A REPORT ON PRE HARVEST FACTORS &POST HAEVEST HANDLING OF GUARDS & LEAFY VEGETABLES
Bottle Gourd cultivation
Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is a widely grown tropical vegetable which has high carbohydrate content. oil can be extracted from the seed kernel and is used in hair care products. the hard shells of the bottle gourd can be used as utensils, or floats in fishing nets and even musical instruments, due to its resonating property.
soil and climate: Bottle gourds require well drained and sandy loam soils for its good cultivation. it cannot tolerate higher amounts of acidity, alkalinity or salinity. pH range is between 5 to 5.5 . when
soil conditions are not optimum, then production of female flowers is greatly affected.
Ten days after sowing. Thinning out has to be done & min of 2 seeds must be retained in every bed
21 days after sowing.
It can be grown almost in all climates, however, too much rainfall is not good. optimum temperature range is between 30 to 35 degrees during day. if temperature is very high, then more number of male flowers are formed thereby decreasing yield.
LAND PREPARATION, IRRIGATION AND FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT
since we are discussing monsoon techniques for growing bottle gourds, the land selected must have good drainage. to attain this at least 3 repeated ploughings must be done. raised seed beds are made up to height of 30 cm & distance between beds must be maintained at minimum 2 meters.
Irregular leaf shape is due to heavy rainfall & pest attack. Spraying with systemic insecticides like dimethoate @ 1 ml per litre every week till plant is healthy is done.
Lush green leaves indicates good nitrogen in the soil
in the presence of optimum sunlight, the leaves are able to prepare their own food & the plants appear much more healthy.
Irrigation is not given during monsoon , but when there is dry spell, light irrigation must be done just to replenish soil moisture. in summer irrigation is carried out thrice a week. if proper mulching is done, irrigation can be reduced to twice weekly.
The 3 photos above show the crop development after 35 days after sowing. Care must be taken to see that the growing vines are free from developing weeds, or it will hinder harvesting.
Development of fruits, fruit setting seen requires good amounts of organic manure. Since it is a long duration crop, it is highly beneficial to add manures in split doses. Bulky organic manures can be added to the soil every 20 days, while it is good to add complex fertilizers at least once every month. it responds great to foliar applications as well. The number of female flowers can be increased using plant hormones like NAA, naphthalene acetic acid @ 1 ml per litre, just during flowering stage.
A healthy bottle gourd plant, which seems to be climbing. The vines can grow up to 20 feet, if left unchecked & hence thinning out is done to avoid overcrowding. Also distance is maintained between beds for this reason
Flowering can be observed. The plant continues to grow & the vines cover the complete area giving a carpet like appearance.
Fruit setting in the above 2 photos
The green carpet cover
HARVESTING: Bottle gourds can be harvested after 55 to 75 days after sowing. Care must be taken while harvesting to see that proper tender and ripe fruits must be harvested. The developing tender fruits will have green color & the seed coat & rind are tender. it is best to harvest at this stage. Sometimes, harvesting is done depending on the size it attains. Smaller fruits are in great demand as compared to bug sized fruits. When the color changes from green to white, the seed coat and rind hardens & then it becomes over ripe & unfit for consumption. such fruits are kept for formation of seeds, which can be extracted once the fruit completely dries up.
Some varieties can yield up to 20 tonnes per hectare.
NOTE In many cases, especially during monsoon, the growing vines are pruned to allow more lateral branching. Vines which are bit old & semi hard are pruned to get the desired result. in some other cases, the vines are allowed to train on coconut ropes grown on bower of bamboo sticks. This is done to prevent the developing fruits from coming in contact with soil & rotting.
Bitter Gourd Cultivation in Continuous Pits Bitter Gourd Cultivation in Continuous Pits by Pritham D'Souza Metal Farmer
Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia) also known as bitter gourd or Karela (hindi), karathe
(konkani) and kanchala (tulu) is cultivated in mainly tropical and sub tropical places throughout the world.
The bitter taste is due to the presence of Momorcidin. The wonder fruit, which is consumed as a vegetable is widely used in traditional medicines and is well known for treatment against diabetes, preventing malaria and constipation. It is also used as an effective bio repellent. however the red arils of the seed (outer red coating) can be toxic to children.
Bitter gourd is an acquired taste, but its medicinal properties make it a commercially viable crop.
