Pointed gourd

Its a explanation of pointed gourd nutrition.

1. “Pointed gourd” for nutritional security & economic prosperity DEBI ARCHANA NAYAK ADM.NO-01 VSC/PHD/11

2. Introduction Among the indigenous cucurbits pointed gourd occupies an important place. It is a dioecious annual or perennial herbaceous vegetable, also known as “green potato". one of the choicest cucurbit vegetable liked by many. Grown widely throughout Asia, Australia & Bangladesh. Fruits of pointed gourd plant are used as vegetable in Indian traditional food system for time immemorial.

3. Botanical Classification Kingdom Plantae Division Magnoliophyta Class Magnoliopsida Order Cucurbitales Family Cucurbitaceous Genus Trichosanthes Species dioica Botanical name Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. Common name Pointed Gourd,Parwal

4. Origin & distribution It is a tropical vegetable crop native to India(Indo-Malayan region). Widely cultivated in Eastern part of India & plains of N-India from Punjab to Assam. Extensively cultivated all over Bihar, West Bengal,Odisha & Assam. Bengal-Assam area is the primary centre of origin of pointed gourd. It is cultivated in an estimated area of 10,000 ha in India mainly in Diara lands of major rivers of UP, Bihar & WB.

5. Morphology It is a perennial, dioecious cucurbit grown as vine. Vine are pencil thick in size.(2n=22) Leaves:darkgreen,cordate,ovate,oblong,rigid,simple & not lobed. Roots-tuberous with long tap root system Flowers- dioecious,tubular white with 16-19 days initiation to anthesis time for pistillate flowers & 10-14 days for staminate flowers, stigma remains viable for approximately 14 hrs. Fruits- globose,oblong,smooth,striped. Seeds- globose

6. Based on shape, size & striations fruits can be grouped in to 4 categories ( Singh, 1989) 1) Long, dark green with white stripes

7. 2)Thick ,dark green with very pale green stripes,10-16 cm long

8. 3)Roundish, dark green with white stripes,5-8 cm long

9. 4)Tapering, green & striped,5-8 cm long

10. In Madhya Pradesh 5 th type of cultivar is popular having pale-white oval fruits without any markings (More & Shinde,2003)

11. Nutritional composition It has higher nutrient content than other cucurbits (Pandit & Hazra 2008). It is a rich source of vitamin A(153µg/100g) , C & nutrients like Mg,K,P,Cl. Also rich in protein; protein levels are 10 times higher than of bottle gourd & 4 times that of snake gourd, ridge gourd & ash gourd. Good source of minerals & carbohydrates. Low in cholesterol & fat. A trace of 5-hydroxytrytamine has also been detected in pointed gourd (Gopalan et al., 1999).

12. Nutritional value of pointed gourd(per 100g fresh weight of edible fruits).(Singh et al., 1989 & 2001;Choudhury 1996) Constituents Amount Moisture 92 g Protein 0.7 g Fat 0.2 g Minerals 0.5 g Fibre 3.0 g Carbohydrates 2.2 g Energy 20 kcal Calcium 30 mg Phosphorous 40 mg Iron 1.7 mg Carotene 153 mg Thiamine 0.05 mg Riboflavin 0.06 mg Niacin 0.5 mg Vitamin C 29 mg

13. Constituents Amount Magnesium 9.0 mg Sodium 2.6 mg potassium 83.0 mg Copper 1.1 mg Sulpher 17.0 mg chlorine 4.0 mg Iodine 0.66 ppm(in dry edible matter) fluorine 2.1 ppm(in dry edible matter) Total amino acid 3.99-4.09% Energy 20 k cal (Seshadri ,1990)

14. Every 100 g fresh leaves contains ( Gopalan et al 1989 ; Seshadri 1990) Seed extracts possesses hemagglutination activity that may have some diagnostic application (sathe et al . 1967) constituents amount Protein 5.4 mg Fiber 4.2 mg Calcium 531 mg Phosphorous 73 mg Energy 55 k cal

