Package and practices of cucurbitaceous crops and

INTRODUCTION
• Cucurbits are the largest group of summer vegetables crops belonging to the family
cucurbitaceae.
• It is a important plant family consisting of various squashes, melons & gourds ,
including crops such as cucumber, pumpkin and water melon.
• The Cucurbitaceae consist of approximately 125 genera and 960 species, mainly in
regions tropical and subtropical. Predominantly distributed in tropics.
• Most of the cucurbits are monocious nature except Ivy Gourd and pointed gourd
(Parval) which are diocious.
• Fruit is Pepo botanically.
• All are susceptible to frost.
• The cultural requirements of all crops in this group are more or less similar.
• Special remarks- cucurbitacin responsible for bitterness. Metaxenia effect of pollen
is common in cucumber.
• Metaxenia: when bitter pollen fertilize non bitter ovules the resulting fruit is found to
bitter. This phenomenon is called metaxenia.
• King of gourd : pointed gourd
• Pointed gourd and ivy gourd : male :female::1:10-12
• Momodicidin present in bittergourd
Classification Of Cucurbits
 1) Culinary Vegetables – Bitter gourd,
bottle gourd, Ash gourd, Pointed Gourd,
Spongy Gourd, Ivy gourd, Ridge gourd,
According Winter & Summer squash, Snap melon.
2) Salad – Cucumber, Long melon
to Use 3) Pickles – Ash gourd, Bitter gourd
4) Making sweet – Ash gourd, Bottle
gourd & Pumpkin
5) Desert – Water melon, Musk melon.
Cultivation aspects
 Climate- Both tropical and subtropical but warm climate is best .
 18 0C min m temp for seed germination.
 20-30 0C for growth and development.
 Short day and humid condition favors femaleness while long condition
increases maleness.
 In Muskmelon & Watermelon: 18 0C min m temp for seed germination and 24-
27 0C for growth and development.
 High temp, low humidity and plenty of sunshine is essential for proper ripening
and high sugar content.
 All cucurbits are sensitive to low temp and frost.
 Soil-
 Sandy to sandy loamy soil- best for the early crop.
 Heavy soils- for commercial production, although fruit quality may be adversely
affected because of poor drainage.
 pH range of 5.5 – 6.7 for bitter, bottle ,cucumber , squashes and pumpkin.
 For watermelon and musk melon ,pH range is - 6 – 6.8.
S CROP BOT. NAME ORIGIN Ch VARIETIES
N No IMPROVED HYBRID
(2n)

1 Bottlegourd Lagenaria South 22 Arka Bahar Pusa Meghdoot

siceraria Africa Pusa Naveen Pusa Sandesh
2 Bittergourd Momordica Indo- 22 Pusa-do-mausmi, Pusa Hybrid -1
charantia Burma Konkan tara Phule Green gold
3 Cucumber Cucumis India 14 Pusa Sanyog, Phule Subhangi, Himangi
sativus Poinsett
4 Watermelon Citrullus Tropical 22 Sugar Baby, Pusa Arka Manik, Arka Jyoti,
lanatus Africa Rasal,, Pusa Bedana
5 Muskmelon Cucumis melo Tropical 24 Arka Jeet , Arka Punjab Rasila, Punjab
Africa Rajhans, Hara Sunheri, P. Rasraj, Pusa
Madhu Sharbati,
6 Pumpkin Cucurbita Mexico 40 Arka Chandan, Pusa Arka Suryamukhi, Pusa
moschata Viswas Viswas
7 Ridge gourd Luffa India 26 Ridge Gourd : Arka sujata, Arka Sumeet,
and acutangula Kalyanpur Dharidar, satputtia, Pusa nasdar.
Sponge Luffa Sponge gourd: Kalyanpur chikni, Pusa Chikni,
gourd cylindrica Pusa Sneha, Pusa Supriya.
8 Ash Gourd Benincasa Malaysia 24 Kashi ujjawal, Pusa Ujjawal, Co1, Co2 MAH-1
hispida
HYBRID VARIETIES
CROP SEED PLANTING SOWING RDF (Kg/ha) Ready for
RATE DISTANCE TIME FYM Harvesting
(Kg/ha) (in m) (15-25 t/ha) &YIELD
(T/ha)
Bottlegourd 3-6 2-3 x 0.6-1.5 June-July, 100:50:50 60-100DAS
Oct-nov 20 -40(op)
Jan-Feb. 50-60(H)
Bitter gourd 4.5 - 6 1.5-2.0 x 0.6-1.2 June-July 80:40:40 55-110 DAS
Jan-Feb. 10-15(op)
20-30
Cucumber 3-5 1.5-3.0 x 0.6-1.0 June-July, 80:40:40 60-70 DAS
March-apr. 8 -12

