Common name: Sponge gourd/ Torai.
Botanical name: Luffa cylindrical
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Origin: Asia (India)
Introduction:
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Sponge gourd is another important vegetable, widely grown in India. It very similar to ridge gourd.
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Brazil, India, Mexico and Ghana are the country where sponge gourd is grown generally.
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Gilki and Turai is the most common name of sponge gourd in India.
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Sponge gourd is very rich in vitamin A and C. Seed oil of sponge gourd is helpful to cure skin diseases.
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Juice of sponge gourd is very effective in curing diabetes.
Climate:
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Warm and humid climate is suitable for its cultivation.
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Required temperature for the cultivation should be in between 24-37o
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At the stage of flowering and fruiting, excessive rainfall can cause poor yield.
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Too low temperature can cause delay in germination and retarded early growth.
Soil:
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pH of soil should be in range of 5.5-6.5.
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Although cultivation of sponge gourd can take place in all type of soils but soil should have good moisture holding capacity especially in summer.
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Soil should be rich in organic matter.
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Sandy loam soil is comparatively best for the cultivation of sponge gourd.
Season:
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North India (kharif season): February-March.
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South India (rabi season): December.
(In hilly regions the best time of sowing is April to May).
Fertilizers and Manures:
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At the time of field preparation, 15 to 20 tons of FYM is sufficient.
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Required ratio of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium is 25:35:30.
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Application of excessive nitrogen with high temperature can cause reduction in female flower production.
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Another dose of nitrogen is recommended to apply at the stage of flowering in the quantity of 30 kg/ha.
Land preparation:
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Field should be plough 2 to 3 times for preparing a fine soil tilth and field must also be free from weeds.
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Well rotten farm yard manure in addition with soil would enhance the quality and yield capacity.
Irrigation:
Generally irrigation depends on the weather condition, soil and variety of the crop.
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Irrigation should be applied twice a week in long dry weather.
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On the other hand, there is no need of irrigation in rainy season.
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Mulching can also be practiced in extreme warm areas to prevent the loss of water and also to control weeds.
Variety:
Varieties of sponge gourd with rate, required spacing and features are mentioned below:
Variety |
Rate |
Spacing
|
features |
Kashi Rakshita |
3.5 kg/ha |
· Row to row: 3.5cm · Plant to plant: 75cm |
Resistant to Mosaic Virus, fruit color is dark green. |
Kashi Shreya |
3.5kg/ha |
· Row to row: 3.5cm · Plant to plant: 75cm |
Resistant to downy mildew, suitable for river bed cultivation |
Kashi Divya |
3.5-4.0kg/ha |
· Row to row: 3.5cm · Plant to plant: 75cm.
|
Cylindrical fruit, high yield potential, suitable for distant marketing, successful in summer and rainy season. |
Kashi Saumya F1 Hybrid |
3.5kg/ha |
· Row to row: 3.5cm · Plant to plant: 75cm |
Medium maturing hybrid, dark green fruit, resistant to Sponge Gourd Mosaic. |
Harvesting:
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First harvest can take place after 70-80 days of planting.
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Tender and medium sized fruits should be harvested with an interval of 3-4 days.
Yield:
Yield of the crop depends on the selected method, variety climatic conditions and many other factors.
Generally, average yield of sponge gourd is 160 to 200 quintals per hectare.