15. Comparative differences in fruit composition of pointed gourd, snake gourd, ivy gourd, bitter gourd & bottle gourd source: Purseglove 1968;Gopalan et al ,1989 Composition/100 g fresh wt.edible portion Pointed gourd T.dioica Snake gourd T.anguina Ivy gourd C.grandis Bitter gourd M.charantia Bottle gourd L.ciceraria Moisture(%) 92.0 94.6 93.5 92.4 96.1 Protein (g) 2.0 0.5 1.2 1.6 0.2 Fat (g) 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.2 1.0 Minerals (g) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.5 Carbohydrate (g) 4.2 3.3 3.4 4.2 0.6 Fibers (g) 3.0 0.8 1.6 0.8 0.6 Energy (kcal) 20.0 18.0 17.0 25.0 12.0 Calcium(mg) 30.0 50.0 18.0 20.0 120.0 Mg (mg) 9.0 53.0 - 17.0 5.0 P (mg) 40.0 20.0 26.0 70.0 10.0

16. Composition/100 g fresh wt.edible portion Pointed gourd T.dioica Snake gourd T.anguina Ivy gourd C.grandis Bitter gourd M.charantia Bottle gourd L.ciceraria Iron (mg) 1.7 1.1 0.5 1.3 0.7 Sodium (mg) 2.6 25.4 - 17.8 1.0 Potassium (mg) 83.0 34.0 - 152.0 87.0 Copper (mg) 1.1 0.11 - 0.18 0.3 Sulpher (mg) 17.0 35.0 - 15.0 10.0 Chlorine (mg) 4.0 21.0 - 8.0 - Vitamin A (IU) 255.0 160.0 33.0 210.0 60.0 Thymine (mg) 0.05 0.04 - 0.07 0.03 Riboflavin(mg) 0.06 0.06 0.01 0.09 0.01 Nicotinic acid(mg) 0.5 0.3 - 0.5 0.2 Vitamin C (mg) 29.0 5.0 5.0 88.0 6.0 Oxalic acid(mg) 7.0 34.0 - - -

17. Trichosanthes dioica seeds contains large amount of peptides( Kabir et al., 2000),also contains lectin,a carbohydrate binding protein(specifically galactose ) (sultan & kenoth et al. 2004). Uses Immature fruits used as vegetables. Its young leaves are very nutritive & are used as leafy vegetable. Shoot tips are also consumed.(Anon 1998) Also pickled, used in confectionaries.(Paris & Maynard 2008). Fruits are used in making curry & fried. A famous sweet by putting fruits in sugar syrup is made in India.

18. Medicinal value It is a very ancient ayurvadic medicinal herb used in many medicines It is a food for convalescents Have diuretic & laxative properties It is cardiotonic Recommended for bronchitis,biliousness,high fever, nervousness Lowers cholesterol & blood sugar( sharma & pant,1988;chandrasekar et al ,1989) Good for curing blood & skin diseases, also purifies blood Relieve the feeling of food satiation & excessive thirst Light & easy to digest, improves digestion strength Balances cough & bile

19. Useful in itching & burning sensation Natural aphrodisiac Improves taste, useful in anorexia Good for skin ,improves complexion Used as medicine in jaundice, viral infections, flu, anemia ,gastritis ,bloating ,ENT disorders etc. Used for treating Diabetes mellitus . It has been reported that the presence of flavinoids & trace element like Cu,k & Mg are responsible for anti-diabetic activity of pointed gourd plants.( Kar et al, 1999) Juice of leaves used as tonic, febrifuge & in subacute case of enlargement of liver & spleen.