Watermelon 3-5 2.5-4 x 0.6-1.2 feb-march 100:50:50 75-100DAS

40 -60
Muskmelon 4-6 1.5-2.5 x 0.5-1.0 feb-march 80:40:40 70-90 DAS
10 -15
Pumpkin 3-5 3.0 x 1.0 June-July 80:60:60 75-180DAS
feb- march 20-25
Ridge gourd and 5-7 1.5-3 x 0.6-1.2 June-July 100:60:60 60-90 DAS
Sponge gourd feb- march 15-20
Ash Gourd 5-7 1.5-3 x 0.6-1.2 June-July 60:30:30 75-120DAS
Field preparation and planting
Ploughing and harrowing is done for bringing soil to fine
tilth.
Methods-
*raised bed method
*furrow method
*pit method
In pit method : pit size – 45 × 45 cm. depth – 60 cm.
3-4 seeds are sown in per pit. Pit filled with
FYM and top-soil.
Intercultural operation
Weeding-Weeds must be controlled from planting through
harvest for maximum yields and for successful machine
harvesting.
The most effective weed control program is achieved
through a combination of mechanical and chemical methods,
along with site or crop manipulation.
Pre-sowing incorporation of flucholaralin @2.5 l/ha.
Irrigation
Summer crop- frequent irrigation (after every 3 to 4 days)
Winter crop- once in 10-12 days.
Rainy season- when required.
Soil moisture deficit during fruit development reduces fruit
size and yield.
PRUNNING-
 All secondary shoots upto 5th node (removal of side
branches)
 Remove older leaves to allow light to reach developing
fruit and improve air circulation. Trim off all shoots that
branch from the main vine stem.
Training –
 Cucubits are vine crops and hence training play an
important role in improving yield and also prevent
diseases.
 Training systems- bower , umbrella, telephone.
RIVER-BED
CULTIVATION
CROPS AND CULTIVARS SUITABLE FOR
RIVER BED CULTIVATION
 Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
1. Japanese long green
2. Straight eight
3. Pusa sanyog (Fl hybrid)
4. Poinsette
 Musk melon (Cucumis melo)
1. Arka rajhans
2. Arka jeet
3. Pusa sharabati
4. Pusa madhuras
 Water melon
1. Sugar baby
2. Improved shipper
3. Asahi yamato
4. Durgapura meetha
 Pumpkin and squashes
 Bottle gourd
1. Pusa Summer prolific long
2. Pusa Summer prolific round
 RIVER-BED SOILS
 A well drained, fertile sandy-alluvial soil.
 Soil pH between 6.0 to 7.0. Below pH of 5.5 no cucurbits can
be successfully grown.
 The minimum soil temperature should not go below 10°C and
maximum 25°C. The optimum range is around 18-22°C.
 In river-beds the sand remains comparatively warmer and
does not cool quickly. Further, sandy river-beds have moisture
beneath and warm up quickly in spring. That is the reason why
cucurbits in river-beds survive low temperature periods of
winter months and produce early crops in spring.
RIVER BED SYSTEM
•Growing of cucurbits in river-beds or river-basin constitute a distinct type of
farming.
•The system consists of digging trenches at 2-3 meter spacing or pits at 4
meters apart (if the soil moisture is below 2 meters) after the cessation of
south-west monsoon in late October.
•Most of the cucurbits are sown in November and December.
•Before sowing, the trenches are manured with FYM or any other organic
decomposed waste or oil cakes.
•In North-Western India, when winter temperature go down very low, the
protection is provided by planting grass stubbles (probably Saccharum
spontaneous) species. This protection has three fold uses-
1) It checks the sand drifting on the dug up trenches, and covering the
hills sown with seeds.
2) It provides partial protection against chilly wind.
3) The grass is also available for spreading over the sand when the vines
grow and covers the sand.
It helps to prevent the sand being blown off with the vines, especially in
summer due to hot winds.
•Due to prevalent low temperature, sprouted seeds are sown in trenches or
pits in Nov-December and mixed cropping of several cucurbits like musk
melon, water melon, pumpkin, bottle gourd, ridge and sponge gourds is
practiced.