Climate and Soil:
Being a tropical crop, it grows well in temperatures ranging from 28 to 35 degrees Celsius
extreme temperatures not favourable as it will result in spread of mosaic disease caused by virus
Soils have to be well drained and loamy.
Sowing:
The seed coat is very hard and unless conditions are favourable, germination will not take place as usual. for this , soaking the seeds in water for a minimum of 24 hours before sowing is recommended to break the seed dormancy.
In some places water is replaced by curds and it also helps in rapid germination as the curds contain bacteria which also break the seed dormancy by softening the hard seed coat.
dried and decomposed farm yard manure is added to the pits just before sowing the seeds
each pit, about 5 seeds are sowed and after germination 2 plants retained in every pit the distance between pits is about 45 cms
Inter Culture Operations:
After about 21 days after sowing, the growing tendrils will begin to droop on the ground. This will require support and it being a climber, adequate arrangements need to be made.
here the soil around each plant is gathered around to fortify the pit and organic manure is added to each pit
then support in the form of long sticks is placed in each pit as shown the growing vines are then trained on them and a pendal is erected
The pits help to prevent excess leaching of water and acts as a retention barrier. Weeding, irrigation and earthing up of the soils are made easier. Moist soils require less irrigation, about once a week, while areas which have direct sunlight, require frequent irrigation.
pits also help in mulching and prevents loss of water by evaporation.
Flowering and Harvest:
Spraying certain growth hormones such as Ethrel is done to increase the number of female flowers and has to be done 2 weeks before flowering begins.
During flowering, another dose of farm yard manure or dried and decomposed organic manure is added @ 10 kg per pit.
if the manure is fresh and not properly decomposed, it will injure the roots and stem.
Fruits can be harvested after 60 to 75 days from the first day of sowing The tender , immature fruits are preferred over ripe fruits Soon after harvesting, they are washed in water and dried before taking to market
Pests of Bitter Gourd and Treatment:
The bitter taste of the fruit prevents it from getting attacked as frequent as the other crops belonging to the cucurbit family, however the major pests include the following
1. Red pumpkin beetles which are most notorious as if feeds the young and tender leaves during growth stage. Also feeds on the flowers.
2. Stink Bugs are huge and have a plate of scaly armour to prevent from natural predators attacking it. Also it releases a stink liquid which helps it to escape before getting caught. it feeds on tender fruits and results on rotting of the fruit 3. Aphids and thrips can cause serious damage, while the former can colonise the plant, the latter can feed on the leaves which later curl inside 4. Leaf eating caterpillar destroy the leaves and skeletonise the plant, the silk cocoons can be seen mostly on lower surface of the leaves 5. Fruit fly bores on the growing fruit and lays the eggs which grow inside the fruit. worms can be seen in the rotting fruits Treatment: integrated farm management practises recommend the use of both organic as well as chemical pesticides for effective control of pests . However since i advocate the use of mostly neem based sprays, i advise the following 1. Neem cake applied to the soil at 25 day intervals around the plant. 2. During the growing stage, neem solution is sprayed weekly twice @5 ml per litre water. 3. During flowering stage, Neem solution is sprayed weekly once @10 ml per litre. 4. Since neem is all natural and non toxic, it can be sprayed on standing crops and when yield is seen. 5. Spray neem preferably in the evenings, when its cooler between 4 to 6 pm. Staking and trellising: Bitter gourd grows very fast and vines elongate rapidly within two weeks after planting. Thereafter, the plant sends out lateral stems. Staking and trellising will increase fruit yield and size, reduce fruit rot, and make spraying and harvesting easier. There are several methods of trellising bitter gourd. At AVRDC, bamboo poles, wood stakes, PVC pipes or other sturdy material are used to provide support and keep the fruit and foliage off the ground. The trellis is arranged either in a lean-to or tunnel structure. The trellis should be 1.82.0 m high, constructed from stakes 1.21.8 m apart, which is almost similar to the plant row spacing. For the lean-to type, the stakes are joined between two adjoining beds forming an Ashape structure (Figs. 4, 5). Horizontal stakes are installed at the top joining all other beds. The stakes support the climbing vines and lateral stems. Strings are used to secure adjoining stakes. Plantings are easier to manage and more productive when 2-mhigh rather than 1-m-high string trellises are used. For the
tunnel type, plants are grown inside an arch-shape structure made of either PVC or galvanized iron pipe (Fig. 6). Plants are supported by bamboo stakes where vines freely climb and reach the top. The vines and lateral stems will then grow along the structure. Another type of trellising consists of a system of vertical strings running between top and bottom of horizontal wires, or horizontal wires running across all directions on top.