20. In charaka samhita it is described that leaves & fruits are used for treating alcoholism. Leaves are used curing in odema,alopecia & root causes mild purgation. Antihelmintic -the extract of the leaves of pointed gourd is an effective nematocide (Bhattacharya et al .2009) Anti-hyperglycemic -study shows that seeds of T.dioica are anti-hyperglycemic.(Shivhare et al. 2010)

21. Antioxidant -Protects the body against oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals. Aqueous extracts of leaves of T.dioica contains rich amount of polyphenols which are very potent natural antioxidants. Similarly in another study antioxidant activity of fruits of T.dioica was evaluated & compared with ascorbic acid (standard).The result showed that aqueous extract of T.dioica fruits posses in vitro free radical scavenging activity.( Sharmila et al. 2007)

22. Cholesterol lowering activity –Sharma et al . 1988 reported that aqueous fruit extract of T.dioica exhibits cholesterol & body weight lowering activities in both normal & hyperglycemic rats. Antidiabetic -Sharma et al . 1989 & Chandrasekhar et al . 2008 reported that aqueous extract of T.dioica fruits reduces the levels of fasting blood glucose, postprandial glucose,asparate amino transferase,alanine amino transferase,alkaline phosphatase,cretinine,urine sugar, urine protein where as increases total protein & body weight.

23. Antipyretic -Sudarshan churna is very potent Ayurvedic preparation which is used traditionally as antimalarial & antipyretic formulation. Swertia Chirata & T.dioica is key ingredient in sudarshan churna.( Bhargava et al .2008) Glycemic property -Aqueous extracts of T.dioica leaves has good hypoglycemic potential along with a high anti-diabetic profile.( Rai et al .2008) Chandrasekhar et al (1988)have reported that pointed gourd possesses the medicinal property of lowering blood sugar level in rats.

24. Ghaisas et al. (2008)showed hepatoprotective activity of aqueous & ethanolic extract of T.dioica (whole plant)in ferrous sulphate -induced liver injury. Fulzul et al. (2001)found anti-inflammatory activity of T.dioica. Bhujbal (1999) showed that polyherb formulation including T.dioica is useful in skin disorder . Hariti & Rathee et al. (1996) stated that the oil of seeds of T.dioica have antifungal property . They also studied the antibacterial activity of oil T.dioica seeds against Bacilus anthracis & Xanthomonas malacearum .

25. The leaves, fruits & seeds of T.dioica plant may be used as antibacterial agent. The leaves extract could be used for tuberculosis treatment .( Rai et al. 2010) Shivhare et al .(2010)reported a scientific evaluation for the wound healing potential of methanolic (Me OH) extract of T.dioica fruits. Sharma & Pant et al .(1992)showed influence of alcoholic extract of whole fruit of T.dioica on blood sugar, serum lipids, lipoproteins & faecal sterols in normal albino rabbits. It was observed that this extract lowered the blood sugar ,total cholesterol, low density, lipoprotein cholesterol & triglycerides levels & increased the high density lipoprotein cholesterol phospholipids & faecal sterol levels.

26. Cultivation Trichosanthes is the largest genus of the family cucurbitaceae. In plains pointed gourd cultivation is intensive & very remunerative. Pointed gourd is one of the important cucurbitaceous vegetable of northern India especially in the Gangetic plain. Mostly the cultivation of this vegetable is done on sandy soils in river beds which is unsuitable for cereal or pulse production. Fresh fruits give a good cash return. Because of low cost of cultivation and high return, its cultivation is suitable for small & marginal farmers.

27. Riverbed cultivation of pointed gourd

28. Climate Prefers warm, humid climate. Severe cold / frost are unfavorable for plant growth & development, crop remains dormant during winter. Vigorous growth starts only with the onset of spring. Soil Well drained sandy to sandy loam soil with good fertility Does not with stand water logging In W.B, it is commonly grown in river beds Suitable for high rainfall areas without water logging condition.

29. Propagation By vine cuttings & root suckers Seed propagation is avoided due to poor germination & in ability to determine sex of the plants before flowering(50% plants may be male). Fresh vines with 8-10 nodes per cuttings are suitable for field planting. Cuttings should be partially or fully defoliated to check transpiration. Plant to plant distance:1.5-2 m x 1.5-2 m (Singh,1989;Yadav,1989) A female: male ratio of 9:1 is optimum for ensuring maximum fruit set( Maurya et al ,1985)

30. Prepared cuttings

31. Watering to the prepared cuttings

32. Time & system of planting Mid August in plains(uplands) Mid November in Diara lands/medium lands. Bower system requires 8000 cuttings/ha with a spacing of 1.5x 1 m plant to plant. Flat system requires 4500-5000 cuttings/ha with a spacing of 1 x 1 m plant to plant. River bed cultivation requires 3500-4000 cuttings/ha .

