Snake Gourd
Botanical Name – Trichosanthes cucumerina. L.
Family – Cucurbitaceae
1.CO.1 (1976):
- It is a pure line selection from a local type of Alangulam.
- The fruits are 160-180cm long
- Dark green skin with white stripes with in yield potential of 18 t/ha in a crop duration of 135 days.
2. CO.2 (1986):
- It is pure line selection from local type of Coimbatore district.
- Fruits are short (30-35cm)
- Stout, light greenish white without stripes and have a ashy bloom on the surface.
- Yield potential is 25-30 t/ha in 125-130 days
- 3.PKM 1:
- It is a induced mutant from H375 with in yield potential of 25 t /ha in 135-140 days.
- The fruits are extra long (180-200cm)
Other Variety
PLR 1, PLR 2 and Baby.
Hybrid
Snake gourd COH1
Soil and Climate
Soil –
Sandy loam rich in organic matter with good drainage and a pH range of 6.5-7.5.
Climate –
- It requires a minimum temperature of 18oC during early growth, but optimal temperatures are in the range of 24–27oC.
- Snake gourd tolerates a wide range of soil but prefers a well drained sandy loam soil that is rich in organic matter.
- July and January are highly suitable for cultivation.
- Sow the seeds (3 seeds/pit) treated with Trichoderma viride @ 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g/kg or carbendazim @ 2 g/kg and thin the seedlings to two per pit after 15 days.
1.5 kg/ha.
- Plough the field to fine tilth.
- Dig pits of size 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm at 2.5 x 2 m spacing and form basins.
Irrigation
Irrigate the basins before dibbling the seeds and thereafter once in a week.
Application of Fertilizers
- Apply 10 kg of FYM, 100 g of NPK 6:12:12 mixture as basal dose per pit and N @ 10 g pit 30 days after sowing.
- Apply Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria @ 2 kg/ha and Pseudomonas 2.5 kg/ha along with FYM 50 kg/ha and neem cake @ 100 kg/ha before last ploughing.
- Hoe and weed thrice. Provide stakes for the plants to reach the pandal (2 m).
- Spray Ethrel 100 ppm (1 ml in 10 lit of water) four times starting from 10 to 15 days after sowing at weekly intervals.
Nursery raising
- Sow the snake gourd seeds in protrays containing well decomposed cocopeat
medium. - Sow only one seed per cell.
- Keep the trays under shadenet house.
- Water regularly with the help of rose can.
- Transplant about 12 days old seedlings to main field.
- Spread the lateral tubes on the raised beds of 120 cm wide at 150 cm spacing.
- Irrigate the beds by operating the drip system continuously for 8-12 hrs.
- Plant the seedlings in the holes made at 60 cm spacing.
- Apply a dose of 75:100:100 kg NPK/ha throughout the cropping period through split application.
- Apply 75% of the phosphorus as superphosphate as basal dose.
1.Fruit flies: Bactrocera cucurbitae
Symptoms of damage:
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Management:
- Collect infested and fallen fruits and bum in deep pits.
- Expose the pupae by ploughing and turning over soil after harvest
- Use ribbed gourd as trap crop and apply carbaryl 0.15% or malathion 0.1% on congregating adult flies on the undersurface of leaves.
- Use attractants like citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, vinegar (acetic acid), and lactic acid to trap flies.
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 : Melittia eurytion
Symptoms of damage:
- Larva bores into the stem of snake gourd and produces galls
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
Symptoms of damage:
Management:
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8.Leaf miner: Liriomyza trifolii
Symptoms of damage:
Management:
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1.Nitrogen
Deficiency Symptoms
- Apical growing points stop developing leaves thick brittle and irregular chlorosis.
Correction Measure
- Foliar spray of Borax 0.5 % at fortnightly intervals
2.Potassium
Deficiency Symptoms
- Older leaves affected first.
- Leaf tips and margins turn yellow and then become scorched continuing inward to the leaf center.
- Leaf margin cup downward interveinal leaf necrosis restricted growth.
Correction Measure
- Foliar spray of K2SO4 @1 % at fortnightly intervals
3.Magnesium
Deficiency Symptoms
- Apical growing points stop developing leaves thick brittle and irregular chlorosis.
Correction Measure
- Foliar spray of Borax 0.5 % at fortnightly intervals
4.Manganese
Deficiency Symptoms
- Symptoms seen in young leaves; leaves become pale yellow
Correction Measure
- Foliar spray of MnSO4 @0.5 % at fortnightly intervals
- Apply Neem cake @ 30g/plant as spot treatment 10 days prior to sowing.
- Soil application of P. fluorescens @ 2.5kg/ha
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
Variety:18 t/ha in 135 – 145 days.
Hybrid: 65-70 t/ha in 135 – 175 days
Crop Growing districts Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Dindigul
Major markets in Tamil Nadu Periyar Vegetable Market, Koyambedu,Chennai Gandhi Market, Oddanchathiram Natchipalayam vegetable market, Coimbatore
