Snake GourdTrichosanthes cucumerina

Introduction• Snake gourd plant is a annual creeper, belonging

to the Cucurbitaceae family • This subtropical 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 growing for home garden and

fresh market

Scientific classification

• Kingdom: Plantae • (unranked): Angiosperms • (unranked): Eudicots • (unranked): Rosids • Order: Cucurbitales • Family: Cucurbitaceae • Genus: Trichosanthes • Species: T. cucumerina • Binomial name: Trichosanthes cucumerina L.• Synonyms: Trichosanthes anguina L.

• Nature of cultivation– Medium scale – Home garden

• Growing seasons– January-March – September-December

• Major growing areas in Sri Lanka– Matale– Kandy– Rathnapura– Hambanthota

• Total extent─ 3167 ha (2009)

• Production─ 33421 mt (2009)

• Average Yield─ 10.55 tonnes/ha (2009)

Morphological Characteristics • Fruit

– narrow and longish fruit can grow more than 150 cm (5 feet) 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 color

• Foliage– more or less palmate, two or three lobed or

slightly wavy leaflets with serrated edges

Uses• As vegetable

– Snake Gourd is grown principally 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

– 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 comprises of protein, fat, carbohydrate

and soluble fiber• Its mineral and vitamin content are calcium,

phosphorus, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin and carotene

Varieties

• TA 2─ The length of the pods exceeds 1 m ─ whitish ash color pods ─ with maturity green lines can be seen─ can be harvested within 60 – 75 days after planting

• MI Short─ The length of the pods is ½ m and whitish ash in color.─ Spacing - 1.5 x 1.5m─ Seed rate - 4kg/ ha─ Yield - 20Mt/ ha

 

Field Establishment

Climate– Requires tropical , warm & humid climate for best

growth ∙minimum temperature -18oC during early growth∙ optimal temperature - 24–27oC

– Cannot tolerate heavy rainfall as flowering is greatly affected

– very heavy rainfall will make the plant susceptible to various fungal & mycoplasma diseases

– every cold climate is not suitable, & it cannot tolerate frost

Soil

– Tolerates a wide range of soil

– prefers a well drained sandy loam soil that rich in

organic matter.

– soil pH range - 6.0 to 7.0

– Good drainage

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 fluorescens or Carbendazim

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– Provide bamboo stakes and cross wires for

spreading the vines

Cont’d…..– Seedlings when starts producing tendrils;

• should be staked to thin bamboo poles using banana fibres

• to enable the vines to spread on the pandal

-Snake guard grown in pandal system-

Training of developing fruit

• 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)

Quality seedling production

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

Water Management

• 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

Nutrient Management

• Apply FYM at 20-25 t/ha as basal dose along with half dose of N (35 kg) and full dose of P2O5 (25 kg) and K2O (25 kg/ha)

• The remaining dose of N (35 kg) is applied in several split doses at fortnightly intervals

Weed Management• Conduct weeding and raking of the soil at the time of

fertilizer application

Pests and Diseases

Pests• Fruit flies• Epilachna beetle • Red pumpkin beetle• Leaf caterpillersDiseases• Downy mildew • Mosaic

Control Measures of Pests and Diseases

• Fruit flies– Collect the damaged fruits and destroy– Neem oil as foliar spray

• Powdery mildew – Can be controlled by spraying Dinocap

Flowering & Harvest

• Fruits start forming 60 to 70 days after sowing• At flowering stage , one spray of plant hormones

(Ex: 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

Post Harvest Handling

• Well packed in a air-tight pot ( Sealed box or Plastic bag )

• Kept in the refrigerator

Present by

• U.L.D.M.S.Gunasinghe - UWU/EAG/11/0007• R.M.M.K.Wijerathna - UWU/EAG/11/0012

Thank you