33. Field preparation

34. Field leveling

35. Pit preparation

36. Planting of cuttings

37. Manure & fertilizer FYM @20-25 t/ha should be applied to the field at the time of field preparation before planting of cuttings. Singh et al .(1989) recommended 90:60:40 kg N,P2O5,K2O/ha for maximum return. Das et al .(1987) reported maximum early & total yield at N:P rates of 90:60 kg/ha while Kumar et al. obtained maximum no. of fruits/plant when both N & P were applied @ 60 kg/ha. To obtain a good yield half of N & full P & K are applied at the time of planting & remaining half dose of N is applied at the time of flowering.

38. Crop rotation & intercropping Pointed gourd can be raised in various cropping sequences like It can also grown as an intercrop with betel vine in some areas of U.P & W.B( Maity et al., 1995;Anwar et al., 2002;Singh,1989) Potato (Nov-Jan) Pointed gourd (Feb-Oct) Radish (Nov-Jan) Pointed gourd (Feb-Oct) Early pea (Nov-Jan) Pointed gourd (Feb-Oct) Palak (Nov-Jan) Pointed gourd (Feb-Oct)

39. Irrigation, ratooning & pruning Pointed gourd requires irrigation at 20 days interval during winter & 10 days interval during summer for better crop. For ratoon crop, the NPK mixture with well rotton FYM is applied by loosening the soil around the mound towards the end of winter or before start of fruiting every year. Pruning- During winter the growth of meristematic tissue is retarded to a great extent. Therefore vines should be pruned 15 cm from the ground before the winter (Oct-Nov) sets in.

40. Interculture & training Mulching with straw, sugarcane trash or black polythene helps in suppression of weeds & protect the fruits from rotting in contact with soli.(Diwedi et al. 1999) Diwedi et al. 1999 recommended application of paraquat @0.5 kg/ha with 2 hand weeding is ideal to keep the crop weed free. Training- Vines require aerial support system to achieve maximum fruit production.(Prasad & Singh, 1987;Yadav et al ,1987) Singh(1987) reported 14% higher yield on vines trained on bower system compared to those growing on ground. Picking also becomes very easy if the vines are trained.

41. Vines trained on trellis system facilitate effective pollination & luxuriant growth leading to earlier Flowering & higher yield than flat bed system (Singh 1989;Yadav et al 1989)

42. Bower system

43. POINTED GOURD CULTIVATION IS MORE REMUNERATIVE IN TRIANGULAR STAKING SYSTEM Practical utility of innovation 1-It is low cost as compared to other trailing system. 2-Increased yield up to 38.1 % over farmers’ practice. 3-Easy plucking of fruits. 4-Easyness in intercultural operation. 5-Improved quality of fruits as there is no rotting. 6-Suitable for high rainfall area. 7-Suitable for small and marginal farmers. 8-It can be adopted for other crops like spine gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd etc.

44. Triangular staking system

45. S ri Banamali Pradhan of Dumukipur village,pipili,puri innovated one low cost trailing technique to combat the rotting problem of pointed gourd cultivation during rainy season. He started pointed gourd cultivation in an area of 0.5 ha. in triangular staking system made up of bamboos and other locally available staking materials. He placed a series of two bamboos in a triangular manner in a row with spacing of 5 ft X 5 ft on both the sides. Bamboos stripes were tied horizontally between two triangular bamboos and in between locally available staking materials were given. Planting was done on both the sides of staking system at spacing of 5 ft X 5 ft. In the system he harvested 256.2 q pointed gourd per ha with a net income of Rs 2,19,510/- with an investment of 87,800per ha.

