
• The average production is 70 q/acre, and one fruit weighs roughly 50 g.

3.Punjab Jhaar Karela-1 (2017):

• Its medium-length vines have green leaves with serrations.
• Fruits are aesthetically pleasing green, soft, spindle-shaped, and ideal for slicing during cooking.
• It is immune to viruses and root knot nematode infections.
• It yields 35 q/acre on average.

Older varieties

4.Punjab-14 (1985): 

• It has little vines.
• Fruit is pale green and weighs approximately 35g.
• Ideal for planting in the spring and during periods of heavy rain.
• 50 q/acre on average is the yield.

Other Varieties

5.Arka Harit : 

• Fruits have smooth, regular ribs, a short, spindle-shaped shape, a green colour, and a mild bitterness.
• 48q /acre of yield.
• This variety has been released by IIHR Banglore.

6.Pusa Vishesh: 

• This variety has been released and recommended for cultivation as a summer season crop by the I.A.R.I., New Delhi.
• The vine is dwarf and bushy and easy to manage.
• The fruits are attractive green, fusiform with many irregulars broken smooth and glossy ridges on the surface.
• They are medium long and thick.
• It is early in maturity and takes about 55 days to come to harvest after sowing.

Other state varieties:

7.CO 1:

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

8.COBgoH 1: 

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

9.MDU 1: 

• The fruit are 30-40 cm in length and matures in 120-130 days.
• It gives an average yield of 13-14 t/acre. 
• Preethi and Priya are the varieties that are mainly grown.

Hybrid

COBgoH1

Soil

Soil –

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

Climate – 

•  It is a warm season crop grown mainly in sub-tropical and hot-arid regions.
• They are susceptible to light frost and are provided with partial protection if grown during winter months.
• Temperature range of 24^o– 27^oC is considered as optimum for the growth of the vines.

Season and Sowing
Time of sowing: February to March or June to July is an optimum time for seed sowing. Spacing: Sow seeds on both side of 1.5 m wide beds and use plant to plant spacing of 45 cm.  Sowing depth: 2.5-3 cm deep seeds are sown in the pit.  Method of sowing: Dibbling method 
Seed Rate
Seed rate:Use seed rate of 2.0 kg per acre.  Seed treatment: Before sowing, seeds are soaked in 25-50 ppm Gibberelic acid and 25 ppm boron for 24 hours. 
Preparation of Field

• 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. 

Irrigation

• After sowing, first irrigation should be given.
• In summer season, irrigation is given after every 6-7 days and in rainy season, irrigation is given only when needed.
• In total, 8-9 irrigations are required. 

Quality Seedling Production

• Bitter gourd is a direct sown vegetable but polythene bag nursery is more
  advantageous to get early marketing and to avoid more gap filling.
• Use 200 gauge poly bags of 10 cm diameter x 10 cm height for sowing the seeds.
• Transplant about 15 days old seedlings to the main field.

Application of Fertilizers

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

• Application of FYM@ 10-15 tonnes is done before 10-15 days of sowing.
• Along with FYM, application of fertilizer dose of nitrogen@13 kg / acre in the form of urea @30 kg / acre, phosphorus@20 kg / acre in the form of SSP@125 kg / acre and Potassium@ 20 kg /acre in the form of MOP @35 kg  / acre is done.
• Full dose of phosphorus and potassium and one third dose of nitrogen are applied before seed sowing.
• The remaining dose of nitrogen is added after one month of sowing. 

Drip Irrigation

• Install drip system with main and sub-main pipes and place the inline lateral tubes at an interval of 1.5m.
• Place the drippers in lateral tubes at an interval of 60 cm and 50 cm
  spacing with 4LPH and 3.5 LPH capacities respectively

Field Preparation

• Form the raised beds of 120cm width and spread the lateral tubes in the centre of each bed.
• Irrigation is done in the beds by operating the drip system continuously for 8-12 hrs.
• Spray pre emergence herbicide like Pendimethalin @ 1 Kg a.i/ha just before planting.
• Planting or sowing is done at the holes made at 2 m distance.

Diseases

1.Downy mildew: Pseudoperonospora cubensis

Symptoms

• Symptoms resembling mosaic viz, pale green areas separated by dark green areas appear on upper surface of leaf.
• During wet season, corresponding lower surface is covered with faint purplish fungal growth.
• The entire leaf dries up quickly.

Management

• Use of bed system with wide spacing with good drainage and air movement and exposure to sun help to check the disease development.
• Spray with Moncozeb 0.2 % or Chlorothalonil 0.2% or Difolaton 0.2% or Ridomil MZ 72 0.1%
• Seed treatment with Apron SD 35 @ 2 g./kg. followed by spraying with Mancozeb 0.2% is effective in reducing the disease.

