2. Botanical Name: Luffa acutangula Roxb.
Local Names in India:- Sirola (Gujarati ),
Dodka ( Marathi), Beerakaya (Telugu), Turai/ kalitori
(Hindi), Peerkankai (Tamil), Heerekayi (Kannada),
peechanga (Malayalam).
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Chromosome number: 2n = 26
Origin: India

3. Flowering and Fruiting
•An annual, climbing herb.
•Stem 5- angled, scabrous along ribs.
•Leaves subcircular, 15-20 x 15-20 cm, often 5-7 lobed.
• Plants monoecious. Male flowers: 17-20 flowered in
racemes, corolla pale yellow. Female flowers: ovary
elongate, pale yellow.
•Fruits clavate-oblong, acutely 10-angled, apex obtuse
or slightly acute.
•Seeds ovate, black.
•Main pollinators: Apis cerena and
•Apis florea.

4. • The Ridge gourd in green stage and leaves with stem are
used as vegetable. It is very famous vegetable in south
and east India.
Health Benefits :- Excellent blood purifier, Possessing
laxative properties, Beneficial for diabetes, Ridge gourd is
extremely rich in dietary fibre, Aiding in weight loss, Anti-
inflammatory and antibiotic.
• Prescribed for those who are suffering from malaria and
other seasonal fevers.
• The leaves are used as poultice in leprosy and in splenitis.
Ripe seeds are bitter and have emetic and purgative
properties.
Use:

5. Commercial Varieties of Ridge gourd cultivated in India.
Satputia is a cultivar in Bihar which is hermaphrodite
and produces pale green small fruits in clusters. In
each cluster 5-7 fruits are produced. Yield is 20-25t/ha.

6. Developing
institution
Variety Special features
IIHR, Bangalore. Arka Sumeet
Fruits lush green, cylindrical, 55 cm long
2.5 cm girth and 380 g weight with prominent
ridges, delicate aroma. Days
to first harvest 50-55.
Arka Sujat
Fruits lush green, cylindrical, medium long (35-45
cm) and average weight
(350g). Yield 63 t/ha in 100 days.
IARI, New Delhi. Pusa Nasdar
Fruits club shaped, light green in colour,
15-20 fruits / plant, yield 15-16 t/ha.
GBPU&T,
Pantnagar.
Pant Torai-1
Fruits 5 cm long and club shaped, yield
10 t/ha. More suitable for rainy season.
Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University
CO.1
Fruits long (60-75 cm), first harvest in 55 days, 10-
12 fruits / plant weighing 3-4
fruits / kg.
PKM-1 Fruits dark green, average weight 300g,

7. yield 28-30 t/ha in 160 days.
IARI Pusa Nutan
Fruits are long (25-30 cm), straight and green
weighing 105 g, mature at 50 days,yield 16 t/ha.
Dual season cultivation
HARP, Ranchi
Swarna
Manjari
Tolerant to powdery mildew. Fruits elongated,
medium sized, highly ridged, green with soft flesh.
Days to first harvest 65-70 days. Yield 18-20 t/ha
in
140-150 days.
Swarna Uphar
Fruits elongated, medium sized (200g), ridges with
soft weak flesh. Days to first harvest 65-70. Fruits
lush green, cylindrical, 55 cm long 2.5 cm girth
and
380 g weight with prominent, ridges, delicate
aroma. Days to first harvest 50-
55.
Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana.
Punjab
Sadabhar
Fruits long, 3-5 cm thick and slightly
curved, yield 10 t/ha.
KKV, Dapoli Konkan Harita
Fruits dark green, 30-45 cm long,
tapering at ends, 10-12 fruits / plant.

8. • Ridge gourd thrives very well in a warm and hot
climate, the ideal temperature for Ridge gourd
cultivation is 25° to 35°C.
Climate required for Ridge gourd farming :-
•Soil and its Preparation
•Can be grown in wide variety of soils.
•But grows best in sandy loamy soils.
•The soil or main field should be prepared thoroughly by
4 to 5ploughings
•Soil pH range from 6.5 to 7.5 is ideal.
•Requires good drainage.
• Better yield and quality can be expected by applying
organic matter or Farm Yield Manure (FMY).

9. Seed treatment: Before sowing, seeds should be treated with
Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g or Trichoderma viride 4 g/ kg of
seeds.
Seed Sowing: The Ridge gourd seed is sowing time depends on the
type of crop.
Usually Ridge gourd planting done during January and July.
Seed rate : 5 kg to 6 kg /ha.
Methods of Sowing and Spacing:
•Seeds are sown by dibbling method at 1.5 m to 2.0 m X 1.0 m to
1.5 m. Sow 3 seeds in each pit. After germination, thin to 2 healthy
seedlings.
•The seeds also can be sown in poly bags.
• 2 seeds per bag is ideal and 2 weeks after
germination, they can be planted a
2 seedlings per pit in the main field.
Seed

10. • During the early stage of plant growth, shallow
cultivation is preferred.
• The plants should be provided a suitable support made
of bamboo sticks for better creeping.
Intercultural Operation in Ridge gourd farming:-
•20t/ha well decomposed Farm Yard Manure should be
applied at the time of soil or field preparation.
•Apply a fertilizer dose of 100:60:60 kg NPK / ha through-
out the Ridge gourd cropping period through split
application.
Manure and Fertilizers in Ridge gourd farming:-

11. • Water the basin before dibbling the seeds and afterwards,
once in a week.
• Drip watering is most beneficial in the Ridge gourd
cultivation.
• The summer plantation requires frequent watering at an
interval of 3 to 4 days.
• Normally rainy season crop does not require any irrigation.
• Total water requirement 60 ha-cm.
Irrigation/Water supply in Ridge gourd farming:-

12. Main pests: Beetles, fruit flies and caterpillars.
How to control : Spray Trichlorofon 50% EC 1.0 ml/l or
Dichlorvos 76% EC 6.5 ml/10 l. lindane 1.3% dust, copper
and sulphur dust as these are phytotoxic.
Main Diseases : Powder mildew & Downy mildew.
Downy mildew
Control: spray Mancozeb or Chlorothalonil 2 grams /l twice
at 10 days interval.
Powdery mildew –
Control: spray Dinocap 1 ml/lit. or Carbendazim 0.5 grams/l.
Pests and Diseases in Ridge gourd farming:-

13. •The Ridge gourd become ready for harvest from 60
days of sowing depending on the variety.
•Fruits attain marketable maturity 5-7 days after
anthesis.
•Cut the full grown tender ridge gourd with knife and
this can be done weekly.
•To avoid over-maturity, picking is done at 3-4 days
interval.
•Delayed harvesting results in fibrous fruit.
•Harvested fruits are packed in baskets to avoid injury
and can be kept for 3-4 days in a cool atmosphere.
•Yield : Depending upon the soil and management , the
average yield of 70 to 90 q/ ha can be expected.
Harvesting and Yield of Ridge gourd:-