FRUITY VEG

Bottle Gourd

Vigorous vine hybrids bred for long, uniform fruit and strong field performance.

OUR VARIETIES

Bottle Gourd Varieties

Explore our bottle gourd hybrids below for detailed package of practices.

Ratna F1

Anant F1

Ratna F1

Crop Name: Bottle Gourd
Variety Name: Ratna F1
Habit: Vine
Plant Habit: Suitable for both ground and trellis culture
Fruit Maturity: Late
Average Yield: High yield potential

Characteristics

Vigor: Very high — Branching: Very high — Canopy: Dense
Stem thickness: Very thick — Internode length: Long
Flowering: Prolific — Female-to-male ratio: High
Female buds per side: 4 to 5 shoots
Suitable culture: Both on ground and trellis

Leaf Type

Width: Broad
Colour: Light green
Disease resistance/tolerance: Good

Fruit Type

Length: 24 to 26 cm — Width: 3.5 to 4.0 cm
Shape: Cylindrical — Average fruit weight: 380 to 500 gms
Colour: Fresh green — Pubescence: Medium — Firmness: Firm
Fruit maturity: Late — Seed maturity: Late
Flesh colour: White
Shelf life: Very long (> 8 days)
Gradability: Good — Earliness: Early — Bearing: High
Yield potential: High

Package of Practices

Physiological disorders, Symptoms & Management

Parameter	Description
Scientific Name	Lagenaria siceraria
Hybrid	Ratna F1
Soil	Well drained fertile silt loam is ideal for cultivation of bottle gourd.
Land Preparation	Land prepared by 2–3 times ploughing and made into fine tilth, with furrows made for sowing.
Spacing	150 × 60 cm
Climate	Bottle gourd is a typical warm season vegetable; it tolerates cool climate but cannot tolerate frost.

Season

June–July, October–November, February–March are well suited for sowing

Seed Rate

1.5–2 kg/ha

Fertilizers & Manures

Type	Quantity / Notes
FYM	20 t/ha
Nitrogen (N)	200 Kg/ha — half the N and the entire P & K should be applied before planting; the balance N is given at flowering, applied in a ring 6–7 cm from the base of the stem
Phosphorus (P₂O₅)	125 Kg/ha
Potassium (K₂O)	125 Kg/ha

Any special cases: No

Irrigation

Irrigation is given at weekly intervals to keep moisture well maintained at the root zone and to promote rapid taproot development.

Weed Control

The crop needs 2–3 weeding operations to keep it free from weeds. The first weeding is normally done 30 days after planting, with subsequent weeding at monthly intervals.

Any Special Crop Practices

Proper training and pruning are advantageous for bottle gourd cultivation. Training plants to a bower helps tap sunlight more effectively for higher yield. Axillary buds of growing vines should be removed until vines reach the bower height; when the vine reaches the bower, the apical bud is removed 10–15 cm below the bower to allow 2–3 branches to spread on it. After formation of 4–5 fruits, vines are again pruned, allowing only 2–3 axillary buds to grow on the primary vines. It is also advisable to remove all yellow and pale-coloured older leaves near the bottom of the plant.

Diseases

Disease	Symptoms & Control Measures
Gummy Stem Blight	A soil-borne fungal disease producing water-soaked lesions on leaves and stems, which can turn brown or tan and eventually become cankers that exude a gummy substance. Control with disease-free seeds, crop rotation, and pasting the stem with COC 50% WP (3g/L) or Chlorothalonil 75% @2g/L.
Fusarium Wilt	Characterized by wilting, yellowing, stunting, and eventually death of the plant. Control with resistant hybrids, crop rotation, and drenching with Propiconazole 5% EC (2ml/L).
Powdery Mildew	Favoured by high humidity; a white powdery residue appears primarily on the upper leaf surface, with circular patches or spots on the lower surface. Severely attacked leaves turn brown and defoliate. Control with Carbendazim (1ml/L), Karathane (0.5ml/L), Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxystrobin 25% @0.5g/L, or Meptyldinocap @0.5g/L.
Downy Mildew	Caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis; prevalent in high humidity, first seen as yellow angular spots on the upper leaf surface, with whitish powdery growth on the lower surface under humid conditions, spreading rapidly through defoliation. Control with Metalaxyl 4% + Mancozeb 64% (2g/L) or Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 64% WP @2g/L.
Mosaic	A viral disease producing small irregular yellowish patches on leaves; some show vein clearing, reduced leaf size, and distorted, malformed young leaves, sometimes with a "shoe-string" effect. Transmitted by aphids. Control with Acephate 20% SP (1g/L).

Pests

Name of the Pest	Symptoms & Management
Aphids & White Flies	Colonies of nymphs and adults attack leaves and tender shoots, sucking sap; leaves curl and dry up. Control with Acephate 75% SP (1.5g/L), Dimethoate (1.5ml/L), Imidacloprid 30.5% SC @0.25ml/L, Diafenthiuron 50% WP @1g/L, or 30–35 blue sticky traps/ha.
Leaf Cutter	Damages leaves by feeding on them. Control with Chloro (Organophosphate) 20 EC @2ml/L.
Fruit Borer	Adult moths lay eggs inside the fruit; after hatching, larvae feed on the flesh, causing damage. Control with clean cultivation, removal of infested fruits, deep ploughing, spray baits, and 30–35 yellow sticky traps/ha.
Fruit Fly	Attacks fruits; maggots feed on the pulp, causing infested fruits to rot and fall prematurely. Control with clean cultivation, removal of infested fruits, deep ploughing, spray baits, and 30–35 pheromone traps/ha.

Harvesting

Fruits are harvested at the tender stage, 10–12 days after anthesis. Harvesting starts 50–55 days after sowing and is done at 3–4 day intervals. Care is taken to avoid injury to vines and fruits, plucking individual fruits with sharp knives while keeping a small part of the fruit stalk attached.

Yield

65–70 t/ha