Production technology of Snake gourd


Scientific name - Trichosanthes cucumerina L.

Family - cucurbitacea 

  • Snake gourd plant is a annual creeper, belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family
  • This plant is native to South-eastern Asia and Australia.
  • Mostly popular in India
  • Widely grown in Sri Lanka, China, Thailand,Nigeria and Australia
  • It is suitable for home garden.

Morphology

Fruit

  • narrow and longish fruit can grow more than 150 cm in length
  • Dark green with several light green lines or totally white
  • It is soft and breaks easily when bend
  • Numerous seeds; relatively large and slightly gray
  • When it is fully ripe, inside of this fruit will turn red

Flower

  • Lace-like flower
  • White in colour 

Foliage

  • more or less palmate, two or three lobed or slightly wavy leaflets with serrated edges

Uses

As vegetable

  • Snake Gourd is grown mainly for the immature fruit that can be cooked
  • Can be served as a vegetable like zucchini squash

As medicine

  • Roots and seeds are used to expel worms and to treat diarrhea and syphilis
  • It acts as an excellent anti-inflammatory makes digestion easy

Nutrient Value

  • The nutritive value of snake gourd is unbeatable compared to other vegetables
  • The gourd contain protein, fat, carbohydrate and soluble fiber.
  • Its als has mineral and vitamin content are calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin and carotene

Climate

  • Requires tropical, warm & humid climate for best growth
  • optimal temperature -24-27°C
  • Cannot tolerate heavy rainfall as flowering is  affected
  • very heavy rainfall will make the plant susceptible to various fungal & mycoplasma diseases.

Soil

  • Grown in wide range of soil
  • prefers a well drained sandy loam soil that rich in organic matter.
  • Soil pH 6.0 to 7.0
  • Lad should have good drainage.

Varieties

  • CO1
  • CO 2
  • PKM 1
  • PLR 1
  • PLR 2
  • Baby

Hybrid

  • Snake gourd COH1

Land Preparation

  • 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.

Seed Treatment

  • Treat seeds with Trichoderma viride or Pseudomonas fluorescence 

Nursery raising

  • Sow the snake gourd seeds in trays containing well decomposed cocopeat medium
  • Sow only one seed per cell
  • Keep the trays under shade net house
  • Water regularly with the help of rose can
  • Transplant about 12 days old seedlings to main field.

Spacing -2.5 x 2 m

Seed rate -5.5 kg- 6.5 kg/ha

Sowing

  • Well rotten FYM and fertilizers are mixed with topsoil in the pit
  • Seeds are sown at 4-5 per pit
  • After two weeks remove the unhealthy
  • plants retaining three plants per pit
  • Erect pandals for trailing snake gourd by provide bamboo stakes and cross wires for spreading the vines.
  • Seedlings when starts producing tendrils should be staked to thin bamboo poles using banana fibres to enable the vines to spread on the pandal

Training 

  • Five days after fruit set, at the tip of the developing fruits, a small stone is tied using a piece of banana fiber otherwise the developing ovary will be coiled
  • Short fruited types do not require such training (Ex: Co 2 variety)
Irrigation 

  • light irrigation must be given immediately after sowing to maintain the moisture level in the soil
  • After germination- dried leaves can be used as mulch to retain moisture.
  • Growth stage watering must be done at least thrice a week.

Manures and fertilizers 

  • Apply FYM at 20-25 t/ha 
  • basal dose of NPK is 35:25:25 kgs/ha
  • The remaining dose of N (35 kg) is applied in several split doses at fortnightly intervals

Plant protection 

Pests 

Beetles and caterpillars

  • Application of Dichlorvos 76 % EC 6.5 ml/10 lit.

Fruit fly

  • Set cucurbit fruit fly trap @ 4/ acre.
  • The fly population low in hot day conditions and it is peak in rainy season. Hence adjust the sowing time based on season.
  • Plough the field to expose the pupae.
  • Neem oil @ 3.0 % as foliar spray as need based

Diseases

Powdery mildew

  • Powdery mildew can be controlled by spraying Carbendazim 0.5 g/lit.

Downy mildew

  • Downy mildew can be controlled by spraying Mancozeb twice at 10 days interval.

Flowering & Harvest

  • Fruits start forming 60 to 70 days after sowing
  • At flowering stage spray NAA -to increase the number of female flowers.
  • Fully developed tender fruits can be harvested every 4 to 5 days
  • Tying a small stone to the stigmatic end of the fruits is a widely practiced method
  • under organic practices, the plant will continue to yield for up to 2 months

Yield

  • 18 t/ha in 135 – 145 days.
  • Hybrid- 65-70 t/ha in 135 – 175 days

Storage

  • After harvesting remove all fruits affected with insect pests or diseases and deformed ones.
  • The harvested fruits cannot be kept for long time and to be sent to market as soon as possible.
  • By sprinkling water over the fruits, freshness can be maintained for sometime in the initial stage.
  • Fruits can be packed in polypropylene bag for extended shelflife.
  • Fruits in the basket can be kept for 2-3 days.




Reference
  • Textbook of vegetable crops by Prem nath k.R.M.swamy
  • Vegetable science by D.singh