Pruning: Bitter gourd develops many side branches that are not productive. To improve yield, remove lateral branch until the runner reaches the top of the trellis. Leave 46 laterals and cut the tip of the main runner to induce early cropping. Removal of lateral branches in the first 10 nodes has a positive effect on total yield. Without pruning, most of the female flowers occur between the 10th and 40th nodes, or at a height of 0.52.0 m.
Harvesting and handling: Bitter gourd requires close attention at harvest time. The fruits develop rapidly and must be harvested Frequently to keep them from becoming too large or too bitter. Normally it takes 1520 days after Fruit set or 90 days from planting for fruit to reach marketable age, however, bitter gourd can be harvested at earlier stages depending on the purpose for which it will be used. Fruit should be light green, thick and juicy, and the seeds should be soft and white. Harvest every 23 days using a pair of scissors or a sharp knife to cut the fruit stalk. If a fruit remains too long on the vine, it will turn spongy, sour, yellow or orange, and split open Bitter gourd yield can vary depending on variety and crop management. Average marketable yields are 810 t/ha. A yield of 2030 t/ha is excellent and some F1 hybrids yield up to 40 t/ha. Fruits of bitter gourd do not keep long and should Be sold in the market immediately. Remove damaged and deformed fruits. Carefully arrange fruits in bamboo baskets or boxes (Fig. 12) and store in a cool place at 1213oC with 8590% relative humidity. Under this condition, fruit storage life can be extended 23 weeks. Bitter gourd is chilling sensitive and damage may occur if kept below 10oC. Do not store fruits at temperatures above 13oC, as this will result in fruits turning yellow and splitting open. Keep harvested fruits away from other fruits (such as banana, pineapple and apple) that release large amounts of ethylene, a ripening hormone
Leafy vegetables: lettuce, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Brussels sprouts, rhubarb, celery, spinach, chard, kale, endive, escarole, other leafy greens, green onion, Witloof chicory, radicchio, sprouts .
Harvesting Virtually all leafy vegetables are cut by hand; but harvesting aids may be used with some (Brussels sprouts, celery, and parsley). Mechanical harvesting systems have been developed for crisphead lettuce celery, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, but they are not presently used in California. The determination of horticultural maturity varies with commodity, but in general, size is the principal criterion. For others, the solidity of the head determines harvest maturity. Field Packing Field packing is used for all leafy vegetables, except Brussels sprouts. The products are selected for maturity and quality, and then cut, trimmed, packed in cartons or crates, transported to cooling facilities, cooled, put into temporary cold storage prior to loading or loaded directly, and transported to market. Field packing generally provides greater marketable yields because of reduced mechanical damage. Wrapped and unwrapped lettuce, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach are mostly field packed, though the latter three are still packed in packinghouses by a few shippers. Small celery stalks may be trimmed and packed as hearts in the field or field packed in bulk containers after harvesting and transported to packinghouses for trimming, sorting, prepackaging, and packing as celery hearts. Wrapped lettuce and cauliflower are hand selected, cut and trimmed, and then placed on mobile field units where they are wrapped and packed into cartons. They are then palletized and transported to the cooling facilities for cooling and subsequent handling. Rough handling in field packing is a mayor cause of lettuce and cauliflower marketing losses. Keeping the commodity clean is a problem in field packing operations, particularly when fields are muddy.
Packinghouse Operations: The floral and stem vegetables not packed in the field are selected, cut, placed in bulk containers, and then transported to packinghouses for all subsequent handling operations. Compared with field packing, packinghouse handling requires more energy and results in more physical damage to the product, reducing marketable yields. Packinghouse operations needed to prepare these products for market include:
Trimming and cleaning with chlorinated water (desirable concentration is about 200 ppm chlorine).
Sorting and grading to eliminate defective products. Sizing, in some cases (all sizing is subjective and done by hand). Wrapping or tying individual units (cauliflower, broccoli), or in some cases, prepackaging (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower florets).
Packing in shipping containers (often wax-impregnated) or wood crates.
Cooling Delays between harvest and cooling should be avoided, especially during warm weather. Different cooling methods may be applied to the same commodity. The most common cooling methods in commercial use are:
Vacuum cooling for crisp head lettuce, leaf lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, cabbage and other leafy vegetables, and mushrooms.