46. Harvesting & yield Crops starts fruiting from feb & continues up to monsoon. The 2 nd flush begins with the rains & continues till Oct. Harvesting of fruits is done at mature green marketable stage i.e. at 15-18 days after fruit set. Yield-Harvesting of fruits at weekly interval gives more yield. In 1 st year: 75-90q/ha but subsequent years yield increases up to 150-200 q/ha. In tropics pointed gourd produces maximum yield for 3-4 years, after which yielding potential gradually declines( Samalo & parida,1983)

47. Storage Singh (1989) recommended treatment of Pointed gourd fruits with Waxol (12%) for increasing the shelf-life up to 8 days. In ordinary condition pointed gourd fruits can be easily kept at room temperature for 3-4 days.

48. Immature fruits Mature fruits

49. Varieties Swarna Alaukik It is a HYV . Developed by ICAR research complex for eastern region Ranchi, Jharkhand. light green fruits with blunt ends Fruits are 5-8 cm long,solid,thin skin & good for vegetable as well as preparation of sweets. Average yield is 230-280 q/ha on vertical staking. Recommended for upland & plataeu regions of Bihar,Gangetic plains of U.P,plains of Odisha & W.B. It has also been introduced to Telengana region of A.P.

50. Swarna Rekha : A vigorously growing HYV. Developed at ICAR research complex for eastern region Ranchi, Jharkhand. Fruits are greenish white,8-10 cm long & tapering to both sides. Avg. yield 200-300 q/ha on vertical bower system. Recommended for plains & plateau region of Bihar. Rajendra parwal-1: Developed at Rajendra Agriculture University,Samastipur,Bihar. It is highly suitable for cultivation in Diara land .

51. Fruits are big sized. Average yield is 140-150 q/ha . Rajendra parwal-2 : Developed at Rajendra Agriculture University,Samastipur,Bihar. This variety is also suitable for Diara land cultivation. Fruits are dark green with white stripes. Suitable for cultivation in Bihar & U.P. Avg. yield 150-170 q/ha

52. Faizabad parwal-1 : Developed at Narendradev university of agriculture & technology,Faizabad,U.P. It produces very attractive green round fruits. Avg. yield is 150-170 q/ha It is recommended for commercial cultivation in U.P & adjoining parts of Bihar. Faizabad parwal-3: fruits are spindle shaped, green & less striped. They are excellent for culinary purpose. Avg. yield 125-150 q/ha It is suitable for eastern & western U.P.

53. Faizabad Parwal-4: HYV & recommended for reclaimed sodic soil. Fruits light green colour,spindle shaped with tapering end. Recommended for bower system of cultivation. Chess hybrid-1: It is the 1 st parwal variety developed in the country. Fruits are very attractive ,large sized, dark green stripped weighing about 30-35g.Early maturing ,can be stored for 6-8 days under normal room tempt. Avg. yield 280-300q/ha . It is adopted to upland of Bihar,U.P, Odisha ,W.B & parts of Assam. Resistant to Fruit fly infestation.

54. Chess Hybrid-2: It is a high yielding variety produced dark green stripped fruits Avg wt of each fruit is 25-30g Avg yield is 300-400 q/ha Chhota Hilli: Fruits are medium sized, oval to spindle shaped, swollen in middle. Greenish with prominent white stripped ,blunt at the stalk . Dandali: Fruits are medium sized, egg shaped, light green. Stalk end dispersed, slightly stripped & group towards distal end.

55. Hilli: Fruits are oblong,lenth of fruit is avg.9.6 cm & width is avg. 3 cm Greenish fruit with white stripe, tapering towards distal end with disperse neck. Shankolia: Fruits are medium long Resembling to both shank & shell Tapering towards both side & greenish Slightly beaked towards distal end.

