Cultivation of Ridge Gourd or Ribbed Gourd (Lufa acutangula)
Botanical Name:
Lufa acutangula roxb.
Local name:
Jhina turai- Hindi, Sirola- Gujarati and Marathi.
Family:
Cucurbitaceae.
Ridge gourd can be grown through the year and are used as vegetables. It is more popular vegetable in the south and east India.
Soil and its Preparation:
Ridge gourd can be grown in all kinds of soil, loam, clay loam and silt soils are best suited for its cultivation. The land is prepared by ploughing for three to four times, followed by planking.
Sowing of Seed:
a) Sowing Time:
There are two types of ridge gourd commonly grown in our country and the seed is sown in different times according to type of crop.
b) Seed Rate:
The seed rate is 4 to 5 kg/ha.
c) Method of Sowing:
The seed is sown by dibbling method at a spacing of 1.5 to 2.0 X 1.0 to 1.5 m. Two to three sees are sown in each pit. Layout is ring and basin.
Manuring:
30 to 50 cartload well decomposed FYM should be added at the time of soil preparation. 50 kg N, 25 kg P/ha. Should be given ½ N and full phosphorus should be given at the time of sowing seeds and remaining half N should be given 30 days after sowing.
Intercultural operation:
Shallow cultivation should be given during the early stage of growth. The plants should be provided a suitable support made of bamboo sticks.
Irrigation:
The summer crop should be irrigated just after sowing and subsequent irrigation is given at four to five days interval. No irrigation is given in rainy season crop.
Harvesting:
The fruit become ready for harvest from 55 – 60 days of sowing. The full grown tender fruit should be harvested at weekly interval by cutting them with a knife.
Yield:
The yield is about 75 to 100 quintal/ ha.
Varieties:
There are some varieties of ridge gourd recommended for cultivation in our country. Pusa Nasdar, Desi Chaitali, Co- 1.
Ridge gourd: (Luffa acutangula).
1. Kankan Harita:
It yield about 150- 200 quintal per hectare. Fruits are long (40 cm) uniform soft ridged and firm flesh. It is an early variety suitable for both the Kharif and summer seasons. A fruit weights about 200 g. (BSKKV, Dapoli).
2. Phule Sucheta:
It is developed by employing a pure line selection. Fruits are green, slender, tender, and medium in length (33.5 cm) with prominent ridges. It shows filed tolerance to downy mildew. Suitable for in both the Kharif and summer season of western Maharashtra. Average fruit weight is 118 g. A vine produces 18 fruits. Average yield is 119 quintal per hectare.