•Plants are pot watered in the initial stages, until roots touches the water
regime down below. In some parts of Andhra Pradesh, germinated seedlings are
transplanted.

•After 25-30 days after sowing, depending on growth and weather conditions,
top dressing of chemical fertilizers in two split doses is done, especially of
nitrogenous fertilizers like urea or fertilizer mixtures. This top dressing is
applied away from the plants in shallow trenches.

•When the vines grow, they are spread over the sand and before that trenches
are levelled up and the stubbles of grass are spread over the sand on the
interspaces between the rows of the plants
PRACTICE OF
RIVER BED
CULTIVATION
 Sex Expression
• Sex determination in plants leads to the
development of unisexual flowers from an
originally bisexual floral meristem.
• Proportion to number of female & male flower
produce on the plants is known as SEX RATIO.
• Sex ratio vary from 1:2 to 1:24 depending on
flowers/variety.
• Narrow sex ratio is desirable in monoecious
cucurbit to harvest bumper yield.
 Sex ratio is affected by -
• Environment
• Nutrient
• Photoperiodism
• Temperature
- Short day with mild temp promotes pistillate
flower.
- Long day with high temp usually promotes
greater no.of staminate flower.
 Sex forms
• Hermaphrodite
• Monoecious
• Andromonoecious
• Gynomonoecious
• Trimonoecious
• Dioecious
• Androecious
TYPE OF FLOWER / SEX FORMS
Hermaphrodite
•plants bearing bisexual or perfect flower .
•Eg- satputia cultivar of ridge gourd
-rarely recorded in cucumber and muskmelon

Monoecious
•staminate and pistillate flowers are produced separately in the same
plant.
•Eg - cucumber ,musk and watermelon
-round and snap gourd, pumpkin, squash,ashgourd ,bitter, bottle,
ridge,spongy and snake gourd.
Andromonoecious
•Where staminate and perfect flower is produced separately on the
same plant.
• Eg- muskmelon
-also reported in some breeding line of watermelon .

Gynomonoecious
•Pistillate and perfect flower are produced separately on the same
plant
•Eg - cucumber .

Gynoecious
•Only pistillate flowers are produce on a plant .
•This sex form is useful for economic hybrid seed production .
•Eg -bitter gourd and cucumber.
Trimonoecious / Gynoandromonoecious
•Where staminate , pistillate and perfect flowers are produced in the
same plant
•This is highly unstable sex form .
•Eg -Reported in some species of momordica and Cucumis melo

Dioecious
•Where staminate and pistillate flowers are produced on the separate
plants.
•Eg - pointed gourd, ivy-gourd ,kakrol and kakroli .

Androecious
•Where only staminate flower are produced.
•Eg -ridge gourd ,cucumber and muskmelon.
 PGR and their sex modification in cucurbits
S.N. PGR CONCENTRA METHOD OF CROPS REMARKS
- -TION APPLICATION
(mg/lit.)

a. CCC 250 -500 Foliar Spray All Cucurbits Induces early

femaleness

b. Etharel 150 -200 Foliar Spray All Cucurbits Induces early

femaleness

c. GA3 10 Foliar Spray Watermelon Induces early

femaleness

d. IAA 20-200 Foliar Spray Bittergourd Induces early

femaleness

e. NAA 25-100 Foliar Spray Cucumber, Induces early

muskmelon, femaleness
Bottlegourd
S.NO COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME CONTROL MEASURES

1 Red Pumpkin Beetle Raphidopalpa a. Summer Ploughing of the field .

fovecollis b. Spray 0.05% Malathion or 0.1%
carbaryl.

2. Fruit Fly Dacus cucurbitae a.Use of light traps in night @

poison bait.
b. Spray 0.02@ Malathion.
c. Collect and destroy affected
fruits.
3. Thrips Thrips tabaci a. Spray 0.15% Metasystox.
S.N. COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME CONTROL MEASURES

1. Powdery Erysiphe a.Spray 0.05% Karathane.

mildew cichoracearum

2. Downy Pseudopernospora a.Spray 0.02% Copper

mildew cubensis sulphate or 0.2% blitox.

3. Anthracnose Colletotrichum sp. a. Spray 0.02% Benlate.

b. Collect and bunr the
affected portion.

4. Mosaic Cucumis virus a. Spray Rogor 0.04% to

control aphid.
b. Uproot the affected
and burn.