2.Powdery mildew: Erysiphe cichoracearum

Symptoms

• Powdery mildew, is especially prevalent in hot dry conditions.
• White or brown mealy growth will be found on upper and lower surfaces and stems.
• Under severe infestations, the plant will be weakened and stunted.

Management

• The disease can be controlled by spraying Wettable sulphur 0.1%

3.Mosaic: PRSV/CMV

Symptoms:

• A virus distributed world wide, affecting most cucurbits but rarely affecting watermelon.
• New growth is cupped downward, and leaves are severely mottled with alternating light green and dark green patches.
• Plants are stunted, and fruits are covered with bumpy protrusions. Severely affected cucumber fruit may be almost entirely white.

Management

• The virus is readily transferred by aphids and survives on a wide variety of plants.
• Varietal resistance is the primary management tool, and eliminating weeds and infected perennial ornamentals that may harbor the virus is critical.
• Spray with any one of the systemic insecticide

Plant Protection

1.Fruit flies: Bactrocera cucurbitae

2.Pumpkin beetles :  Aulacophora foveicollis

Symptoms of damage:

• Grubs feeds on the roots, stem and fruits touching the soil
• Adult feeds on leaf and flowers.

Management:

• Plough the fields just after harvesting destroy the hibernating adults
• Collect and destroy adult beetles
• Spray malathion 50 EC @ 500 ml or dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml or methyl demeton 25 EC@ 500 ml/ ha

3.Stem borer or clear winged moth: Melittia eurytion

Symptoms of damage:

• Larva bores into  the stem of snake gourd and produces gall

Management:

• Collect and destroy the damaged plant parts with larvae
• Encourage activity of parasitoid: Apanteles spp.
• Spray any following insecticides
  • malathion 50 EC @ 500 ml
  • dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml
  • methyl demeton 25 EC @ 500 ml/ ha

4.Stem gall fly: Neolasioptera falcata

Symptoms of damage :

• Maggots bore into the distal shoot and form galls

Management:

• Spray any following insecticides
  • Malathion 50 EC @ 500 ml
  • Dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml
  • Methyl demeton 25 EC @ 500 ml/ ha

5.Snake gourd semilooper : Plusia peponis

Symptoms of damage:

• The caterpillar cuts the edges  of  leaf lamina, folds it over the  leaf and feeds from within leaf roll

Management:

• Collect and destroy the caterpillars
• Encourage activity of Apanteles taragamae, A. plusiae
•  Spray any following insecticides
  • Malathion 50 EC @500 ml/ha
  • Dimethoate 30 EC @500 ml/ha
  • Methyl demeton 25 EC @500 ml/ha

6.Pumpkin caterpillar: Diaphania indica

Symptoms of damage:

• Young larva scrapes the cholorophyll content
• Later on it folds and webs the leaves and feeds within
• It also feeds on flowers and bores into developing fruits

Management:

• Collect and destroy early stage caterpillars
• Encourage activity of parasioid: Apanteles spp.
• Spray any following insecticides
  • Malathion 50 EC @500 ml/ha
  • Dimethoate 30 EC @500 ml/ha
  • Methyl demeton 25 EC @500 ml/ha

7.Bottle gourd plume moth : Sphenarches caffer

8 Leaf miner : Liriomyza trifolii

Nutritional Deficiency

After Cultivation

• Hoe and weed thrice.
• Provide stakes for the plants to reach the pandal (2 m).
• Spray Ethrel 100 ppm (1 ml dissolved in 10 lit of water) four times from 15th day after sowing at weekly intervals

Fertigation

Fertigation
Apply a dose of 200:100:100 kg NPK/ha throughout the cropping period through split application

Fertigation schedule

Fertigation Schedule- Bitter gourd (Hybrid)
Recommended dose: 200:100:100 kg/ha

*75% RD of Phosphorus applied as superphosphate = 469 Kg/ha.
1. 19:19:19 = 53 kg/ha
2. 13:0:45 = 199kg/ha
3. 12:61:0 = 25 kg/ha
4. Urea = 351 kg/ha

Harvesting

• 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. 

Yield

Varieties : 14 t/ha in 140 – 150 days.
Hybrids : 40 t/ha in 180 days

Market Information

Crop Growing districts : Coimbatore, Dindigul, Cuddalore, Thoothukudi, Tiruppur
Major markets in Tamil Nadu Periyar Vegetable Market, Koyambedu, Chennai Gandhi Market, Oddanchathiram Natchipalayam vegetable market, Coimbatore
Grade Specification 20-25 cm long green fruits with short neck and tubercles are preferred