Cultivation Guide for Bottle Gourd Variety Series
Cultivation Guide for
Bottle Gourd Variety Series
Bottle gourd is annual growing vegetable
crops, fonding of fertilizer. The plant is thermophilic and not tolerant to low
temperature. The seeds start to sprout in 15 degree centigrade, fastest in
30-35 degree centigrade. The suitable growing temperature is 20-25 degree
centigrade.
1, Biological
Characteristics
The roots of
bottle gourd stretch herizontally, distributing within the 20cm deep under soil
surface, and they are not drought-resistant. The vines are several meters long,
with strong branching power. Generally the femal flowes blossom late in chief
vine, and they blossom in the 1th-2th node in side vines. In cultivation, the
top removal will promotes the growth of side vines, to fructify earlier. The
heart shaped leaf is big, thin and tender, with dense white fuzzes and mass
evapotranspiration. The white flower is big, with specially long stalk. Most of
the male and female flowers blossom at night, in morning and evening in dim
light. The artificial pollination will increases the rate of fructification.
2,
Sowing Time and Variety Selection
The seeds are generally sown from late
January to March in Spring, April to May in Summer, July to August in Fall, and
September to November in Winter. It is suggested to choose the varieties such
as Tarnal-Precocious bottle gourd, Supper-Precocious bottle gourd, Zhengyuan
Yupu bottle gourd, and so on.
3, Sowing and Seedling
For the cultivation
ahead of time in Spring, Summer and Winter, culture seedlings before
transplanting. For the cultivation in Autumn, both transplanting and derect
sowing are suitable. Because of the thick shell, the seeds should be soaked for
sprouting before sowing. Using nutrient pot to culture the seedlings. The
component of the nutrient soil is that, 70% of paddy field soil, 20% of burned
soil, 10% of finished organic manure, and 0.2% of calium super phosphate. Each
pot sown in 1 grain of seed. Top dressing 1-2 times in the seedling stage, 0.1%
compound fertilizer can be used. When the seedlings grow 4-5 pieces of main
leaves, they can transplanted with soil.
As bottle
gourd has shallow root system, and is not resistant to moisture in the
fructification stage, it’s beter to choose loam or clay loam to cultivate on.
Prepare the high ridge in 1.6m wide including ditch. The planting distance is
about 60-70cm, planting two rows each ridge, about 7200-9600 plants per acre.
For the base manure, 9000-12000kg of organic manure, 60-120kg of compound
fertilizer and 180kg of calcium, magnesium and phosphate fertilizer per acre.
5, Field Management
5.1, Pruning vines
and shelving
For bottle gourd, the
A-bracket shelf is usually used. Insert the shelf after the vines draw out.
When the chief vine grows out 6 pieces of leaves and is about 50cm high, carry
out top removal. After the side vine fructifying, top removal for the second
time, remaining 4-6 pieces of leaves, so as to promot the fructification of the
tertiary vine. After that, let the vines grow free, to reach high yield and
early maturity.
5.2, Artificial
Pollination
For the early maturing
cultivation in Spring and late-Autumn, the pollination by insects will be
insufficent because of the low temperature and Spring rain, it is necessary to
supply artificial pollination for supporting. The method is that, choose the
male flower which will blossom that day in 3-4 p.m., and daub male anther onto
the stigma of female flower in 4-5 p.m. when the male flower blossoms.
5.3, Fertilizer and
Water Management
The bottle gourd
fructifies in high quantity, and it need lots of fertilizer and water. Supply
seedling promoting fertilizer once after survival from setting. Each acre
supply 12-18kg of urea, and once more in 7-8 days. Before the vine draws onto
the shelf, supply 30kg of compound fertilizer per acre. After fruiting, top
dressing once after two times of harvest, by 60-90kg of compound fertilizer or
300kg of micro
fertilizer. Bottle gourd is fond of moist soil, pay attention to the
drainage in Spring and irrigation in Summer, to keep the soil in moist condition.
6, Harvest
The gourd grows rapidly
and should be harvested in time. The gourd is in light green when young, with
dense white fuzzes. After fully growing up, the skin turn to a little white,
with sturdy and high resilient flesh. The gourds harvested at this time is in
best quality. Generally, the gourd can be harvested 15-20 days after flower
dropping in early Spring, and 10-14 days only in Autumn.
7, Reasons of Bitterness and Preventive Measures.
The gourd sometimes
turns bitter, and will greatly impact people’s health after eating. The
bitterness is determined by genetic factors. After crossbreed in different
genetic varieties, the gene in the later generation will be complimentary to
create gourd glucoside, which make the gourd tastes bitter. Therefore, the
bitterness has nothing to do with the environment and cultivation techniques.
Measures to prevent is
that, when introducing varietities from other places, crossbreed them with the
local varieties, to see weather they are of the same genotype. If yes, the
varieties can be introduced, otherwise, they can not.
8, Prevention and Control of Diseases and Pests
8.1, Diseases
In the early disease,
use 500 times of 50% carbendazim WP, or 2000 times of 2.5% fludioxonil for root
pouring and leaf spraying, or use 1000 times of 71% Ailisha WP or 200 times of
10% cupric
amino-acid complex aqua, for root pouring, 200ml for each plant, and pour once
more in 10 days, continue for 2-3 times.
In the early disease,
use 1500 times of 50% sporgon(prochloraz manganese chloride complex) WP, or 600 times of 70%
thiophanate methyl WP, to spray for 2-3 times in 7-10 days interval.
8.2, Major Insect
Pests
Spray 3000 times of 10% Imidacloprid or 3%
acetamprid, 5000 times of 25% Actara water dispersant, or 2000-3000 times of
50% pirimicarb WP.
Spray 3000 times of 1.8% abamectin EC, or 1000 times of 25% nurelle EC, once in every 10
days, continue for 2-3 times.
Spray 3000 times of 1.8% abamectin EC or
2000-3000 times of 20% fenpropathrin EC, once in every 10 days, continue for
2-3 times.
评论