56. Varieties developed from IIVR,Varanasi,U.P. are IIVR PG-1,IIVR PG-2, IIVR PG-105(seedless). CHPG-15 has been identified as most promising line of pointed gourd & it is tolerant to powdery mildew & Fusarium wilt. Local Varieties: W.B-Kazil,Bombay,Damodar. U.P- Dandli, Kalyani, Guli,Bihar Sharif M.P-Green Oval, Green long Striped, White Oval Bihar- Sopari Safeda,Miria,Santokhwa Among the local types Dandli has the heaviest fruits & Santokhwa has the longest vines & fruits (Kumar et al. ,1995)

57. Future prospects: Pointed gourd is emerging as a very potential crop for its nutritional & medicinal importance. It provides most opportunity to small farmers living close to metropolitan cities where it can be grown for supply to international markets & ethenic grocery shops. The demand for this vegetable from minorities from Indian subcontinent present in foreign country is also high & occasional imports are sold for US $ 9-10/kg in international market.(Singh & Whitehead,1999) The crop also has potential for production in home gardens where it can be provide a nutritious vegetable for an extended period.

58. Crop improvements Wide scope of varietal improvements can be possible in pointed gourd through hybridization & selection . (Ram,2001) Clonal selection are promising approach for genetic improvement of this species. There is also need to develop varieties which are high yielding & early maturity with fruits still tender having immature seeds at harvest . Need for Identification of Parthenocarpic pointed gourd germplasm Which sets fruit without pollination & fertilization. For cultivation of this planting male plant is not required, only female plants are grown by root cuttings.

59. Fruits thus developed are seedless with only unfertilized ovules & without solid seeds. Advantage Of the selection are; it reduces production cost incurred for manual pollination. No land occupied by unproductive male plants. Seedless fruits get better market price. Disadvantage Shorter shelf life of fruits. Trial to other cultivated variety are required for releasing the germplasm as parthenocarpic variety.(Mondal & Mitra,ICAR NEWS, july-sept 2011)

60. Use of Plant Growth Regulators: Dubey & Nair (1972) recorded maximum fruit set (80%) with application of NAA @200-300 ppm . NAA @ 100-500 ppm also induces parthenocarpy in cv. White Oval . Application of GA 3 @ 40 ppm increases the no. of female flowers by 20% resulting in increased fruit set by 18.7%.( Basu et al .,1999) Application of silver nitrate @ 1000 ppm induces hermaphrodite flower.( Hoque et al., 2002) Silver nitrate also induces parthenocarpy . Application of 100 mg/l IBA increases rooting of vine cuttings with 1-3 nodes ( Pandey & Ram 2000)

61. In –vitro propagation of pointed gourd Availability of quality planting material is a major limitation in pointed gourd cultivation round the year, so optimization of in-vitro plantlets development can be a tool for large scale propagation & conservation of germplasm. Plant regeneration in pointed gourd has been achieved from shoot tips, nodal explants & immature/mature cotyledons ( Hoque et al. 1998) MS( Murashige & Skoog )medium is widely used for micropropagation in pointed gourd.

62. Shoot regeneration media includes BA either alone or in combination with a low concentration of an auxin , such as NAA or IBA .( Yadava & Dhir 1995;Hoque et al 1998; Debnath et al 2000;Kumar 2008) Mythili & Thomas (1999) reported that a combination of IAA (1.0µm) & IBA (0.2 µm) is the most suitable for multiple shoot development. Study shows that best initial microshoot response was observed with basal nodal segment on the media containing kinetin @ 8.0 mg/lt.( Kundan Kisore et al ,2012) Up to 92% regeneration was obtained from cotyledons from physiologically immature & mature seeds cultured on MS medium containing 4.4 µm BA.( Hoque et al ,1998)

63. Rooted plantlets of pointed-gourd

64. Effect of BAP and IAA on callus formation and plant regeneration in Pointed gourd ( a) Swelling in t he leaf explants inoculated on MS +1.5 mg/l BAP after 6days of inoculation (b) Callus induction in leaf explants after 10 days of inoculation on MS + 2.5 mg/l BAP, (c) Callus induction in nodal explants inoculated on MS + 2.5 mg/l BAP after 8 days of inoculation, (d) Nodal explants turning into white crystalline mass of tissues on MS + 3.0 mg/l BAP after 40 days of inoculation, (e) Shoot tip explants showing induction of callus on MS + 3.0 mg/l BAP after 14days of inoculation, (f) Shoot tip callus with a green shoot bud on MS + 2.5 mg/l BAP after 6days of inoculation.