Hydro Vac cooling (vacuum cooling with injection of water prior to vacuum cycle) for celery and many other leafy vegetables.
Hydro cooling for artichoke, leaf lettuce, celery, spinach, some green onions, leek, and many other leafy vegetables.
Package-icing and liquid-icing for broccoli, spinach, parsley, green onions, and Brussels sprouts.
Room cooling, primarily for artichoke and cabbage, and for the other leafy vegetables in some operations (not generally recommended for this group of vegetables because it is too slow).
Forced-air cooling (sometimes with initial spraying of water), primarily for cauliflower and to a limited extent for other leafy and stem vegetables, and sprouts.
Recommended Storage Conditions In general, these products respond best to storage temperatures of 0 to 1C (32 to 34F). Freezing must be avoided. These products are frequently loaded into refrigerated trailers and containers immediately after cooling. For temporary storage, a temperature of 0 to 2C (32 to 36F) and a relative humidity of 90 to 95 percent is recommended. Long-term storage is not recommended, except for cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and celery. In storage, air circulation should be minimized to that required for proper temperature control, excess carbon dioxide should be removed, and adequate oxygen levels should be maintained. Exposure to ethylene should be avoided throughout the handling system. Ethylene induces "russet spotting" disorder in lettuce and decreases the shelf life of all green, leafy vegetables. Exposure to light causes undesirable greening in Belgian endive; this can be retarded by maintaining the product at low temperature. All the leafy, stem and floral commodities respond favourably to modify atmospheres, although this technique is used on a limited scale commercially. Low oxygen atmospheres (2 to 3 percent oxygen) favour longer shelf life in all products except asparagus and mushrooms. The recommendations for carbon dioxide modification are more variable. Spinach, which is highly perishable, does not tolerate low oxygen atmospheres and is routinely washed and packed in perforated polybags. LETTUCE Harvesting and Packaging -- In most instances, the head lettuce will be ready for harvesting in 70 to 80 days after seeding or 60 to 70 days after transplanting. Cut only those heads that are firm. Leave 3 to 4 "wrapper" leaves to protect the head. Most leaf types are ready in 50 to 60 days after seeding and 30 to 45 days after transplanting. You will have to harvest every 2 to 3 days, depending on moisture and temperature. Packing should be done in the field. A wire-bound or waxed fiber carton designed to hold 20 to 24 heads is used. Lettuce should be packaged "flat pack" (non-bulge) to avoid crushing the heads. There are two layers of heads; the bottom layer is packed stem-down and the top layer stem-up. This keeps the milky latex from the stems from smearing the heads. All heads in a crate should be of similar size and weight.
Whole plants of leaf lettuce are often put in a plastic sleeve and sold 24 to 36 per fiber-board carton. Butter head types are also sleeved or can be packed like head lettuce with 24 heads to a smaller sized carton. Cooling and Shipping -- Unless the crop is to be sold locally, the lettuce must be cooled before shipment. Vacuum cooling is the primary method for cooling in the major lettuce growing areas. The most practical method for N.C. is to stack the cartons in a cold room with high humidity and force cold air through the stack with high-velocity fans. Internal head temperature should be lowered to 34 to 380F for best shipping and holding conditions. Head lettuce can be held for 2 to 3 weeks at 320F and 95% relative humidity. Leaf and butter head types can be kept for 1 to 2 weeks in cold storage. Cultivating Lettuce: Since cultivation is difficult with these shallow-rooted plants, a mulch of grass clippings, salt hay, clean straw, or the like, will keep the weeds out and the growing soil moist and cool. Watering is essential if rainfall is scant. The plants need almost constantly moist ground. Storage Requirements
Temperature 32-40 F 32F
Humidity 80-90% 98-100%
Storage Life 1 month 2-3 weeks
Harvesting Lettuce: Head 2 months. Pull the entire plant from the soil.
Leaf - 6 weeks and continually, since these are "cut and come again" plants. Cut the outer leaves when mature to allow centre leaves to develop. For head lettuce, when the head feels firm and mature, simply cut it off at the soil surface. Harvest all lettuce in early morning for the maximum carotene and best taste. Refrigerate immediately. To store lettuce and other greens, rinse well in cold water, spin them dry, and then store in a cloth bag.
THANK YOU
Effort By: Tarun Upadhyay- 52 Devendra Solanki-10