65. Effect of BAP and IAA on callus formation and plant regeneration in Pointed gourd . A B C D

66. Effect of BAP and IAA on callus formation and plant regeneration in Pointed gourd . Nodal explants showing direct shoot initiation on MS + 2.5 mg/l BAP after 10 days of inoculation, Shoot initiation from callus from MS + 2.5 mg/l BAP after 20 days of sub culturing, Rhizogenesis from callus MS + 2.5 mg/l BAP after 6days of inoculation, In vitro regenerated plantlet of Pointed gourd with well developed root.

67. Highest % of shoot regeneration is obtained when nodal explants were cultured on MS+1.0mg/l BAP. Among shoot tip & nodal segment explants, nodal segment was found better for shoot regeneration & multiplication.( Hoque et al .2012) Swarna Alaukik (6.6 cuttings per explant) shows highest rate of multiplication than Swarna Rekha (4.9) when shoot tip & nodal explants are cultured on MS medium containing IAA(1.0 µm) & IBA (0.2µm).( Mythili et al ,1999)

68. In the case of micropropagation using shoot tip & nodal segments about 8 shoots can be obtained from a single explant in 4 weeks as compared to only 8-10 cuttings produced from each plant in 1 yr by the conventional method of vegetative production. Therefore micropropagation has the potential for producing large number of quality propagules of elite clones in short period. In India,the Agro Division of Cadila Pharmaceuticals limited is producing 0.3 million plants per annum of Anawal pointed gourd through tissue culture at a price of Rs.12/- each in Gujarat state(Anon,2010) The sex-associated random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers are utilized as a quality control to check the sex & uniformity of the propagules.(Kumar et al ,2008)

69. cost of cultivation of pointed gourd (with hired labour) Area -1 ha Labour @Rs 126/MD Spacing -2 m×2 m A.LABOUR UNIT/MD COST(Rs.) 1.Tractor [email protected]/hr 10 hr 4000/- 2.Cleaning field & bunds 20MD 2520/- 3.Lay out, pit making 50MD 6300/- 4.Pit filling with compost & basal fertilizers 30MD 3780/- 5.Root treatment & planting 30MD 3780/- 6.Irrigation (need based) 45MD 5670/- 7.Intercultural operation( hoeing,weeding ) 85MD 10,710/-

70. A.LABOUR UNIT/MD COST(Rs.) 8.Application of fertilizer, micronutrient 30MD 3780/- 9.Application of plant protection chemicals & plant growth regulators 30MD 3780/- 10.Application & lifting of mulching material 20MD 2520/- 11.Harvesting & postharvest handling SUBTOTAL A 200MD 540MD 25200/- 72,040/-

71. B.INPUTS UNITS COST(Rs.) 1.Cost of cuttings @ Rs.8/per cutting 2500 number of cuttings 20,000/- 2.Root treating [email protected]/g 100 g 300/- 3. Manure or compost @1000/MT 10MT 10000/- 4.Biofertilizers (Azotobactor + PSB)@50/kg 10kg 500/- 5.Fertilizers N @Rs.10.50/kg P2O5 @Rs.16.22/kg K2O @Rs.7.50/kg 120 kg 80 kg 80 kg 1260/- 1298/- 600/- 6.Micronutrients @Rs.500/kg/l 5kg/l 2500/-

72. B.INPUTS UNITS COST(Rs.) 7.Mulching material(organic) 8.Plant protection chemicals & plant growth regulators Rs.5oo/no. 5 nos. 2000/- 2500/- 9.Irrigation charges @Rs.300/no. 12 nos. 3600/- SUBTOTAL B Miscellaneous 44,558/- 6000/-

73. GRAND TOTAL= SUBTOTAL A + SUBTOTAL B + MISCELLANEOUS = 72,040/- +44,558/- + 6000/- =122,598/- Yield of fruit : 150 qt/ha (average) Gross income @ Rs.30/kg :Rs. 450,000/- Net income : Rs.327,402/- Benefit cost ratio : 2.67

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